Thread: Shaved Off the Naniwa 3K

Originally Posted by Utopian

For those of you who are a little older, you may remember the game show, "Name That Tune!"

These types of threads are reminding me of that show. Maybe eventually we're going to find out this guy wasn't kidding and he actually gets nice smooth shaves!

I completely lost it with the milk! Amazing. As a honing beginner, this video will become my inspiration and a reference for all future hone jobs.

This is utterly hysterical! I wonder if the brick+milk method would make honing stainless steel any faster...or easier...or maybe both...

Why in the wide world of sports would you want to try and shave off 3000K hone? I’m not drinking that Kool-Aid. I guess you could shave off a dull deer antler if you wanted to. I can see it now, a dull deer antler quaintly poised on a shave scuttle posted on SOTD. It’s the best shave ever!!! Wheeeeeeeeeee.

Think of it this way. If you can get a decent shave off the 3K stone, you've really done the job of setting the bevel and sharpening the edge quite well. There was a long thread elsewhere dealing with the importance of the lower grit stones where folks were trying this to learn something about the stage at which the razor transitions from being "pretty sharp" to almost shave-ready. I'm only a rank beginner at honing, so it's important to me to know how the edge performs at different stages of the process.

This AM I shaved with that same razor, having gone up the chain to the 8K, 12K, CrOx, linen and leather. It shaved very well, in fact, one of the best razors I've shaved with in my vast…months…of straight shaving.

But it was not hugely better than what I got off the 3K stone. I really saw the reality that 90% or so of the work is actually done by the time we move from the sharpening stone to the polishing and finishing stones.

Originally Posted by MODINE

Why in the wide world of sports would you want to try and shave off 3000K hone? I’m not drinking that Kool-Aid. I guess you could shave off a dull deer antler if you wanted to. I can see it now, a dull deer antler quaintly poised on a shave scuttle posted on SOTD. It’s the best shave ever!!! Wheeeeeeeeeee.

Originally Posted by LawsonStone

Think of it this way. If you can get a decent shave off the 3K stone, you've really done the job of setting the bevel and sharpening the edge quite well. There was a long thread elsewhere dealing with the importance of the lower grit stones where folks were trying this to learn something about the stage at which the razor transitions from being "pretty sharp" to almost shave-ready. I'm only a rank beginner at honing, so it's important to me to know how the edge performs at different stages of the process.

This AM I shaved with that same razor, having gone up the chain to the 8K, 12K, CrOx, linen and leather. It shaved very well, in fact, one of the best razors I've shaved with in my vast…months…of straight shaving.

But it was not hugely better than what I got off the 3K stone. I really saw the reality that 90% or so of the work is actually done by the time we move from the sharpening stone to the polishing and finishing stones.

Lawson i am confused with above message.
Just remember if you cannot see' hugely better 'differences between 3k and 12k edge then
Sorry to say you have to spend a lot time on honing .
Honing takes time . i don't think any of us learned after honing 3 razors.just work on razors and see how much better it will get.

I'm only a rank beginner at honing, so it's important to me to know how the edge performs at different stages of the process.

please check early posts on honing there is a lot clues when to move from 4k to 8k so on.
there is some sharpness test out there you can do them and see how edge changes or use small radio shack microscopes etc. instead of shaving after 1k,3k,5k,8k etc.
if you choose shaving after every stone you will loose a lot blood.
hope this helps.

Hmmm. Intriguing. I checked the edge on my 60x-100x 'shak microscope after the 4k and 5k grit and was impressed, but 3k? That's difficult to pull off. I would dare do anything that was flirting with ATG (for me on the jaw leftwards and upwards). I'd restrict movements to left-down and down. I recently honed up a $6.50 4/8th to 8k (Norton), shaved with it last night to check the length of the edge (no microscope to keep me honest and possibly learn to detect by facial shaving) and it went very well. Then I honed it up today a good while on the Spyderco Ultra-Fine (estimated 12k-15k ore more). I could tell the difference. For much of my face, for most of the directions, it is not dramatic enough to matter much, but for some regions with some directions... I couldn't handle it. I think a major factor is skin type, including toughness.

I've used a professional honer's blade, first time use, mind you, after months of only my own blades, which are never finished on what kind of stones/compounds they've got to play with. I can tell you, closest shaves I've gotten, no irritation either. Some of us can get away with rougher edges and some of us will be left forever wanting the smoooothest babied blades.

But that's pretty neat, Lawson.

Actually you can shave off a deer antler if you hone it right.

You first get a brick and some 2% milk…wait…

Originally Posted by MODINE

Why in the wide world of sports would you want to try and shave off 3000K hone? I’m not drinking that Kool-Aid. I guess you could shave off a dull deer antler if you wanted to. I can see it now, a dull deer antler quaintly poised on a shave scuttle posted on SOTD. It’s the best shave ever!!! Wheeeeeeeeeee.

This really dramatized to me what you guys always say--the main work is on the 1K and 3/4/5K stones. So I decided I wouldn't leave the 1K (actually a DMT 1200) until I liked how the razor shaved leg hair...now my legs do look kinda funny…

Originally Posted by Stubear

Nice job!

I did actually try shaving off the 3k on a razor I was honing, and I too was suprised at how good the shave was. I'd been thinking it would be like dragging a saw blade across my face but it was pretty smooth and comfortable.

It just shows that by the time your razor comes off the 3k its basically as sharp as its going to get. All the higher grits are just further refining that edge.

Thanks for sharing!