Thread: Next Hone Advise

I currently own one hone. (Naniwa 12k) I have been successful in keeping my professional honed razors (SRD razors) sharp and shaving between Crox/Diamond spray and the 12k.

I have noticed one of my edges flagging and the 12k has recovered it for the most part. (comfortable shaves but not Lynn's edge) I have little to no experience honing (am trying to learn) and after watching Lynn's video for maintaining edges have been following it.

I am considering another hone and thought it may be reasonable to get an 8k (next step down) for when the 12k is not recovering an edge well enough. Am I off basis here? I know the common method is to work from the bottom up but given the quality of my proffesional set bevels I am thinking about doing the opposite.

I respect the opinions I find here and would really like you all to weigh in. Working from the top down (when the razor's bevel has been professionally set) seems to be what Lynn is advocating in his video if I am interpreting it correctly.

Curtis

Keep in mind they won't be like "Insert name of pro honer here" regardless of what hones you use. That is just a matter of experience.

That said, when I touch up my razors, I find it most efficient to just go back to the 1k and make sure the bevel is good. Then I can use standard procedures to get back to shave ready. This eliminates the guesswork and possible redundancy, which ends up actually saving time.

A little more background please...

How many shaves do you get in between 12K touch ups?

Are you doing Dia/Crox or CrOx/Dia and how many? clean the blade in between?

How many strokes is a touch up?

Are you using one layer of tape?

How would your rate the test shave?

This is pretty much the system that I use with great results.
Some razors don't get the DIA/CrOx - and if I wait to long it's a quick trip to the 4/8.
Keep notes, it will help you.

Unless you've messed up the edge, the 12k alone should be sufficient to maintain the razor indefinitely. With pressure, that 12k can be quite aggressive and yet still be a fine finisher with no pressure.

Originally Posted by MJC

A little more background please...

How many shaves do you get in between 12K touch ups?

Are you doing Dia/Crox or CrOx/Dia and how many? clean the blade in between?

How many strokes is a touch up?

Are you using one layer of tape?

How would your rate the test shave?

This is pretty much the system that I use with great results.
Some razors don't get the DIA/CrOx - and if I wait to long it's a quick trip to the 4/8.
Keep notes, it will help you.

1. I get a good three months in between but I do rotate through three razors. I haven't kept notes so maybe 30 shaves....

2. Diamond and then Crox....seven passes of each.

3. I have not used tape...which is another of my questions...I do not know if SRD/Lynn used tape on the original honing. I also don't understand what that would do to improve the honing..I understand it would increase the angle but.....advantages??

4. Test shaves are good everywhere but the chin and ATG. The razor will still tree top arm hair. The shave is comfortable but sometimes multiple swipes are necessary to get all the hair.

Utopian...I had never considered pressure...I thought it was the ultimate no-no...I just thought going down to an 8k without pressure and then back the the 12k would be the next step when the 12k will not bring the edge all the way back.

Pressure can be used as long as you work back to weight of the blade finishing strokes again as in 1 stone honing. Is only good as long as the bevel is set. The pressure needed would only be light at the stage you are talking about and it should not take long to get back to finishing. Maybe check out the 1 stone honing vid by Gssixgun on YouTube.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Unless you've messed up the edge, the 12k alone should be sufficient to maintain the razor indefinitely. With pressure, that 12k can be quite aggressive and yet still be a fine finisher with no pressure.

I've been in the same situation as the OP. Utopian is right. The Nani 12K can be a fine finisher and also take a blade up from, say, the 8k level to 12K pretty quickly. Versatile synthetic stone.

Also, it can become even more versatile with a nagura slurry stone, which was recommended to me for precisely this reason. Expand the versatility of the only stone I had in my arsenal. Hat tip, gssixgun. It's not expensive. Incidentally, the next stone I got was a 3/8K combo Naniwa superstone. No regrets.

But, that may be overkill in your case. A slurry on the 12K with 10 or so disciplined circles and 8 laps(light pressure), then clean the stone and a few laps with water(weight of the blade pressure), examine the edge, do your tests, strop slow and long, then the ultimate test: Shave!

Ymmv on the number of laps, but watch not too many. That's been my experience, anyhow. Hope it helps.

Originally Posted by Txshooter38

3. I have not used tape...which is another of my questions...I do not know if SRD/Lynn used tape on the original honing. I also don't understand what that would do to improve the honing..I understand it would increase the angle but.....advantages??

Lynn does not use tape unless the spine is figured or somehow pretty. If it is a plain spine, then he did not tape it.

The principle advantage of taping is to eliminate hone wear--kind of like disconnecting an odometer cable. Yes it does increase the bevel angle. If it was originally honed without tape, then you can, but do not have to, hone with or without tape without any problem.

This helps a bunch. I will watch the video...I did not realize it was ok to go to circles or light pressure on this hone. I have only used weight of the blade so far. I will carefully try some LIGHT pressure.

I guess I can pyramid some light pressure with weight of the blade strokes and see what happens? 1 light pressure 3 no pressure...1 light pressure 5 no pressure and see what happens. Again the edge is not bad it just does not feel like it did when I got it.

My understanding is that SRD razors are honed with one layer of tape.
The tape saves the spine from hone wear and changes the angle ever so slightly.

My guess would be the improvement you have gotten was (mostly) from the DIA/CrOx.
(And you can do a lot with DIA/CrOx)

The more experienced will hopefully chime in - but you might try a single layer of 3M electrical tape (check the WiKi) back to the 12K and oh by the way that 12K was/is lapped ?