The Bundu sharpening kit overview

Holy crap, it has been 4 years since we did a blog, come to think of it, in the last 4 years so much has happened with social media, vlogging and AI, that it it is not surprising that none of us miss these old dinosaurs of the information age. That being said, it remains a handy tool to relay information as a source that is always available and relevant, and NOT 'contaminated' by AI that loves combining fact and perception. 

The reasons for creating the Bundu sharpening kit were muliple, we realized many guys want to get into straight razor shaving, but once they find out how expensive and technical maintenance can become, they shy away from it, so we designed this kit to adress these issues;

1. The kit must be relatively inexpensive to purchase
2. The must be complete and contain everything one needs to hone straight razors
3. The kit must be fairly easy to use 
4. Top-ups of components must be available at all times
5. The kit must be as light and compact as possible
6. Results must be consistent and repeatable 

This kit is NOT my claim to fame to make an impact on the holy grail of razor sharpening, I know for a fact the system will be discussed on forums and between users, and that is all good, but we are not particularly interested in the intricasies of the ways in which it works, this kit is outcome based, the majority of shavers are not really interested in a lot of anylitics and technical information, they simply want great results that are fairly easy to achieve.

The set consist of everything you need to get a great edge from a straight razor, it is a modular system that aims to offer a lot of bang for your buck, but also one that offers a complete honing solution that can be adapted as the user see fit. You can spend months on experimenting with the various items, or simply use it to execute a quick refresh as and when required.

The kit consist of a slate stone that is used as the primary surface for the bulk of the honing using various grits of diamond compound. With this we have included 8 different  grit compounds and a powder that can be used on the stone. There is also a small wooden base that has a smooth leather stropping surface on the one side, and a softer (meat side) strip on the other end. This kit offers quite a few new concepts and ideas, and in some cases it actually adresses some issues that many folks have with honing on more traditional synthetic or natural honing stones, so let us get into it.

The Slate stone. This is the one item used most and forms the working base of the system. Rather using the composition of materials from the whetstone itself, our system merely uses the whetstone as a base to accept an alternative medium, and to provide sufficient surface area and compound retention to have the diamond spray do its work. What is very important with this system is to use a light touch, you do not want to loosen any slate from the surface as this will impede or slow down the action of the diamond solution. The latter adresses an issue that many folks struggle with by default and that is using too much pressure for quicker results. Too much pressure results in flex which will give you inconsistent results. With this system a good bevel set is more imperative than most others, so take your time to get the basics right in the first steps, and with this in place the final result will be very impressive. We have different slates, and there are some differences in the way they behave; and some can take a bit more pressure or 'abuse' and some offer more consistent surface properties, but we will get into that at a later stage, all our slate stones work well enough to achieve a great edge. The slate stone is cut slightly shorter than most whetstones and is generally sized around 175 x 75 mm, and can be anything between 4 and 16 mm thick.

The whetstone holder/stand.  The wetstone holder needs no introduction, although our set is very comfortable in hand and easy to use in this way, some folks may still prefer to set the stone down on a table or bench, and work with both hands being free to hold and glide the razor over the honing surface. We did shorten this holder to make our offering as compact as possible, so please note that it will not accept stones much longer than 180 mm. 

The 1000# diamond plate. This diamond plate replaces the usual 1000# synthetic hone and has two primary functions; a) To do a bevel reset when a razor is in a bad state, and b) To lap/dress your slate stone from time to time. This plate is from Temu and you could also pick it up there for cheap, it works very well and the one I have been using for a year is still performing well, it has become less aggresive, but that is not always a bad thing, especially if you are working on fine edges, bottom line, it still works well after lots of use, and consistently so. For what it is worth, we do stick to one supplier only as quality may vary, and they should all perform satisfactory. These plates are a fraction of the price of any 'pro plate' and are not as good as Atomas or DMT in terms of quality and the amount of abuse they can take, but they perform very well and does the job expected of them. The fact that we wanted to keep the system affordable and that sharpening razors are normally way less taxing on sharpening gear than knifes, made them a sensible choice.

What we did not like was the amount of flex that it had on account of a relative thin base, temperature, drops, or uneven working surfaces may impede on a thin plate's performance, so we added a slate stone that has been lapped to serve as a solid, consistent base for repeatable results. When used in hand and not on a stand, the thin plate also made it highly likely that you would cut your fingers with the object you are sharpening, and we needed to minimize that risk. We also opted for the smaller plate as it saves space and weight, and since the 1000# plate is only a 'starting point' it is less critical in the final results. The more 'traditional choice' would be a 1000k synthetic stone, but it would be double the cost of this one, and it will weigh in excess of 1 kgs where the slated oriental weighs 300 to 500 grams dependant on the thickness of the slate.

The slate base is also logical choice of a mounting materal as you will more than likely work on it with water, or at least wash/rinse the plate occasionally; Slate takes to water like a hippo....it loves it!

The diamond compounds. The compounds are used as a slurry that sharpens your razor in steps, smoothes out the surface of the bevel and conditions the apex of the blade to present a tool that shaves great and is easy to maintain. One would typically start at a point that is determined by the state of the razor, if the razor is a revamp one would start at a bevel set on the 1000#, followed by slate slurry and/or diamond powder, and then start with these using the larger particle compound (25 micron) first and working your way through the next ones (14,8,6,3,1,1/2 and 1/4 microns) progressively. The durations and actions of the compounds differ on various metal types and it is very interesting to see how the various compounds perform differently on each type of razor. The diamond sprays come in 5 ml sprays to keep cost down, and to create a system where you can readily replace the ones you use most. With this setup you will have the versatility of a wide range of 'grit ratings' and mediums to experiment with, but you will soon favour some over others. Keeping the vials small, light and cheap makes for sensible shipping and cost effective buying without the problem of bigger quantities of products that sits on the shelf not getting used. I counted about 80 sprays from a 5ml containr and I use on average 3 sprays on the stone for a run, so you'd get around 27 uses from a vail. As is the nature of razor honing most of the work will be at the higher end on the grit table, most razors only require a bit of dressing to bring back the edge, so having large containers with compounds that sees less use does not make sense. If you want to add some extra vails right from the getgo, grab some in the 1 Micron and smaller range as you will use them more often to do a quick 'refresh' on a razor. 

The strop block. The wood itself is Kiaat, cut nice and thick as it is light, and stable enough to allow for this, the extra thickness will add to the stability of the block over time. Once again, repeatable results are so much better than figuring out 'what went wrong this time round'  Experimenting is fun, but not at times when you are after consistent results. We clad the block of sweet smelling indigenous hardwood in goats leather as it is nice and thin and has a fine grain. The one side is smooth and loose, and the other is softer with a heavier draw. I started out by using 1/4 micron diamond spray on the softer side, and it worked great for a very quick refresh, but I reverted back to the soft clean leather as a stropping medium as it adds yet another dimension to the set, and has really amazed me on some razors, to such an extent that I prefer finishing on the heavier draw on many of my razors. 

The pouch. The pouch is made from Ripstop which is a strong and durable fabric. It will give your kit a proudly local flavour and a distinct African vibe. The pouch is designed to hold all your goodies in one place while remaining compact and portable. When I go on holiday I sit around the fire quite a bit and love the process of honing sharp stuff while chilling out, but in the end lugging a crate of stones around was becoming a bit of a burdon, and from there some extra personal admiration for this concept; the widest range of sharpening options in a small and neat set that is easy to travel with. There is still enough space for a few razors, so add 10 or so razors and take it with when going on a trip, it is a superb way to pass the time in a great setting with great company, or in solitude with your own thoughts and the sounds around you.

The leather strips. We are also selling the leather strips seperately, these can be purchased to replace the strips on your strop block, but they will also add an additional dimension to your maintainace. I have a seperate set of leather strips that I keep where I deposit certain compounds on the soft (meat) side of the leather. This works very well when time is an issue and you do not want the hassle of working with liquids, water and having to wash up and dry stuff before putting it back. You simply place the 'compounded' strip of leather on your strop block and do a few laps (4 to 8 is normally enough) wipe the blade and give it a go! Be sure to mark your strips to identify the compound used on them, and store your leather strips in such a way to avoid them picking up debris. Also stack them in one direction, smooth side up, this way the compound particles will remain consistent with what you have applied from the start. I pack mine in a seperate plastic bag, nice and flat, next to the strop block so that they stay 'clean' and withour folds or creases. The initial loading of the leather will use up a few squirts more than regular honing on the slate, but once loaded only small amounts are required to 'top up the loading'

The diamond powder. Mix this Aluminium Oxide with water and make it into a paste or a more liquid slurry, it is a step we sometimes use after setting the bevel to get rid of the more agressive scratch marks of the diamond plate, it is also the cheapest medium to use to see if the bevel polishes up evenly before you continue on the slate stone and diamond sprays. The powder is rated under 2 microns, so it can be used in various ways on leather, buffing pads, as a polishing compound and obviously on the slate stone. a 'Bonus use' for this powder is to put some on the corner of one of the rags, and then use this to polish up your blade and scales after you have honed it up, it removes debris and contamination and brings the sparkle right back to your blade. 

The permanent marker. This one we should all know by know...use the marker from time to time to mark your bevel and see what amount of black has been taken off after a few laps on the slate, it is a great indicator to see in what way the bevel is in contact with the honing surface, and to identify problem areas that are difficult to pick up visually.

The microscope. We have used various devices to do visual inspections, and of all the cheaper options these are the best and least intrusive to the sharpening process. It is quick to use, has great lighting and switches off/on without much trouble, it has got a good range of magnification to see a lot of stuff the naked eye will miss, and is a great tool to record your progress as it can take pics and video, and you can download it to a device. 'Model A' also connected to my laptop very easily, and alhough 'Model B' claimed the same ability I failed to do so after a few minutes of trying. I mostly use the LED screen on the device, but the 'live' connection to a laptop or screen will be handy for doing demos or to folks that have some visual challenges. 

The knot. When my thumb nail turns all groggy and dull from too many slices testing the edges, I found using a knot to be a better option, you only 'cut the tips' so in moving top to bottom you will do 100 and more sharpening sessions on a knot before it is done. Boar hair is generally quite a bit thicker than our facial hair, so when you cut them easily it is a good sign that you are on, or very close to a good edge. If it plucks you are not there yet, but if it slices you are moving into great shaves territory. It is also a great way to check your bevel set, a good edge will grab the hair, while a dull one will simply slide over it. Another method you can use is to take a single boar hair and drag it over the edge in a horizontal fashion, when the bevel is set there will be some resistance that feels like a vibration, I imagine the effect would be similar to stroking a stick over violin snares. Hair differ very widely from species to species, hell, even a whole lot on the very same animal, so be mindful when using the knot, and connect a certain result by following up with a shave test, this way you will find the sweet spot of what level of sharpness does the job for you. The hanging hair test (HHT) is much easier with a thinner hair like that from Silvertip badger, or from your own head/beard. The hair from your beard is double the diameter of your head, and for that reason we prefer using a boar knot over scalp hair, it is stiffer, but also requires more force to cut. a Black badger knot is not as stiff as the boar, and will add a dimension that is closer to your actual stubble, where boar bristle will test the blade more stringently. On some edges where the blade angle was too low I have experienced the edge breaking away or microscopic cracking when using a boar bristle strand, now this may not happen as quickly when shaving your beard, but using boar bristle is a great indicator of the stability of your edge, and also of potential problems if blade retention is a problem you deal with a lot.

The insulation tape. Protect the spine of your razor when honing it up, especially your more expensive ones, nothing ruins the value of your nice slasher quicker than steel that is flat or that has usightly contours. Insulation tape is also the go-to whan you have razors where the apex angle is to low, or where the grind is a wedge or near wedge, it will increase the apex angle, and present a thinner, even bevel on the thicker grind razors.

The lappies (microfibre rags). I wet one and keep one dry, I use the wet one to wipe the medium off when changing from one to the next, and use the dry cloth prior to the occasional visual inspection and when done sharpening the razor. That being said, I am not the type of person who is going to lecture on how to use a rag! They are made from microfibre and great to use on fine tools like straight razors. Simply rinsing the wet one after use and having it dry out works for me, I suppose it will see the inside of the washing machine every few months.

The drip tray. This tray is made from soft, flexible silicone and will not break or deform like some other trays. It's primary function is to act as catchment area for the waste and water that runs off from your slate stone during the honing process to avoid a dirty working area, and to keep things neat and tidy. The silicone also offers super good grip on the bottom, and on the contact area, so it is very good to hold your equipment firmly in place and prevent it from moving around while working on it. 

Well, that is it in a nutsgell! I will be elaborating on some of these items in future blogs, but generally speaking, this should be enough content for you to get started on your honing journey, and to form your own opinions, ideas and honing progressions. 

Our blogs on this system will not be of a very technical nature, they are aimed at having someone new at honing gain enough knowledge to get going, and also to give an overview of how the system works for hobbyists who already have some experience in honing on conventional whetstones.