My Honing Epiphany

Gents,

During the past couple of months, I have honed more razors than I have during the 8 years or so I have used a straight razor. This is due to my new interest in vintage razors.

Adding a chosera 1k and a dmt coarse lapping to my honing routine has made things much easier for me and here are my conclusions.

a) lapping the stones is very important, especially the soft and porous norton 4k.
b) The honemeisters are right, setting a good bevel is the most important step. Getting a sharp hair popping edge on the 1k is really worth the time and one shouldn't move to higher grit stones until that bevel is as sharp as it can get off that stone.
c) After having set a good bevel on the entire edge, a progressive or pyramid method will get you to shave ready fairly quickly.
d) stropping on chromium oxide ( I use balsa wood) before stropping on the leather will bring that edge to that scary sharp level.

Lastly, for someone who only until recently starting using vintage razors, I have to say! I prefer them over new production razors.

There's nothing like shaving with a razor you've honed yourself...it's a great feeling!!

so true for me that big green brick is the best i am gettin the best edges i can b4 movin on to the next stone, i finish with dovo black on felt then strop...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jpcwon

There's nothing like shaving with a razor you've honed yourself...it's a great feeling!!

---

There's nothing like shaving with a 150 years old razor that you've honed youself! it's magical!

amen brother

It's almost like the razor is thanking you for bringing it back from the dead :p

Sweet! Love to hear good news! :tu

There is a strong sense of satisfaction in fixing a tool and using it daily.

It's like eating food you grew/caught/hunted yourself;)

Good on ya! It's not only fun to learn how to hone but it's rewarding and a real pleasure being able to maintain your own tools.

Check out my thread about stropping and the treatments. In the end it is personal preference but I like using a treated piece of nylon with CrOx on it rather than a piece of balsa. You can also consider more than one strop treated with a progression of ever increasing treatments to really polish out the bevel on that razor!

I would like to add that I have stopped using both hands when honing. I get much better results using one hand and hone wear is more even.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Badgister

I would like to add that I have stopped using both hands when honing. I get much better results using one hand and hone wear is more even.

---

This is the real learning point . . . Well done!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

This is the real learning point . . . Well done!

---

Whatever gives you better results is what you should stick with. If using 2 hands does, use it, one hand same thing. I still use two hands doing rolling x strokes on smiling blades to roll the pressure from the heel to the toe but on perfect blades that aren't warped and completely flat/straight I stick with one.

I love vintage razors that I hone myself. I have really enjoyed learning to hone as well. Its a great feeling when something clicks and you start consistently getting shave ready edges. I agree about the Chasers. Before I got the Chorosa (and Naniwas in general) I did not really get what feedback was. When I figured it out on the Naniwas and it helped translate into other stones. Once I learned to get a good bevel on the Chosera I knew how the blade was supposed to feel on the stone and what a properly set bevel felt like and I was then able to get it on my other stones. I bought about 14 vintage razors on ebay just to learn how to hone on. Luckily once I got them sharp I wound up with some damn good shaving razors. My best shaving razor is one of these. A Palmer Chicago made for the Palmer hotel. I paid about 20 bucks for it and it gives me the closest most comfortable shave of all my razors, new ones included.

5 months have passed since my honing epiphany, and the fun thing about this hobby is you learn something new everyday. It truly is an art.

My newest conquest was honing a smiling frameback razor that proved to be quite a challenge to hone. I couldn't get a small portion of the heel as sharp as the rest of the blade. I tried swaying x-strokes, but alas, it didn't solve the problem. After much despair, I shaved with it and it performed wonderfully! so I figured, just leave it.

Nevertheless, the fact that I couldn't get an evenly sharp edge bugged me, even it is was a negligible portion of the heel.

So I added a new technique to my arsenal that I never performed before, and I am proud to say that I nailed it!

The rolling X-stroke did magic on the blade, and brought the entire edge to a beautifully shave ready edge.

Now both the razor and I have a big shiny smile! :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jpcwon

There's nothing like shaving with a razor you've honed yourself...it's a great feeling!!

---

Perhaps something that's right up there with that feeling is the satisfaction you get from the first shave after fully restoring your first razor. A truly magical feeling.