Thread: KEEPING RAZOR SHARP

These days I've been experimenting with cigar ash on the canvas side.
About 10 laps a week. I've kept a blade that reay needs to be honed going in this way for months with good results but extra pressure is required on the leather. I know it rounds the bevel and I shouldn't be advocating bad habits but hey, it works for me?

Originally Posted by Deckard

These days I've been experimenting with cigar ash on the canvas side.
About 10 laps a week. I've kept a blade that reay needs to be honed going in this way for months with good results but extra pressure is required on the leather. I know it rounds the bevel and I shouldn't be advocating bad habits but hey, it works for me?

Hey Lynn, you gotta get this stuff on sale at SRD!
Now, where are you going to find cigar ash?

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Mostly from the physical shape they are in.

Most are finishers though there are afew that are lower grit. Unless you are familiar with them you just have to assume it will be a typical finisher.

That's just it - I'm not familiar with which hones are good ("Boss Barber"?) and not so good ("Zeepk"?).

Any name brands to look for, or avoid?

I bought a real nice barbers hone from Larry@Whippeddog. Got a good deal on it.

I suggest looking at the "Hones" forum. In one of the threads the posts bascially compiled a database of barber hones and compared them to hones of known grit. Lots of good info there to help you spend your $25. Some are single grit hones, others (my faves) are double grit, easily seen in the different colors on the different sides of the hone.

Off the top of my head, some known "good" brands would be:

Swaty
Pike
Norton (their old barber hones are quite rare and expensive)
Norton with the "Pike" stamp
SRD (S. R. Droescher)
A commonly found hone under several brands that I like a lot that is instantly recognizable by the sticker on the side (picture attached):

• Dubl Duck
• Reliance
• Gem
• O.V.B. "Our Very Best"

Regal
The Winner-actually my overall favorite, picture attached , posed with a couple of my razors
Simmons Hardware/Keen Kutter (usually comes in a cool metal case)

There are more, of course and I'm sure others will chime in. We newbies tend to overdo it, though. These hones are designed for a few touch-up strokes, not the cycles of 10 that characterize serious honing. Usually 4-7 strokes is all it should take to freshen up an edge.

A nice barber hone is a very useful tool in your kit.

I woud go with the CrOx on balsa. You use it just as you would the strop, but only a few strokes and then strop normally. Passing on a tip I learned from another member, be sure you wipe the blade clean so you don't get any on your strop.

I'm kind of in the same boat. I'm about to send my razor to Max for a honing. I have an SRD Premium II with the regular canvas and I've added nothing to it - no neats foot, no CrOx - nothing. I also have a Filly from Don Rupp with a green "splat" on the rough side, which I assume to be CrOx. I have no doubt that I was stropping incorrectly for the first few weeks, but now I think muscle memory has kicked in and I think I'm doing it right - the sound the razor makes during the laps is uniform throughout the stroke on both sides. Also, I only shave every other day.


After reading tips, tricks, wikis, etc this is my schedule
1) I run about 20 laps on the canvas, then 20 on the Premium II smooth side
2) About once a week or so I'll run about 20 laps on the green "splat", don't wipe, then 20 on the smooth side of the filly. then I wipe the blade.

This seems to have held up pretty good. I'm curious about CrOx on balsa or maybe adding a spray to the filly or canvas. This is why I come to the experts

I have been very successful at keeping my edges sharp for very smooth shaves by using the canvas/leather strop for the lions share of stropping and using a pasted paddle strop to touch up the edges every few shaves (3-7) depending on what straight edge is being stropped. I seem to having a lot of success with my pasted paddle strop which I bought from Tony Miller.

I test the edges by touching them with my thumb pad as I know the feel of a fine edge that will yield a great BBS shave. If the usual stropping isn't getting the edge finished just right, then the straight edge will usually get about 10 passes on the .50 micron ChromOx paste.

I plan to add a barber hone to this pasted paddle strop maintenance process and think this may help keep the straight edges sharp and performing well for a very long time, such as years. Only time will tell.

Pabster

I've seen somewhere online that someone suggest using a piece of electrical tape on the spine to hone the edge of their razors.

I've yet to buy a hone yet & am thinking of getting one from here but seeing that info made me wonder & thought to ask before I do...