Thread: What's your edge refreshing routine?

After using a freshly honed razor approx. 10 times I feel the edge no longer gives me smooth, comfortable shaves. Time to refresh the edge.

My routine used to be: 10-20 laps on the Escher or vintage Thuringian followed by 50 laps on the Nakayama. After the Nakayama I give a razor for extra smoothness 30 laps on chrom. oxide pasted strop. Many members disagree with chrom. oxide after a Nakayama, that has been covered elsewhere.

The other day I decided to skip the Escher. I didn't like the resulting edge. So my hypothesis is that the Nakayama alone is too fine to get the edge back to the condition it was in the last time I honed it.

So do you have the experience that a too fine finishing hone alone is not enough to get the edge where you want it?

I do something similar, but with Jnats, I use my Ohira tomae for 10 to 20 laps and than the N. Asagi. 60 leather and I seem to be in the zone. But I find that some of my blades prefer the coticule and Cro2, My SRP TI is one of them, it really didn't like the few tries on the N. Asagi...

I guess it depends on how far the edge has deteriorated before you touch it up. If the edge is just starting to pull then I might go to 8k, then a finisher (usually my J-Nat) and then strop. If its really bad then I might drop down to 3/4k and go from there.

Its better to start out with a higher grit and then drop down if you have to rather than starting out at 4k every time, as you'll save metal that way. You can always take more steel off if you need to but you cant put it back on!

It depends on the razor steel. I refresh on a vintage YG Escher. Maybe 12 to 24 light passes. Then 7 to 12 passes with water only. Sometimes I then follow up with a vintage brown Escher with oil only, 7 to 12 light passes. I do not use my Japanese natural stones for refreshing. For edge retention I may strop on a Chromium oxide treated strop or the Hess Hair Milk Satin magic strop. This is what works for me…I’m spoiled.

Mike

I have to echo what others have said , it depends. Most times I will also go to an Escher with 5 to 10 and see where I'm at after a good stropping. I recently drank the kool aid and acquired a Nakayama and have done exactly what you described Kees. Escher first followed by the Nakayama.

One friend who has a lot of experience recommends doing it the other way round with the j-nat first followed by the Escher. I've got to try that. Sometimes I go to a vintage barber hone .... is there any other kind ? A Swaty or an iteapeech are favorites if using one of those. If I get satisfactory results from any of the above I will probably leave well enough alone.

If not I will redo the honing from 1k on up and sometimes I do that one way or the other. I've not had the Nakayama Asagi for very long but so far I'm impressed with it.

I find myself with the seeming chronic infection of fiddling with things and did a final finish hone on one razor that has been somewhat problematic for my being able to find it a satisfying edge. Not having any of the new rave Japanese marvel stones, I tried my hand with a black hard Arkansas hone - novaculite, razor stone, you know. It worked and resulted in a nice smooth shave this morning. There are a few others in the touch up mug and I'll give them a few licks on the ol' black hard and see if my success was imaginary, fleeting, or real.

This calls for a bit of a celebratory wassail, hmmm?

I agree that the Nakayama alone might not be enough to bring the edge back. My Hart Steel needed "refreshing" so I gave it about 50 laps on honzan slurry diluted and then went to just water until the stone was just damp. Shaved and did not notice a big difference in the edge.

Prior to my next shave with the Hart, I first gave it 50 laps on Koma Nagura, followed by the same as above. There was a HUGE difference and the Hart shaved much better than it had before. Smooooth!

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I recently drank the kool aid and acquired a Nakayama and have done exactly what you described Kees. Escher first followed by the Nakayama.

Official communication from HAD certification board:

We are please to announce your membership has been restored in good standing!

'Grats on the Nak. What did you get? Where from? 'Very much looking forward to hearing your thoughts from playing with it.

Stuart - your description of the escher vs asagi answered a question for me - wondered if smooth could be had from an Escher, or just keen. 'Can't afford multiple finishers, but am LOVING the asagi from Yamashita-san. Before trying an asagi edge, I think I'd never had 'smooth' in the vocabulary. 'Hard to imaging doing w/out it now. The methods I've been pleased with so far haven't tested well on TPT or HHT, but the shaves are so good I could care less.

I'm also in the "it depends" camp.

Usually, 2 to 5 laps on a barbers' hone does fine. On the really harder steels, maybe 10 or more (I don't use pastes).

Originally Posted by Kees

The other day I decided to skip the Escher. I didn't like the resulting edge. So my hypothesis is that the Nakayama alone is too fine to get the edge back to the condition it was in the last time I honed it.

So do you have the experience that a too fine finishing hone alone is not enough to get the edge where you want it?

Not so much that the stone is too fine as the stone may be a gentle cutter.
There are ultra fine Asagi that cuts very fast. Often but not always they will have orange tones in them (yake) that are reminiscent of a sunset on the sky blue Asagi.
Making a slurry with a diamond plate will mix the yake particles into it giving strong cutting power.
Some of the faster ones can remove 4k & even 2k scratches.

Oh ! & Congrats to Jimmy . Are the pics up yet ?