Thread: What is Your Current Honing Set-up?

Lately, I've been on a "like 'Grandpa' used to do it" kick. So it's been a broken-in fine India for chips and bevel-setting, followed by the roughened side of a translucent Ark, and ending with the smoothed side of the same trans Ark, all used with Sharpening Supplies "food grade quality" mineral oil. This may or may not be followed by a small, Solingen red-pasted hanging strop pulled taut (maybe a 'French Grandpa' in this case) as determined as needed by the first pass of an initial shave off the stones and plain leather.

For touch-ups, it's been a small bout coticule used with baby oil.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

The natural progression I prefer when time permits (takes about an hour-hour and a half)

Bevel set:
Washita: roughed on one side with 180 SIC, burnished on the other with 600 W/D

Mid range:
Hard ark: burnished on 1k W/D. Mine is block mounted and is an heirloom so I leave it that way.

Finish:
Trans or black: roughed on one side with 400 SIC, burnished on the other with 2k W/D

I may vary the grits of the powder and W/D. This is just the most recent I recorded which works quite well. As Arks are slow it involves a lot of laps; 1000-2000 or more depending mainly on if I've shortened the bevel set with a DMT or low grit synth.

It starts with half X laps, down and back in sets of 10 on alternating sides on the roughed side of the stone for 10 to 15 sets maybe 20 to 30 if needed then decreasing to sets of 5 then 3 then 1 for 10 to 15 sets each. Then switch to traditional Xs for maybe 50. Honestly I usually don't do a very accurate count but stop when the edge looks good for that part of the process. Repeat this on the burnished side.

Starting out I use moderate pressure but working toward the end of the progression lightening the pressure also using lighter pressure up the sides/stones until the final side which is weight of the blade only.

In between sides strop on canvas and CrOx pasted cloth or cardboard.

Lubricant varies but currently I have been using Smith's Solution diluting out to plain water as I go.

As I say, it is not quick but it is a good escape and as I palm hold the stones the down and back half Xs go fairly quickly; there are just a lot of them. I like it as I lose myself in my thoughts in the process.

Ending of course with a thorough stropping which starts with flax linen, then cotton canvas, suede side cow hide, smooth side boar hide.
This produces an edge that gives an acceptable one pass shave and BBS 2 pass.

I have in the past shaved with a 1k synth edge to prove to myself that the bevel was set properly.

I followed your method exactly.

I have one side of my Washita 180 sic, the other side is 600 w/d.

I did 30 x sets of 10 half strokes with Smiths, then lightened the pressure for 15 sets of 5 x half strokes and finally diluted the smiths by adding water for 50 x very light X strokes. I was only working the 180 sic side

I had killed the bevel good a proper before starting so this was a complete bevel set on the Washita.

The bevel felt and looked good but I wanted to be sure. So I shaved with it.

I have never set a bevel on a washita before, it took a long time and it needed testing.

I stropped the razor 40 on herringbone cotton and 40 on buffalo which is fast then 20 on a leather stop pasted with Cro Ox.

I washed my face with soap and water, lathered up with WSP Mahogany and went for it.

The first pass was not comfortable but not agony. The second pass felt pretty good, the 3 pass was nice and the 4th pass was actually excellent.

My face is BBS but my neck although very close isn't totally BBS but I'm not unhappy, it's about the usual if I'm not going out. I certainly couldn't shave again with something else today.

I haven't started on the 600 side of the Washita yet, that's tomorrows mission. I hope to finish the razor tomorrow but I'm not in a huge rush, I might even shave with it after each side/stone to see how it feels as i progress.

All in all, your method works well for me so far and I have to say I'm impressed with the Washita bevel, slow but certainly as good as a 1k synth bevel.

Nice one Paul

Before Stropping

Yeah, if I can shave with a 1k edge I know I have a good bevel.
Haven't tried honing on arks, but I want to do that eventually.
Right now I would really prefer a fast, splash and go setup for when I have few minutes to hone.

Thanks for sharing your current setup guys.

Originally Posted by JP5

Yeah, if I can shave with a 1k edge I know I have a good bevel.
Haven't tried honing on arks, but I want to do that eventually.
Right now I would really prefer a fast, splash and go setup for when I have few minutes to hone.

Thanks for sharing your current setup guys.

I felt the same way about my synths.

My Nortons are great stones but I wasn't a fan of soaking them before I could begin, when the honing mood takes me i just want to get going.

I already had a Naniwa 12K Super Stone and i liked that it was splash and go so I bought a 1K - 3K - 8K as well so now I have a full Naniwa SS progression and because their all just splash & go I can go for it at a moments notice.

I still give them 30 seconds under the tap with a 400 diamond plate to get a good fresh surface before each session, well I usually do it after I finish so I'm ready for next time actually.

Even as he was reading the insidious HAD reared it's ugly head.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

Even as he was reading the insidious HAD reared it's ugly head.

Maybe their should be a support group for HAD, I said support group not enablers group.

Oh what the heck, we should have an enablers goup too.

Originally Posted by STF

Maybe their should be a support group for HAD, I said support group not enablers group.

Oh what the heck, we should have an enablers goup too.

Support = Enabler in SRP.

Originally Posted by STF

I have in the past shaved with a 1k synth edge to prove to myself that the bevel was set properly.

I followed your method exactly.

I have one side of my Washita 180 sic, the other side is 600 w/d.

I did 30 x sets of 10 half strokes with Smiths, then lightened the pressure for 15 sets of 5 x half strokes and finally diluted the smiths by adding water for 50 x very light X strokes. I was only working the 180 sic side

I had killed the bevel good a proper before starting so this was a complete bevel set on the Washita.

The bevel felt and looked good but I wanted to be sure. So I shaved with it.

I have never set a bevel on a washita before, it took a long time and it needed testing.

I stropped the razor 40 on herringbone cotton and 40 on buffalo which is fast then 20 on a leather stop pasted with Cro Ox.

I washed my face with soap and water, lathered up with WSP Mahogany and went for it.

The first pass was not comfortable but not agony. The second pass felt pretty good, the 3 pass was nice and the 4th pass was actually excellent.

My face is BBS but my neck although very close isn't totally BBS but I'm not unhappy, it's about the usual if I'm not going out. I certainly couldn't shave again with something else today.

I haven't started on the 600 side of the Washita yet, that's tomorrows mission. I hope to finish the razor tomorrow but I'm not in a huge rush, I might even shave with it after each side/stone to see how it feels as i progress.

All in all, your method works well for me so far and I have to say I'm impressed with the Washita bevel, slow but certainly as good as a 1k synth bevel.

Nice one Paul

Before Stropping

I've just finished the 600 side of my Washita, again I followed your method exactly.

30 x sets of 10 half strokes with Smiths, then lightened the pressure for 15 sets of 5 x half strokes and finally diluted the smiths by adding water for 50 x very light X strokes same as yesterday.

I'm not in a hurry to finish this razor so I will leave it for today and shave with it this afternoon. I am really interested to feel the difference between yesterdays Washita bevel shave and today's 600 w/d side of the Washita.

I stropped it 40 herringbone cotton and 40 buffalo and 20 Cro Ox.



Tomorrow I will do the next step up which will be the Hard/Med Ark at 1K w/d

Well, I just had a shave with my 600 Washita edge.

I remember one of the restoration and honing geniuses here telling me that a Washita was very versatile and could get pretty high grit equivalents in the right hands.

Mine are definitely not the right hands but that Washita 600 shave was certainly not what i expected.

Not 8K for sure, more than 4K, maybe 5. I have shaved with all my edges from 1K up to see what they felt like so I know what 4k feels like and this was better.

I am really looking forward to tomorrow when I use the 1k Hard/Med Ark.

I have only used the Washita so far and have two more Arks for a total of 3 sides to go still, if my edge feels like this already, my final Trans edge should be atom splitting I hope.

You're a brave man Steve. I have done the 1k challenge and I get the point but that was enough experimenting for me. I have shaved off of 8k many times and done correctly it can shave pretty nicely but not much lower than that.
That is definitely interesting test though