Thread: Tools of honing

Thanks alot for comments guys.. Straight razor users really seem to be nice people.
Im doing lots of research and found a really cheap 8k stone that I might order and a friend form England actually ordered me a small natural ~12k stone from ebay, from a vendor that was suggested on this forum.

Today I tried the whole process all over again, spending alot more time on each phase. And I got it kind of sharper. The first few strokes was really close to what replaceable razors feel like, but after half of face it went worse.. So does that mean its the fault of the blades metal or that the edge is not properly set ?
Here I decided to share some quick pictures of my GD and pastes I use:



I put pastes on slim cardboard like material and put the cardboard on flat, hard surface so it get closer to be like honed rather than stropped. The green paste is a Russian GOI paste which contains Chrome Oxide. Not sure in what quantities though. The light blue one is just a polishing paste.. No idea what grit is it.. it must be some what between the 3k and the Chrome Oxide.

Polishing film is an inexpensive alternative and a sample pack can be purchased for under 10 dollars here

Thanks Euclid, ill look into those films. I read about them but wasnt sure about the expense and how long will they last. But it might be a cheaper way out.

I haven't heard of many people successfull honing replaceable blade or trying to, for that matter.

I tried the method with just stropping the blades with my had.. well it went some-what successful. Didnt try to hone them though.. Could be an experiment...
I also thought of the way you mention Siguy. Get a sharpened cheap one.. but in fact im also really into blade sharpening. I just love to sharpen my knives and knives of other friends.. In my surroundings it is a lost art it seems. People use ether blunt knives(which is annoying) or just those simple-to-use sharpeners where ju just stroke em few times and done.. But im in love with the process and idea behind manual sharpening.

Im from Latvia, thats in Europe. There actually arent any places to buy any hones localy. This stuff just inst popular enough in here. And frankly I dont think there is that much poeple that even use a straight razor in my country. At least thats what I think.

Also I'm laping my stone with a large tile. Draw a grid on the stone with a pencil and grind it down.. seems to work nicely.

Cant wait to see what you got for me WetShaveObsession. I would gladly buy a good stone as all the pros do, but for now its a dream that ill have to accomplish later. now I just want to feed my new hobbie addiction. I get obsessed with these things.

So the new question - does the blade loose sharpness because of the bad metal or badly set edge ? Or maybe something else ?

Originally Posted by hotfuzz

So the new question - does the blade loose sharpness because of the bad metal or badly set edge ? Or maybe something else ?

Yes, yes as can bad stopping, bad shaving technique, overhoning,,,

Usually, this is why it is highly advised to start with a pro-honed razor and learning how to 1.) pre-shave, 2.) lather properly 3.) proper stropping 4.) basic shaving techniqe.

There's more than enough challenge with these four items without throwing in a host of other things to learn.

ps-I can't tell from the photo whether the razor is bevel set or not.

Enthusiasm is a great thing. I know because i'm one who gets consumed with it.

But so is a budget and ciphering out a way to earn/save up enough cold hard cash for a 4/8 Norto. I know it's not the "modern way" but neither is shaving with a real hero razor. But rest assured that 8k is enough for good shaving (with or without pastes).

Do as you can do with what you do have to do with,

there's a lot to learn even if one has _all_ the stones/pastes/strops he'd like to have.

best of luck.

Hotfuzz, do you have magnification?

How do you know that the bevel was set? The bevel looks uneven.

When a bevel breaks down it is usually because it was not fully set.

The paste you are using may be too aggressive or inconsistent in grit size and may have left deep stria on the bevel and edge causing it to chip and fail.

You must find out what is in the paste you are using and make sure that it is fine and consistent enough to polish the bevel finer than the previous stone. Just one large grit, can defeat the polishing process and cause a chip or chips.

When we speak of “Polishing” the bevel, we do not mean make it shinny, with metal polish. We mean reduce the land height of the bevel progressively making shallower and finer stria (scratch marks). This makes this the edge straighter and more comfortable on the skin.

You need magnification to first ensure the bevel is set, the bevels meet in a straight edge, it is sharp.

A razor edge is a very fragile thing and can easily be ruined.

I think I can eliminate the shaving aspect as I have been shaving for almost a year with Straight razor with exchangeable blades. Beginning was harder but after practice and videos from other users and the famous Lynn I consider my self handy with the tool. I stretch my skin and use angles that are close to skin. With changable blades I get really good shave.
I have also watched videos on honing by different users. I use about 40 circles both sides and then changing X strokes with light pressure and in the end with mostly just the weight of the blade. I have my pastes on cardboard with full length of the blade and I do very light stroping like motions.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

The paste you are using may be too aggressive or inconsistent in grit size and may have left deep stria on the bevel and edge causing it to chip and fail.

As for the paste grits - yes im not sure about the exact grit level on those. When I bought the blue one the salesman said its the finest they got but the vendor didnt supply the grit size information. And for the green one i know it has chromium oxide in it.
Also I have tested them by sharpening about 100+- (I know it ist much but still) knives and was testing the sharpness progression of blade. after 3k stone the pastes did great improvement. Then to see what paste has more grit I changed variations and form feel I can say that they are in right order.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

Hotfuzz, do you have magnification?
How do you know that the bevel was set? The bevel looks uneven.

About the bavel- well im not purely sure about it. From videos I assumed that when the blade seems sharp and kind of grips into fingers skin its ready to move away from 1k, later on similar inspection to see if the sharpness improves along all the blade. The uneven part probably is caused by the spine. But as I watched Lynn sharpen one of his knives he mentioned that the level isnt as important if your doing X swipes. He said that if he would have to correct the spine each time he restored old knives it would be pain.. or something like that.
Here are some photos I tried to get the edge as big as possible..

Originally Posted by Euclid440

When we speak of “Polishing” the bevel, we do not mean make it shinny, with metal polish. We mean reduce the land height of the bevel progressively making shallower and finer stria (scratch marks). This makes this the edge straighter and more comfortable on the skin.

I do realize that the progrssion and the pastes is not for the shininess but to reduce the scratch deepness into blade. The microscopic teeth becomes tinyer to easyer cut the beard. The shininess is a sub product of the goal. Scratches get smaller and light beams dont get bent so much but rather reflected back. Still metal polish does got grit and it does help to reduce the scratch thickness.

After the shave i stropped my GD again and it pops hairs from 3-4 cm distance from fingers.

Im not an expert but from what I can see there still seem to be a lot of easily visible scratch marks. I would suggest that your stropping on the pastes is having an effect on the very edge of the bevel but is not enough to compensate for the lack of higher grit hones. Some of the pastes like you have also have a lot higher grits than you would think. There is a thread on here about it and in 1 case the bloke saw actually going backwards using the GREEN CHROMIUM OXIDE PASTE from a woodworking site.

Originally Posted by eddy79

There is a thread on here about it and in 1 case the bloke saw actually going backwards using the GREEN CHROMIUM OXIDE PASTE from a woodworking site.

Could you maybe direct me to this post ? Or what do I type in to find it ?

Also today I got in mail my 12k welsh stone. lets see what I can make of it.