Choseras are good if you rehone more than 100 razors..BUT a Diamond plate 800grit will work just fine and is much cheaper IMO...I have rehoned over 50 at least and never had an issue..NO clogging and these aernt porous...synthetic stones always need water and can leave a "slurry" color..which needs to be cleaned not to mention lapping with a DMT325 before you use em....anyways..my $.02
Straight razor sharpening and my Edge Pro - Pic intensive
- Thread starter tgo-mdai
- Start date
I mentioned in my first post of this thread that I use my Edge Pro on knives. I am "reusing" it for razors as well since I have put time and effort into this system.
My current EP stones need water so the water issue is not a concern of mine. So the stones I want to get are for knives and razors.
m-
My current EP stones need water so the water issue is not a concern of mine. So the stones I want to get are for knives and razors.
m-
Great posts, thanks! You've even slayed some of my "sacred cows", I learned a lot here. 
While I'm a big EP fan, I would have NEVER thought it would work with razors without giving you the world's worst wire edge. I'm glad to see that I was wrong. There is a ton of "mythology" surrounding straight razors (e.g., pyramid sharpening, etc.), most of which is BS, in my opinion. It's nice to see a fresh and new approach, thanks. I might have to try this out as well....
While I'm a big EP fan, I would have NEVER thought it would work with razors without giving you the world's worst wire edge. I'm glad to see that I was wrong. There is a ton of "mythology" surrounding straight razors (e.g., pyramid sharpening, etc.), most of which is BS, in my opinion. It's nice to see a fresh and new approach, thanks. I might have to try this out as well....*UPDATE*!
In my ever continuing quest for straight razor nirvana, I have a low-cost strop alternative that I would like to share with everyone here.
Low-cost you say? How low can you go?
I present to you the Home Depot paint stick EP balsa strop.
Here are some of the intricate build photos that were taken while I was in the garage.
Paint stir sticks:
Cut and ready for a test fit:
Looks like it is ready for glue and grip.
Under pressure:
For comparison. From left to right:
Homemade Leather EP strop, EP 1k stone, Home Depot EP balsa strop.
HDEP Balsa strop selfie. This strop was sanded down with 1k sandpaper, checked for flatness with the angle cube, and sprayed with some 0.125 diamond spray:
Here are some action shots on the EP:
So how does it perform? I would have to describe the last touch up I did on a Wade & Butcher razor I have:
Chrom-ox loaded balsa strop (strop was from CKTG) - 10 passes
Right side - 1 pass equals 10 strokes H-T and 10 strokes T-H
Heel to toe - 10 strokes
Toe to heel - 10 strokes
Left side - 1 pass equals 10 strokes H-T and 10 strokes T-H
Heel to toe - 10 strokes
Toe to heel - 10 strokes
0.3 Micron tape - 10 passes
0.125 loaded strop (Home Depot sticks) - 10 passes
Leather strop (Homemade EP) - 15 passes
Shave setup:
Shave secret pre-shave oil
C.O. Bigelow
AOS badger brush
W/B SR
The shave WTG was flawless. The shave ATG was very nice. I did 2 ATG passes on my neck. The 2nd pass was butter smooth. The XTG pass was also very nice. I got a very close shave this evening with the W/B that has restored my "faith" in straight razors and my growing ability in sharpening them. After this new progression with my strops I think I am on my way. My "faith" was shaken just a bit after I shaved with a freshly acquired Gillette D1 Safety razor. The shave from the safety razor was butter smooth.
I think I am leaning towards loaded balsa vs. loaded leather. The draw from the balsa strops are very nice. The loaded Bark leather strop I have feels like it has a sticky draw. It is very hard to get an even pull with the Bark leather. I have not made another homemade EP strop so I do not have another leather strop to load up. I eventually will make another leather strop and load it with the 0.125 spray and see how that works out.
m-
In my ever continuing quest for straight razor nirvana, I have a low-cost strop alternative that I would like to share with everyone here.
Low-cost you say? How low can you go?
I present to you the Home Depot paint stick EP balsa strop.
Here are some of the intricate build photos that were taken while I was in the garage.
Paint stir sticks:
Cut and ready for a test fit:
Looks like it is ready for glue and grip.
Under pressure:
For comparison. From left to right:
Homemade Leather EP strop, EP 1k stone, Home Depot EP balsa strop.
HDEP Balsa strop selfie. This strop was sanded down with 1k sandpaper, checked for flatness with the angle cube, and sprayed with some 0.125 diamond spray:
Here are some action shots on the EP:
So how does it perform? I would have to describe the last touch up I did on a Wade & Butcher razor I have:
Chrom-ox loaded balsa strop (strop was from CKTG) - 10 passes
Right side - 1 pass equals 10 strokes H-T and 10 strokes T-H
Heel to toe - 10 strokes
Toe to heel - 10 strokes
Left side - 1 pass equals 10 strokes H-T and 10 strokes T-H
Heel to toe - 10 strokes
Toe to heel - 10 strokes
0.3 Micron tape - 10 passes
0.125 loaded strop (Home Depot sticks) - 10 passes
Leather strop (Homemade EP) - 15 passes
Shave setup:
Shave secret pre-shave oil
C.O. Bigelow
AOS badger brush
W/B SR
The shave WTG was flawless. The shave ATG was very nice. I did 2 ATG passes on my neck. The 2nd pass was butter smooth. The XTG pass was also very nice. I got a very close shave this evening with the W/B that has restored my "faith" in straight razors and my growing ability in sharpening them. After this new progression with my strops I think I am on my way. My "faith" was shaken just a bit after I shaved with a freshly acquired Gillette D1 Safety razor. The shave from the safety razor was butter smooth.
I think I am leaning towards loaded balsa vs. loaded leather. The draw from the balsa strops are very nice. The loaded Bark leather strop I have feels like it has a sticky draw. It is very hard to get an even pull with the Bark leather. I have not made another homemade EP strop so I do not have another leather strop to load up. I eventually will make another leather strop and load it with the 0.125 spray and see how that works out.
m-
- Joined
- May 25, 2006
- Messages
- 3,982
Thanks for this excellent thread. I own an Apex and this great offering makes me appreciate just how brilliant Ben's sharpening tool is. And in hands like yours, those razors came out looking amazing. I am a long-time DE shaver and have never tried a straight, but have been shaved by them in my travels and it's a great experience when a skilled barber does the job.
This is a great thread. How much father have you gotten? I have the same ep and all the Chosera grits. You taught a lot of great lessons here (just got back from Harbor Freight with my drill stop pack), do you have anything more to share since its been another 2.3 years?
Good morning. I have been using the current setup with amazing results. As a side note that I had not thought about sharing is keeping tapes/strops separated. A friend of mine who also sharpens SRs with his EP setup ran into an issue with his tapes where his SRs would not take an "edge". What ended up being the culprit was that he was using the tapes he used on his knives as well as on his SRs. I never explicitly stated that I keep tapes I use on knives and SRs separate.
I have yet to go to a smaller grit in the diamond spray. If I do, I will need to get some nanostrops from Jende Industries as well as the sprays from them. Until then I'll keep going with my current setup. Maybe dabble in some iron oxide loaded strops if I get a chance.
m-
I have yet to go to a smaller grit in the diamond spray. If I do, I will need to get some nanostrops from Jende Industries as well as the sprays from them. Until then I'll keep going with my current setup. Maybe dabble in some iron oxide loaded strops if I get a chance.
m-