Thread: Starting from scratch

So, a few months ago I picked up some Wapi's from wojec (sp?) straight from Poland. I thought these razors would be fun to learn honing due to the fact that they are unused and inexpensive.

I read up on honing ... over and over ... and decided to start out the bevel with 1000 grit wet/dry paper laid on a piece of marble. I made some passes and thought the bevel was established ... then onto a 12k chinese stone. I know these stones are more for finishing because they cut slowly, so I thought this would be a good time to refine my technique on the stone as well. When I thought the wapi was ready, I took her in for the maiden shave. Man, that hurt alot. It barely cut any hair and left me face stinging for a few days. Thats when I knew something was wrong... so, back to the 12 k for more laps, right ? Right. Whilst on the stone, I became distracted - razor in hand - and dont ya know .. I dropped the razor.

Luckily I didnt break the blade ... I just found some small nibbles missing on the edge. So, back to the 1000 grit .. grrr ...

Being peeved at this point, I decide to use some valve lapping compound to establish the bevel. This particular compound is rated at 325 grit. 10 round trips and no nicks in the edge ! WOOT!!! I tested the edge by shaving the arm hair and don't ya know ... those hairs almost jumped off. Onto the 12k for some laps. I could see with the nekked eye how the bevel was becoming polished, so when it looked polished, I gave it another 15 laps or so ... then brought her in for the new maiden shave.

Shaved up pretty good, but the edge still felt kinda rough. So, I got me a new strap of leather and mink olied it up, tied it to the towel rack and stropped away.

Thsi morning I had a shave with the blade ... and it was nice and smooth. I actually got a good shave from it !! I only did one pass due to time restrictions and since this (final) honing process, I havent touched me ole disposable once. Actually, I did touch it. I moved it into the hall closet to make room in the bathroom for the Wapi. haha.


I am confident in stating that this whole process would have taken me alot longer with out the information that is available here !!! This type of shaving always appealed to me and I am having alot of fun with this whole process. Thanks, SRP !!

Yup, 1000 grit abrasive paper -> 12 K stone and valve lapping compound, sounds pretty standard to me. Which forums did you say you read? No offense, just kidding

Welcome aboard! Be secure in the knowledge that you have started well and that it can only get better (couldn't have been any worse).

Congrats on getting a good shave from a rather unorthodox honing progression...but whatever works, eh?

At least you know one thing - you can get a razor to shave you at a level you're comfortable with. As you get more and more into the hobby, try, at least once, a razor honed by a honemeister to see if there's some more smoothness to be eeked out of your honing - I sure know I have a ways to go!

Mark

I can do a pretty OK shave right off a coarse barber hone, but it's not a perfect shave, nor is it a very comfortable shave. The hone leaves big jagged teeth behind, and it feels more like I'm sawing the hairs off than cutting them. But it does work. That's pretty much what you're doing with your lapping compound. (If you're going from lapping compound straight to 12K grit, all you're doing is slightly polishing the scratch pattern left behind by the compound. That jump is too big for the 12K to do much). If you hone in the usual labor-intensive way, you'll get a much finer edge which will produce a more comfortable shave. For the record, tho, when I travel, I only take that one coarse barber hone because it's good enough & I don't want to transport 4 hones. When I'm home, tho, I like the luxury of a finely polished edge.

In all honesty, I worked on the 12k for almost 2 hours before I was satisifed with the polish of the bevel. Maybe I over did it .. I dont know .. Probably the opposite. ha ha.

I actually do have a razor that was honed by Lynn, I think. Yeah, it's really sharp. The razor I honed isnt as sharp, but it does the trick. I think I need more stones to establish a better progression. Right now I am just in the beginning stages so I am going slow with buying gear... except for razors (for some reason).

*whew* There sure is alot to learn about this type of shaving.

Yeah, some stones in between 1,000 and 12,000 will make your life so much easier. The most common are the Norton or Shapton 4000/8000 grit stones. The Chinese 12k is so slow it would probably take 8 hours to polish out the marks from 325 or 1000 grit.

jimmieray got me to re-read my initial post.

Ok, so I forgot to mention the 1000 grit paper between the lapping compound and the 12 k.

Some of your responses make more sense now.

Sorry to create any confusion.

Welcome to SRP!!!
Congratulations on your progress to date!