Thread: Questions at 5wks

'Mostly blood free by now. Either I'm out of blood, or learned a bit in that time. By various fits of egregious blade butchery, I can get a decent shave from blades I hone. 'Not up to the stds of a good honemeister, but dang fine shave.

Blade questions: Each of my 3 full size (5/8) blades are full hollow. It seems most experienced guys gravitate to those. Several report that the less than full hollow were good for their learning curve, but once through the curve, they seem to just stay with the hollows.
a) Why the full hollow?
b) Are the less than full hollow better on heavy beards?
c) Are they better for multi-day beard growth?
d) What are the characteristics of wedge, 1/4 hollow, 1/2, 3/4?

Stone questions:
I use a norton 1k/4k, DMT D8ee (8k), and a chinese 12k.

a) To further refine my edge, am I better off pasting some strops?
b) Better to try another finishing stone? Which ones & what characteristics are those known for?

Many Thanks to each that bear with the Noob's learning curve. Your help is very much appreciated.

You have asked an awful lot here...
The question on the hollow is more of a preference thing. A good and sharp razor, no matter the grind, (in an experienced shaver's hands) will take care of pretty much any beard.

On the stones, I'm not so sure about using the Diamond 8K for a straight. I say this because the stone is probably new & from my experience a new diamond stone needs some wear to be smooth. I'm afraid that a newer diamond stone at the 8K range could leave micro chipping of the edge that the 12K may not be able to clean up. I would honestly recommend replacing it with a synthetic stone of your choice of norton, naniwa, or shapton. Until then, if you have a slurry stone for the 12K, I would use slurry for 20-30 strokes, then rinse the stone and just use water for 20-30 strokes. I may be off on the stroke count & it may take more. I've heard that the chinese stone may take a few more strokes, but will leave a nice finished edge.

I personally use a .5 micron pasted strop then leather and have nice results.

Your 12K is fine for a finishing stone, if I were to recommend replacing a stone it would be the 8K diamond stone that you are using.

I hope I have answered all of your questions...
Scott

In my case I prefer a 6/8 or 13/16 full hollow round point because the flexibility of the blade matches the kind of strokes I do and the technique, thinking style and type of beard I have.

I remember when I first started I used to think wedges were the way to go, and I couldn't believe that anyone would choose any other kind of grind - but a lot of experimenting, buying, trying, practicing, reading, lack of sleep, mistakes - experience - led me to change my mind.

pinklather,

The grind of the razor is a very much a personal preference thing.

I have very tough whiskers, and like many others started out with very wedgey blades. I found, as others have found, that full-hollows shaved just as well as the wedgey blades. So enljoy them all.

I too am pretty much a honing newbie, but I would suggest replacing the DMT 8k with a 8k waterstone, either Norton or Naniwa. This is because the Chinese 12k is a slow cutter, and the 8k diamond plates leave a 'coarser' scratch pattern than the 8k waterstones. So with the Chinese you would have to do quite a number of laps to remove the scratch pattern from the 8k diamond plate as compared to an 8k waterstone.

More experienced honers may say I am talking crap

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

I have a pretty tough beard and I shave with both wedges and hollows with great results from each. It really is a personal preference thing TBH, and the only way I can suggest to find out which you like is to try a few different grinds!

In terms of the hones, I agree with Scott and Russ about the 8k DMT. Thats quite an aggressive stone and I ended up rehoning an eBay blade that the seller had honed on an 8k DMT. You will probably find that swapping in the 8k Norton improves your edge.

The 12k is fine for finishing a razor off, but if you want to add a further level of refinement a CrOx pasted strop is probably the cheapest and easiest way to add a higher level of polish.

Good luck and keep us posted!

'Hard to say how much I appreciate your kind help. The noob (even a geriatric noob) can easily part w/ alot of $$, thinking it will make up for some deficit in skill or experience. I'm grateful for each of your replies - it keeps me from being stupid on next moves. 'Will chase a natural stone at the 8k level & see how it resolves. The pasted strop sounds like a nice (and economical) solution also. On blade sizes & grinds - many thanks again. I'll keep the acquisitions cheap until the clear preferences rise to the top.

Originally Posted by pinklather

On blade sizes & grinds - many thanks again. I'll keep the acquisitions cheap until the clear preferences rise to the top.

I think this is a point worth mentioning again. On the flip side, if you're careful to buy good things you shouldn't have any trouble selling them.

I think the short answer is that the best razor for your beard is the one you are most comfortable with. Sharp is sharp and a 3/8" blade can cut just as well as am 8/8". One is like riding a speed bike and the other is like driving a 4x4. What do you want your shaving experience to be like?

I've been straight shaving for over a year and a half now. I've found my groove and I almost never leave it.

I have my favorite blades. My preference is for the old Sheffield steel, and it's under full wedge. I've become a big fan of the Wade & Butcher blades; like a kid, I want to collect them all! You will find your preference, give it a year or two. Sooner or later I'll try a full wedge, can't wait to give it a whirl!

I think you'll find razors like tools and cars: many different manufacturers for the same thing, but each is different in fit, finish, quality, performance and balance.

I like my full hollows as well as near wedges. Some of my blades fit to my face like a glove to my hand, some do not. They all shave very well. Rarely do I ever have a "bad" shave.

It may take you months to years to get your preference. Like any razor, you won't find an advantage to a grind, you'll only find your preference. When you take to the hobby like I have, you can't wait to try something new. The more you look around, the more opportunities you'll have.

Welcome to the forum! You've come to the right place!