Thread: Aspiring honemeisters round 2

Just updating on the experiment HD started us on. The shaves are going well, But I feel the razor is not at it's peak. I have doing laps of 10 on the 8000, strop and shave. Maybe I'll do 20 laps and see what happens. I do the rest of razors are getting a bit jealous of all the attention I'm giving to this Geneva. I'll have to rotate some in so they don't bite me.
Kilowattkid

I know the original is gone (forever, like my meager post count), but it is not forgotten with me. There was great discussion and knowledge passed around on that particular thread.
With that thought in mind, here's what I've come away with:

• Getting the initial bevel set is the MOST important factor in setting a razor up for good shaving
  • This can be accomplished through many grades of hones but for most of us newbies a 4k/8k is the rock of choice
  • a 4k will take longer than others but you will get there
• Having a "meister" set it for you allows you to see what the end goal is
  • from that point you can try to get other razors to that point
  • after a "meister" gets you to the 4k good bevel, it isn't hard to go from a good blade to a great blade
  • don't over do it, or you're back to square one. The bevel is still there but you have to go back through the pyramids and 8k final hone to get a great shave.
• The marker test works
  • had a razor I thought was OK, marker test with a 30x showed a bevel not going entirely to the edge. Worked a few (10) pyramids and "BAM" even bevel. Polish up on 8k and smoothness abounds. YMMV
• Bad shaving technique trumps sharp razors
  • don't think an edge is bad because you got a bad shave. As a newbie like me, it could be technique. This is proven by using a "shave ready" razor from a "meister" tested against a razor sharpened by one's self.
  • You may not get a razor as sharp as a "meister" initially, BUT, you can get it to shave very well IF you have the initial bevel set right.
• You will not get it right the first time
  • The "meisters" might, but a newbie won't. Take your time and work it in smaller steps and test as you go. This may take weeks so have a "shave ready" available as well.
  • it will be very hard to ruin the bevel once it is set if you follow the practical guidelines set forth by others. No pressure, lots of patience and enjoy.
• Sharpening razors will lower your blood pressure
  • I swear it will. Breathe with the strokes, count in a rythm, remove all outside distractions, ZEN mode
• The Geneva Cutlery (Genny) 4/8 is now one of my favorites
  • someone said on this forum that a smaller razor is like a sports car if sharpened properly and I could not agree more

HD put a lot of laps on my Genny to get a good bevel set and I thought I ruined it by over honing. Back honed, pyramids, back in shape. Had grit on my hone, put knicks in the blade when I had it near greatness, more pyramids, polish on the 8k, shaves great. Since my last post before "THE CRASH" it was advised to stay on the 8k and polish up. I did that and now I have a very good "sporty" razor.

I have seven razors in my arsenal now. 2 are from respected gentlemen that sell only shave ready. 5 I have aquired locally. Of that 5, I sent one to HD for this experiment. Now that it is in "shave ready for me" condition, I have worked the other 4 to make sure that there bevels are "set" and now are "shave ready for me" condition.

Thanks to this experiment I believe I have 7 razors that are usable, and the skills to maintain them. Maintaining them was my original goal and I think I have that checked off my list.

HD, Thanks for this experiment and your knowledge. Do you need the "Genny" sent back to you for final grade, or is the experiment over?
To the rest of the "senior" members, thank you for your input and please keep giving this advice out. By losing that one thread alone, alot of "newbie" training was lost and certainly bears repeating.

One last thing. They must be making those dang triple bladed cartridge razors better these days because I've had the same one in my GeeLet since October. It's great to be STR8.

Jerry
aka. Kilowattkid

Originally Posted by kilowattkid

Thanks to this experiment I believe I have 7 razors that are usable, and the skills to maintain them. Maintaining them was my original goal and I think I have that checked off my list.

HD, Thanks for this experiment and your knowledge. Do you need the "Genny" sent back to you for final grade, or is the experiment over?
To the rest of the "senior" members, thank you for your input and please keep giving this advice out. By losing that one thread alone, alot of "newbie" training was lost and certainly bears repeating.

Jerry
aka. Kilowattkid

From your post it sounds like your training is complete and you have learned to "catch your own fish", so sending the razor back to me for evaluation should not be necessary. It sounds like your edges are already very good, further small improvements/refinement will only come from spending a lot more time honing a lot more razors and experimenting a little with differnet stones/pastes; the fundamentals remain the same. Thank you for your very active participation in the experiment and in-depth discussions. Even though the thread was lost in the "Great Crash of '08", your success alone has made the experiment more than worth while in my book! If you have any more questions then feel free to contact me via pm, email, or phone; otherwise just keep practicing on your own and enjoy the great shaves.

Thanks,
David

Originally Posted by kilowattkid

Just updating on the experiment HD started us on. The shaves are going well, But I feel the razor is not at it's peak. I have doing laps of 10 on the 8000, strop and shave. Maybe I'll do 20 laps and see what happens. I do the rest of razors are getting a bit jealous of all the attention I'm giving to this Geneva. I'll have to rotate some in so they don't bite me.
Kilowattkid

Instead of 20, try working with sets of 5 laps and let us know.

Thanks,

Lynn

Thanks for the advice Lynn.

I had been doing tens and getting close, and realize that you can go overboard. 5 laps seemed to me to be just a tune up, but in actuality, that's what I'm doing. I guess going to twenty puts me in the category of 99% is good, 100% is great, hit 101% and you've gone to far. Less is better at this stage I suppose.

Thanks,
Kilowattkid