Thread: Overhoning?

I bought my first, and until recently, only straight razor (Thiers Issard Spartacus 7/8) about 5 years ago. It truly gave a great shave right out of the box and has continued to do so, having been maintained with only daily stropping on leather and about once every week or so on the linen side.

In a burst of enthusiasm I recently purchased 2 more razors, a Mastro Livi 8/8 and a Henckels 8/8 Friodur. Neither one came close to the TI so, following Lynn's progression on the DVD he made, I tried the 3/3, 1/3, 1/5 pyramid on a 4000/8000 Norton stone. Didn't seem to improve things much and, truth be told, they might even shave a little worse i.e. drag a little rough and don't cut much whisker. I tried some of the tests for overhoning, but am not sure if I'm interpreting them correctly.

Given the above info, is it possible to make a guess as to over vs. underhoning on these razors?

Thanks.

You didn't say if you bought the razors new or NOS or if they are used. If new or NOS they should not require but minimal honing on the 8K or a 12K. If they are used then its hard to say what they would require depending on the overall condition of the blade.

I could offer all kinds of comments on this one.......

Short answer. Send one of the razors out to be honed by one of us. Then compare that edge with what you have been shaving with. You just might be very surprised.
They are under honed, not over honed.

The progression you followed is for razors that have been previously shaving sharp and that have started to pull/ dull. It is not for new razors.

Did you lap that hone? New hones need to be lapped, except the diamond or modern ceramic hones.

Send me a PM or email if you want one of the new razors honed.

Another consideration that can sometimes be difficult when learning is that little if any pressure should be used when honing. Just the weight of the blade and and a nice flat even stroke. Good points made previously here too. Alot of experimentation too. You can try 5 more strokes on just the 8K strop and test and even 5 more.

Have fun.

Lynn

what does "lapped" mean, pertaining to a stone.

Originally Posted by encore

what does "lapped" mean, pertaining to a stone.

"Lapped" means flattened because, as the stone is used, it gets worn unevenly and an uneven surface can't hone the razor evenly. Lapping a stone requires a known flat surface, such as a marble counter top and sandpaper, or a dedicated lapping stone. Norton sells a flattening stone that can only be used for Norton stones but a lot of people swear by the DMT 8C as a general lapping stone.

Try this link....

http://straightrazorpalace.com/basic...ing-101-a.html