My no-nonsense setup involves Naniwa 5K & 8K super stones followed by a white compound (on a rigid backing) and finished on a black Arkansas stone. This leaves no sting from most post-shave splashes.

@jim34morrison

4 ай бұрын

No matter how you build up to it, the black Arkansas stone does the same for me. Great feedback with the alum stone. No burn, baby smooth.

@trueblu8

4 ай бұрын

What about the translucent Arkansas stone?

@jim34morrison

4 ай бұрын

@@trueblu8 they’re both in the same finish category, very slight deviation.

@trueblu8

4 ай бұрын

@@jim34morrison sweet. Thanks.

I wash my linen strops in the sink with hot water, a dab of dish detergent, and diluted bleach solution, and a nail brush. If im really feeling all to do, a dab of conditioner, rinse, hang air dry and they come back just fine. I swear by working a dab of Chemical Guys Leather scented Vitamin E leather conditioner into EVERYTHING! Couches, car seats, chairs, jackets, strops, etc.

@joecalton1449

Ай бұрын

and your linen strops stay flat during the washing and drying ok?

@bobbyscalchi4013

Ай бұрын

@@joecalton1449 Yeah I hang air dry them. Sometimes they curl a little forwards the handle. But it typically gets straightened out after one or two taught pulls.If not? I don't see why anyone can't just hit it with a warm iron and a handkerchief?

The best stone for straight razors is the one whose feedback you can interpret the best. Coticules and Belgian Blue stones were always easier for me than ultrafine arkansas stones. Ive honed 2 razors on a coticule and black ark without the pasted strop(just bare leather). They both shaved well. But they did feel different from each other. The shapton kuromaku 12k is another stone i bet would work without a pasted strop, but i havent tried it. Havent tried it with the Belgian blue either

@joecalton1449

Ай бұрын

well said on the stone that you can interpret the best!

Realistic and Practical👍

@joecalton1449

Жыл бұрын

thanks!!

Makes sense back in the 1700 1800 barbers slash surgeon's would only have one stone usually cabourumdum stone then strop

Really great, glad i found you. Wish it'd been a few dollars sooner 😁

Thanks Joe., 👌 a great practical explanation , you made lots of valid points !

I find a lot of difference between finishing stones, but I wouldn't if I was using a loaded strop.

@joecalton1449

Жыл бұрын

if you took 2 of the same razors, and finished them on 2 different stones, and only put them on linen and leather with no paste, how many shaves do you think you would still be able to tell the difference in the stones?

@blairbarrington3737

Жыл бұрын

@@joecalton1449 I don't notice any change in the feel before the edge starts to dull. When I can no longer shave my upper lip comfortably against the grain I go back to the hone for a touch up, that's the first change that I notice. So, I would say that the bare strop never makes the edges equal.

Have you ever used any of the old washita stones? Like all natural stones they are all unique but they are amazing for most basic steels because they can cut fast if you put a little pressure and put a very fine edge on your blade with light finishing strokes. They pass a little bit of light like a translucent Arkansas but are usually discolored from decades of oil to an antique ivory color and are mottled in color. I have one that is still very white on the faces and was listed as Lilly white on the barely legible old pike - Norton label. Most of mine don't have a label and they vary in density much more than Arkansas stones but they are all really good for chisels, razors, and my old carbon steel knives.

@joecalton1449

Ай бұрын

i think I have one that is labeled washita and is a large pocket stone size, and is new in the package, but when I reserched it, i dont think it was the washita that everyone really liked, but more of a marketing thing.

I nerd out on stones. Love this video. I agree. They all do the same thing it's the grit that matters and a if it's the same grit then it's the same grit

@joecalton1449

Жыл бұрын

thanks! nerding out on stones is alot of fun, but its way more fun to play with stones after you can get and keep a great edge on a simple stone :}

@ChuckinSteel

Жыл бұрын

@@joecalton1449 100%

At last someone takes the confusion out of stones for me. I need to master my stropping as I seem to dull the edge straight away on my strop. Thanks for the video and advice mate. All the best.

@joecalton1449

11 ай бұрын

thanks!!

@charliebradley4269

11 ай бұрын

@@joecalton1449 my king 1000/6000 arrived today so I'm all set 👍🏻

@jim34morrison

4 ай бұрын

If I can give anyone any advice with stropping it would be keep the razor as flat as you can and apply no pressure. Just glide it over the strop.

@mikafoxx2717

4 ай бұрын

The thing about stropping is it does bring you to a razor point. Thing is, razor sharp might have a harder time cutting a tomato skin than a nice bite from a 600 grit stone

@jim34morrison

4 ай бұрын

@@mikafoxx2717 very good info for consideration. The type of edge is that is comfortable is going to vary from person to person.

Great video on stones. Thank you! I will look for your video on strops. I use the Norton 4/8000 and a hanging bare leather strop. I keep the strop relatively taut and give 10 or so strokes. I’m not getting the comfort I think I could from shaves with a Dovo carbon steel blade. Just tried .5 micron treatment on the strop. Not sure whether It is better yet.

@joecalton1449

2 ай бұрын

for me the first couple of shaves after honing will be a bit agressive until the edge gets rounded over enough on the strop to be really comfortable. i use the chromium oxide paste from maggards on the linen inbetween the leather and linen sides. so the progression would be, hone, crox strop, linen, leather, then just linen and leather for 6 months or so, then a refresh on the crox strop.

Nothing teaches you the value of a good synthetic bevel setter like setting a bevel on an Ark.

As always great 'common sense' video.

@joecalton1449

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Joe, nice shop! Sorry to go off the video topic, but what is that blue auto you have back there?

@joecalton1449

4 ай бұрын

its an old vw bug :}

@jim34morrison

4 ай бұрын

@@joecalton1449 very cool, hope she runs! Water pump has been out on mine for years

@aartdirks4188

2 ай бұрын

​@jim34morrison The factory didn't put it in. It's air cooled. 😂

@jim34morrison

Ай бұрын

@@aartdirks4188 🫢

@jim34morrison

Ай бұрын

You’re correct

Can you maintain an edge indefinitely with a pasted strop?

@joecalton1449

4 ай бұрын

i think sooner or later the edge will get rounded off enough from the strop that you will need to go back to the stone. but it might take awhile. one of mine will be 5 years since it has seen a stone here in a couple of weeks and i shaved with it this morning. you would also need a stone for damage, like if you dropped your razor, or hit the faucet or sink with the edge or something.

To answer your question Falkniven Sapphire lol

@joecalton1449

Жыл бұрын

that looks like it could be a really expensive stone!

@Nebulax123

Жыл бұрын

@@joecalton1449 It is synthetic and they are pretty reasonable.

I own a lot of sharp...objects. On knives, nothing beats a stone, however on straight razor nothing beats a strop and paste. Edit : to answer your question, Spyderco ultra fine and Fallkniven saphire .

If a strop has paste then it is going to act like a finishing stone. If you like that edge then yes you do not need a nice finishing stone. However just leather and linen are realigning the edge but not removing steel. My natural edges feel the same the whole way through, but the sharpness does fade over time. You might not feel a big difference but a lot of people who use a straight do, and is one of the reasons we use a straight. If all edges that cut hair feel the same then why not just use a shavette or DE razor? Shaves can be just as close and you don't need to spend as much money on gear. You can argue that over time, the replacement blades for those will cost more than the straight, but I'd argue the time saved is worth the price difference. Only reason to use a straight today realistically is because you can create the edge you like. It is part of the hobby and the fun. Some people just want to shave with a straight and if any shaving edge works, synthetic is the way. Big picture though the whole thing is a hobby and the stones are part of that experience.

@mikafoxx2717

4 ай бұрын

Strop will help remove burrs, realigning edges like from steels is mostly a myth. Anything that can dull a knife can sharpen it, so a strop will eventually bring the very apex up to a fine point even without compound. Strops work so well because they don't bend the apex with too much force and put a microconvex. At the apex it eventually always turns into a convex, as long as it's small enough, it's sharp.

If there are no Japanese naturals or Turkish Stones in the mix then thats not comprehensive

@nickfanzo

7 ай бұрын

Or yellow coticule,