Thread: Honing Question

Originally Posted by gssixgun

I think I am reading this wrong

But I read that you are getting about 4 shaves and then going back to the hones ??

You read correct.. Practice makes perfect

Stop!
Now search refreshing a blade on here, as there is some great vids by Lynn & Glen here, and leave it at that for your good blades.

Now Invest in a eBay vintage special that needs the work or even a gold dollar or 2 just to practice honing if you must and stop waiting steel on your good blades.

But be warned, if you buy a vintage to practice anything with & then you get the honing right, it could become your favourite shaver and this a path to the dark side where "RAD" starts, which then leads to the inevitable search for the elusive RAD killer.
Well it did for me anyway LOL

I use Shapton glass and follow Lynn's youtube video's for bevel setting and stropping to shave ready. I use his stropping paddle with the magnetic leather and felt pads. He recommends the felt pads treated with .5 diamond spray followed up with strops on the leather. I get very good edges following his shapton sharpening method.

Originally Posted by feltspanky

I use Shapton glass and follow Lynn's youtube video's for bevel setting and stropping to shave ready. I use his stropping paddle with the magnetic leather and felt pads. He recommends the felt pads treated with .5 diamond spray followed up with strops on the leather. I get very good edges following his shapton sharpening method.

I love my Shaptons for doing the hard work of setting a bevel and getting to the polishing stage because nothing cuts faster than a Shapton IMO. Once you have a properly set bevel a good finishing stone is all you should need to maintain a razor. I use my JNat (Nakayama Karasu) and my Zulu Grey mainly. I never use pasted strops so I think that helps keep my bevels well set so I can go back to a polishing stone and get a great fresh edge in 10-15 mins.

-john

Yes, stop dulling the blade.

JOB15, Datsots answered your question in Post #3 about maintaining razors. I won't re-tread the same ground.

There should be no need to go back for bevel set unless the edge has been damaged. If you are passing all the shaving test for each grit, you likely have a shave ready or at least close to shave ready razor. So if the razor is SR, my guess is something is going on with your stropping.

Originally Posted by Siguy

Yes, stop dulling the blade.

JOB15, Datsots answered your question in Post #3 about maintaining razors. I won't re-tread the same ground.

There should be no need to go back for bevel set unless the edge has been damaged. If you are passing all the shaving test for each grit, you likely have a shave ready or at least close to shave ready razor. So if the razor is SR, my guess is something is going on with your stropping.

My stropping is fine.
The reason I re hone after 4 shaves is to practice honing.
Now I want to stop doing that. I have hundreds of hours honing under my belt .
Ok I have wasted a lot of metal.

Originally Posted by JOB15

If I stop setting the bevel will I still get excellent edges?

Originally Posted by JOB15

I have hundreds of hours honing under my belt .
Ok I have wasted a lot of metal.

Respectfully, I don't have anywhere near 100 hours honing under my belt, but setting the bevel and getting an excellent edge?? I'm not sure you can ever get an excellent edge without setting the bevel, but if the bevel is set, it has nothing to do with the "excellent" edge range of the honing spectrum. Maybe I'm not understanding, but it seems to me that there is definitely a disconnect here.

Kind Regards,

Simon

Originally Posted by Siguy

Respectfully, I don't have anywhere near 100 hours honing under my belt, but setting the bevel and getting an excellent edge?? I'm not sure you can ever get an excellent edge without setting the bevel, but if the bevel is set, it has nothing to do with the "excellent" edge range of the honing spectrum. Maybe I'm not understanding, but it seems to me that there is definitely a disconnect here.

Kind Regards,

Simon

My thought process has been wrong for a long time.
I thought that its the bevel setting that gives the initial sharpness of the the edge, then the rest of the honing regime is just smoothening out that edge.
Therefore when the edge is no longer uber sharp , a bevel setting was the only way to get back that uber deadly sharpness.
But apparently you only need one bevel setting ever.
We live and learn..... slowly

I recently purchased four new gold dollars razors off ebay. The cost was around seventeen dollars including shipping. They're great razors for honing practice They will take an edge and pass the HHT test. It took over a month for them to arrive. There really is a slow boat from China. Save the steel on heirloom straight razors and practice on the GD's.

Originally Posted by feltspanky

I recently purchased four new gold dollars razors off ebay. The cost was around seventeen dollars including shipping. They're great razors for honing practice They will take an edge and pass the HHT test. It took over a month for them to arrive. There really is a slow boat from China. Save the steel on heirloom straight razors and practice on the GD's.

But how do they shave?
HHT is some thing I don't do anymore.
For me a razor has to look good under the microscope and to the naked eye, pop mid level arm hair.
That normally ensures a good edge.
Ultimately its the shave test that tells and I wouldn't shave with a cheepo blade.

We only live once (that's questionable actually) so why save stuff.

Use it and enjoy it