@@djsamseedri my friend that means so much to me! I’m here to help in any way I can, I’m always to answer any questions for my friends. Cheers and have a great Sunday!
Thank you so much Rob! Hopefully this helps new guys to get a sense of how to start honing. Setting a bevel can be intimidating but I think the touch up is a nice way to ease them into it. Cheers my friend
@@shavingwithfrancis Thank you so much Francis! Hopefully this helps new guys with all the terms they will find themselves with when coming into the hobby.
@@Bamaboyshaving Thank you Michael! I can’t wait till you start honing, you will be a natural at it! With that coticule from Eric you will be able to do refreshes and everything!
@@borbelyhaz321 Thank you my friend! Wanted to make these small little clips for new guys that might get confused with all the terms that we use. I know when I started it was confusing.
We learn from each other my friend and help build each other up! I’m glad it was of some use, I really enjoyed that interview you made with Pete Hendrix!
Thank you so much! I hope people can learn more about honing straight razors and not be so intimidated with putting steel with these beautiful stones! Cheers my friend I will be looking forward to your next film!
@@WaxbellShaving There are differences between the packing peanuts so make sure you get a good quality one. Greg Gallant uses some good ones! Thanks for stopping by my friend
@@seanstapelfeld Thank you Sean! I'll give more information about the challenge in my next video in a couple of days. The first two days have been uneventful, as you might expect.
@@seanstapelfeld I think of it in comparison with a DE blade. For me, a DE blade starts to feel differently around 8 shaves but is still quite usable at about 12 and stays about the same between 12 and 31 shaves. So a straight razor, unstropped, ought to be in that neighborhood of wear as well. Sharpness falling off quickly then reducing at a much slower rate. We'll see :)
These new terms are foreign to me. I know sharpen, hone, and polish. I don't know touch up. I just use the same bench stones i sharpen everything else with. My standard setup is Sigma Power II: 230, 400, 1400 and 13,000. yes the stones are so aggressive you can go straight from 1400 to 13,000. I looked for the type of stone you said you used and the only thing i found was a listing on Amazon for a "natural #6,000 grit stone". If it is #6,000 grit (or about there), it will sharpen as long as the edge isn't actually dull or rounded. It would still cut (it's a good grit to do kitchen knives), but going from a #6,000 grit stone to a strop will do nothing but realign the edge. As a general rule you should use a polishing stone prior to stropping, for a straight razor. It is fascinating to me that people on UA-cam (i assume from forums) have decided that the art of sharpening has somehow died and needs to be resurrected. If you're watching this and actually thinking of getting stones for a straight razor, stop first and ask yourself why you dont have stones for your kitchen knives. A decent stone set-up will sharpen all the things that need to be sharp, for the rest of your life. I sharpen everything from chisels, plane blades, knives, gardening tools, axes, heck I've even had to sharpen post hole diggers.😂 Grab some Naniwa or Sigma Power II (they can be hard to find), and learn how to sharpen on them before you try to learn natural stones and teach the internet your newfound wisdom😂.
@@adifferentangle7064 thank you for your comment. I have the naniwa synthetics I got 2k, 5k, and 10k. The stones you saw in this video will probably not be seen in Amazon because they are kind of niche. With the exception of the naniwa 12k The ones shown here were natural whetstones, meaning they weren’t made in a factory or anything but rather from Mother Nature. The terms used like touch up or refresh aren’t necessarily referencing the sharpening process rather at what point you’re at, in this case you might be doing a touch up but you’re still polishing. The term is used to know how dull the razor is, if it’s really dull then you do a bevel set and sharpen but if it’s fairly keen then a touch up with a polishing stone will get you there, no need to set a new bevel. Thank you for your wonderful comment my friend, I can tell you know a lot and are very knowledgeable! None of the stones here are 6,000 grit, natural whetstones unlike synthetics don’t have a grit system but after using them for a while you can tell how well they polish. In this case although they don’t have a grit I know they get me a better polish than the shapton 8,000 that I’ve had before. They are closer to the naniwa 10k in terms of polish.
@@seanstapelfeld The grit is a reference to the size of the particulates. Natural water stones have a grit, just like synthetic ones, but the system for grading them is a bit more complicated. Usually your stone type (and price) will have a range of grits that your stone could be, and then you're supposed to determine the grit of the specific stone by using it and comparing it to others. how it cuts and feels is almost irrelevant to grit size, as there are other factors that need to be taken into account, like how the stone particles are bound together, how easily they seperate from each other compared to how quickly the particles wear down etc. Using a rubbing stone complicates things further, as you can effectively create different grits. I thought your reference to the stone was either a manufacturers name or a place name, which is why I went searching looking for what kind of stone it might be. The only thing with that name was a natural waterstone listed on Amazon, which is why I mentioned it. It would be interesting to put your razor under a microscope to see what the edge actually looks like. The straight razor community seem to be a little bit more sensible with sharpening than the cooking/chefing community. It is comical watching a chef spend four hours trying to get an edge on a dull knife that's over 62RC.
@@adifferentangle7064 Yes the grit is a reference to the particle size you’re correct my friend. With coticules the abrasive material are garnets and those don’t break down. The thicker you make the slurry the coarser the cut and the thinner or the more you dilute the higher the “grit” will be. The particles stay the same size but you’re diluting so there are less garnets so it goes from sharpening to polishing. With Japanese natural whetstones you can have a base stone that is lvl 5 but you can use mikawa nagura to create a slurry. It goes from coarse to fine, the progression with straight razors would go something like this: Botan, Tenjou, Mejiro, Koma, then finally tomo(friendly stone or same stone) with these stones the abrasive material breaks down so you have to work the slurry. In other words the slurry might start in one “grit” but might end up at another. I’ve always compared the keenness between synthetics and naturals because I’ve shaved from all my synthetics and I can tell how easily or how difficult the cut is on my whiskers regardless if it’s natural or synthetic. I do have a 1000x microscope that I use to play around with my edges and see them, it’s so cool to actually look at the edges you’re sharpening. I’ve been playing with convex stones lately and that thins out the bevel making a nicer cut for my whiskers. Cheers my friend, I think you’re right about the cooking/chefing community 😂 I think for those types of knives the shapton glass series is a great option, the abrasive on those stones cuts really well.
Not a black ark? Need to glue some leather to the convex base, weekend work.. refresh on .5 and .1 micro leather strop.. and depending on ware either black ark or coticule for touch-up. Wish you a good WE. /J
@@dnamol The black ark is a great choice my friend! Any finisher will work, I need to use my black ark more often. In this video I wanted to showcase my small little stones that need more love hehe cheers
I cannot tell you how influential you have been in my wet shaving experience. thank you for your content and keep it coming bro
@@djsamseedri my friend that means so much to me! I’m here to help in any way I can, I’m always to answer any questions for my friends. Cheers and have a great Sunday!
You put this video together nicely. Easy to fallow steps.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much Rob! Hopefully this helps new guys to get a sense of how to start honing. Setting a bevel can be intimidating but I think the touch up is a nice way to ease them into it. Cheers my friend
a solid quick vid packed with info; 10/10. and the stones are beautiful too!
@@757History Thank you my friend! Posting these videos to help out all my friend that are thinking of buying a straight razor.
Awesome video brother!
@@shavingwithfrancis Thank you so much Francis! Hopefully this helps new guys with all the terms they will find themselves with when coming into the hobby.
I will be referencing this video in the future
@@Bamaboyshaving Thank you Michael! I can’t wait till you start honing, you will be a natural at it! With that coticule from Eric you will be able to do refreshes and everything!
Hi Sean. Awesome quick video. Just what I needed 🙂 have a good Friday
@@borbelyhaz321 Thank you my friend! Wanted to make these small little clips for new guys that might get confused with all the terms that we use. I know when I started it was confusing.
This newbie is learning a lot from you! Great video.
We learn from each other my friend and help build each other up! I’m glad it was of some use, I really enjoyed that interview you made with Pete Hendrix!
@@seanstapelfeld Thank you! That video was a lot of fun to make.
Heirloom quality stones you have. It’s art and functional beauty.
Well done, sir!
@@JustinfromAZ Thank you so much for that comment! I’m slowly becoming a collector of stones 😂
Great video Sean! To the point and excellent tips.
Thank you so much! I hope people can learn more about honing straight razors and not be so intimidated with putting steel with these beautiful stones! Cheers my friend I will be looking forward to your next film!
Great work Sean. You didn’t mention the flesh test, I thought that was your favorite sharpness test 😂.
@@BigEShaves I forgot! It works every time hehe
Nice :) Haven't tried the packing peanut yet.
@@WaxbellShaving There are differences between the packing peanuts so make sure you get a good quality one. Greg Gallant uses some good ones! Thanks for stopping by my friend
Very nice video Sean! Terrific summary!
@@greggallant5058 thank you so much Greg! You’re on day 2 of the challenge! Excited to seeing more about that!
@@seanstapelfeld Thank you Sean! I'll give more information about the challenge in my next video in a couple of days. The first two days have been uneventful, as you might expect.
@@greggallant5058 I imagine smooth sailing so far but in a few days it will get interesting I would imagine hehe
@@seanstapelfeld I think of it in comparison with a DE blade. For me, a DE blade starts to feel differently around 8 shaves but is still quite usable at about 12 and stays about the same between 12 and 31 shaves. So a straight razor, unstropped, ought to be in that neighborhood of wear as well. Sharpness falling off quickly then reducing at a much slower rate. We'll see :)
These new terms are foreign to me.
I know sharpen, hone, and polish. I don't know touch up.
I just use the same bench stones i sharpen everything else with. My standard setup is Sigma Power II: 230, 400, 1400 and 13,000.
yes the stones are so aggressive you can go straight from 1400 to 13,000.
I looked for the type of stone you said you used and the only thing i found was a listing on Amazon for a "natural #6,000 grit stone".
If it is #6,000 grit (or about there), it will sharpen as long as the edge isn't actually dull or rounded. It would still cut (it's a good grit to do kitchen knives), but going from a #6,000 grit stone to a strop will do nothing but realign the edge.
As a general rule you should use a polishing stone prior to stropping, for a straight razor.
It is fascinating to me that people on UA-cam (i assume from forums) have decided that the art of sharpening has somehow died and needs to be resurrected.
If you're watching this and actually thinking of getting stones for a straight razor, stop first and ask yourself why you dont have stones for your kitchen knives.
A decent stone set-up will sharpen all the things that need to be sharp, for the rest of your life.
I sharpen everything from chisels, plane blades, knives, gardening tools, axes, heck I've even had to sharpen post hole diggers.😂
Grab some Naniwa or Sigma Power II (they can be hard to find), and learn how to sharpen on them before you try to learn natural stones and teach the internet your newfound wisdom😂.
@@adifferentangle7064 thank you for your comment. I have the naniwa synthetics I got 2k, 5k, and 10k.
The stones you saw in this video will probably not be seen in Amazon because they are kind of niche. With the exception of the naniwa 12k
The ones shown here were natural whetstones, meaning they weren’t made in a factory or anything but rather from Mother Nature.
The terms used like touch up or refresh aren’t necessarily referencing the sharpening process rather at what point you’re at, in this case you might be doing a touch up but you’re still polishing. The term is used to know how dull the razor is, if it’s really dull then you do a bevel set and sharpen but if it’s fairly keen then a touch up with a polishing stone will get you there, no need to set a new bevel.
Thank you for your wonderful comment my friend, I can tell you know a lot and are very knowledgeable!
None of the stones here are 6,000 grit, natural whetstones unlike synthetics don’t have a grit system but after using them for a while you can tell how well they polish. In this case although they don’t have a grit I know they get me a better polish than the shapton 8,000 that I’ve had before. They are closer to the naniwa 10k in terms of polish.
@@seanstapelfeld The grit is a reference to the size of the particulates.
Natural water stones have a grit, just like synthetic ones, but the system for grading them is a bit more complicated. Usually your stone type (and price) will have a range of grits that your stone could be, and then you're supposed to determine the grit of the specific stone by using it and comparing it to others.
how it cuts and feels is almost irrelevant to grit size, as there are other factors that need to be taken into account, like how the stone particles are bound together, how easily they seperate from each other compared to how quickly the particles wear down etc. Using a rubbing stone complicates things further, as you can effectively create different grits.
I thought your reference to the stone was either a manufacturers name or a place name, which is why I went searching looking for what kind of stone it might be.
The only thing with that name was a natural waterstone listed on Amazon, which is why I mentioned it.
It would be interesting to put your razor under a microscope to see what the edge actually looks like.
The straight razor community seem to be a little bit more sensible with sharpening than the cooking/chefing community. It is comical watching a chef spend four hours trying to get an edge on a dull knife that's over 62RC.
@@adifferentangle7064 Yes the grit is a reference to the particle size you’re correct my friend.
With coticules the abrasive material are garnets and those don’t break down. The thicker you make the slurry the coarser the cut and the thinner or the more you dilute the higher the “grit” will be. The particles stay the same size but you’re diluting so there are less garnets so it goes from sharpening to polishing.
With Japanese natural whetstones you can have a base stone that is lvl 5 but you can use mikawa nagura to create a slurry. It goes from coarse to fine, the progression with straight razors would go something like this: Botan, Tenjou, Mejiro, Koma, then finally tomo(friendly stone or same stone) with these stones the abrasive material breaks down so you have to work the slurry. In other words the slurry might start in one “grit” but might end up at another.
I’ve always compared the keenness between synthetics and naturals because I’ve shaved from all my synthetics and I can tell how easily or how difficult the cut is on my whiskers regardless if it’s natural or synthetic.
I do have a 1000x microscope that I use to play around with my edges and see them, it’s so cool to actually look at the edges you’re sharpening. I’ve been playing with convex stones lately and that thins out the bevel making a nicer cut for my whiskers.
Cheers my friend, I think you’re right about the cooking/chefing community 😂 I think for those types of knives the shapton glass series is a great option, the abrasive on those stones cuts really well.
Not a black ark?
Need to glue some leather to the convex base, weekend work.. refresh on .5 and .1 micro leather strop.. and depending on ware either black ark or coticule for touch-up.
Wish you a good WE.
/J
@@dnamol The black ark is a great choice my friend! Any finisher will work, I need to use my black ark more often. In this video I wanted to showcase my small little stones that need more love hehe cheers
@seanstapelfeld lol get it.. should have a few small ones myself.. only have 4 table size and a smaller coti
@@dnamol They can be fun to play around with in the hand but a nice big stone is always nice haha