Thread: Tales of the Nippon Honing Miracle Worker

Originally Posted by kevint

The one Japanese razor I have was seriously improperly honed. It was a nice one. Exactly what I wanted- thinking of having made... heavy. It's actually the heaviest razor I own. I returned a used tosuke for the same reason that was not near the weight of this one. I thought it'd give me the chance to decide if my 70mm spec was out of line. However its appearance has become so disturbing to me that I will probably ask Mizuochi-san to repair it for me.

All that to say I haven't honed a kamasori much at all. Even though they never seem to be nearly as flexible as a full hollow isn't there still going to be some distortion of the edge if you press too hard. As well the amount of pressure seems like it would depend on what kind of hone you are using - how well it cuts very hard steel. Not to mention foundation prep.

I'm not arguing just seeking further learning. Thanks BigSpender for sharing your experience.

You've pretty much hit the nail on the head. It depends on the hone you are using, the particular razor vis a vis type of steel used and the extent of honing you need to do which depends of course on the condition of the edge. When you hone one of these baby's you have to forget everything you know about normal western edge honing. The closest thing to these is probably a full wedge and even then the edge is really thick and it can take considerable pressure. Of course that's why the real art and secret to honing these things is knowing exactly how much pressure to exert. if you overdo it, yes, you can ruin the edge.

Unfortunately no one has come up with some formula like the pyramids with western honing to get you started. You just have to experiment and be ready to do some radical alterations in your technique if what you are doing isn't working. I know of no one in this country who really can claim to be skilled with working these razors. I'm really grasping at straws here myself.

I just got off the Email with a friend in Japan who was visiting some flea markets in Tokyo over the weekend and he picked up some old razors for me so once I get them and play with them maybe I'll learn some more.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Its about 3 to 1. More strokes on the concave side to fewer strokes on the convex side but thats for touchups and minor honing. If your doing some edge restoration I wouldn't worry about it. Notice I say about. I've learned that nothing is written in stone and like honing western razors people starting out follow pyramids and other rigid regimens but as you do more you adapt and its the same here. But thats the recommended ratio using a 12K Hone and back and forth strokes with considerable downward pressure on the hone.

thebigspendur,

this was very helpfull for me. Today I honed my japanese razor like your description. While honing at the 4000 grit it is already sharp.