Thread: A question for Lynn

I dunno, maybe it is just me, but although I do not usually choose anything below the final hone on the basis of the razor (unless it is warped and I need a narrow set of hones), I do find that the type of steel in the razors I generally hone - old sheffield steel - will dictate the type of finisher. Some modern high grit finishers will start the edges of these oldies micro-chipping, which I take to be the razor saying lay off and try something else. Which often happens to be a hone with a softer matrix, or more often than not a coticule.

Regards,
Neil

I'm no pro-hone-meister, but I maintain all my razors, have done modest restoration and enjoy my self-honed razors a lot.

I really like to use a sequence of Naniwas that gssixgun posted a year or more ago as a kind of test. I don't recall where that thread is but for a person who can talk about honing, has the stones, but actually can't produce a shaving edge on his own straights yet, Glenn's recipe with the Naniwas is excellent. There might be some better approaches, but I can assure you there are a great many worse ones, and Glenn's method with the Naniwas will definitely yield nice shaving edges consistently.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I do circles on a Chosera 1k for bevels, if necessary, usually pyramids on 4/8 for sharpening and preliminary finishing. Sometimes X strokes, other times circles. Experimenting with the Chosera 3, 5 and 10 to replace the Norton 4/8 at present. Finish on an Escher, coticule or Suehiro Gokumyo 20K with X strokes.

What are pyramids?

Originally Posted by ShavingGuru

What are pyramids?

Swapping between two hones, such as 4K and 8K: Pyramid honing guide - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Originally Posted by Lynn

I never let the razor dictate one brand of stone over another. I do consider the condition of the razor to determine what stones I will start with however. I usually use a Chosera 1K for setting bevels but will use the Chosera 800 if for no other reason than to use something different now and then. If a razor is really bad, I'll start on a 220 and then go to the 1K.

For the most part, I'll use either a Norton 4K/8K Combo, Naniwa 5K and 8K or Shapton Glass 4K and 8K for daily honing including my personal razors. The results are always pretty similar and I like having some variety when I hone considering I am honing 4-6 hours every day usually 6 days a week. For finishing, I like the Naniwa 12K, Sigma 13K, Shapton Glass 16K and the three of these provide very similar results as well. One thing I have been doing lately is finishing with 2 strokes on chromium oxide on felt as I am finding that this helps with removing the sparklies along with a good stropping pre-test shave. I don't use the Shapton Glass 30K too much but when I do, it's just a couple of laps. I like the Suehiro 20K too and it is a very consistent finisher. I do on occasion, still use my Escher. My Coticules and J'Nats are not seeing a whole lot of action, not because they are not good, but the other stones are much more consistent for me.

I really can't just pick one razor or 3 stones..........

Stop by anytime Bill.

Have fun

I'll tell you Lynn, when I discovered Shaptons my confidence in honing skyrocketed. The results are just more predictable. It may be because I am more experienced, but it just seems easier with the Shaptons.

Previously, I used a King 1K, Norton 4K/8K, and for a finishing stone I used a 12K Chinese stone from a quarry in Guanxi province. I don't know what the problem was, but I found myself having to do a lot of re-honings.

I had the same experience with the chosera. Especially the 1k. That bad boy cuts like crazy, doesn't leave scratches and doesn't need to be lapped much.I never tried shaptons. Norton 1k is IMO very thirsty and soft. It works good but the chosera works great.

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

I dunno, maybe it is just me, but although I do not usually choose anything below the final hone on the basis of the razor (unless it is warped and I need a narrow set of hones), I do find that the type of steel in the razors I generally hone - old sheffield steel - will dictate the type of finisher. Some modern high grit finishers will start the edges of these oldies micro-chipping, which I take to be the razor saying lay off and try something else. Which often happens to be a hone with a softer matrix, or more often than not a coticule.

Regards,
Neil

I am with you, I also like minimalist approach, except when it comes to finishers ...lol

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

Sparklies? Can I get a quick definition of that term?

Sparklies = Micro burrs on a yet to be refined edge.... I think.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Sparklies = Micro burrs on a yet to be refined edge.... I think.

Yes, either microburrs that are bent so as to reflect light, flaked off to leave 'flats' that reflect light or simply flat areas that have not been fully worked - a proper bevel coming to a 'V' point will not reflect light from the tip. Microchips will leave sparklies too.

Holding the blade sideways, slightly tilted bevel up, works just as well. And is easier to focus on with a loupe.

Regards,
Neil