I know it depends but lets just say you picked up a razor at an antique store and the edge is not shave ready but not damaged either. How long be for you are shaving?
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I know it depends but lets just say you picked up a razor at an antique store and the edge is not shave ready but not damaged either. How long be for you are shaving?
If all I did was to hone it. and there were no chips, about 45 minutes.
I tried an experiment the other day.Quote:
Originally Posted by JMJones
I don't hone my own razors.
However, I've been refreshing my razors using a coticule and CroX balsa board, then linen strop, then leather. Works great to refresh an edge on a blade.
I received two blank felt balsa boards and pasted one with the Dovo Green paste (paste for the least sharp blades), pasted the other with the Dovo Red paste (paste for somewhat dull blades), then moved to the Crox, then to the linen, then to the leather.
Now, I have ZERO experience with any stones other than a coti for refreshing, so I thought this would be interesting for me to try. Did 10 laps on each of the 3 boards. 20 linen, 50 leather.
The blade I used wasn't terribly bad, it was sharp, I know it had a set bevel (bought from a member here in the Classifieds) so I gave that a try and it worked perfectly. Shaved arm hair no problem, and was a perfectly fine shave. Very smooth. That was the first blade I shaved with that hadn't been honed by a pro.
Probably not the way to do things, but I bought all these pastes in the grips of an AD episode and figured I'd try them out...was surprised how well it worked!
How it worked? Guess the pastes, with their different grits, can act somewhat like a stone(s)...but thats just pure speculation on my part...I'm sure the experts can provide some more insight.
For this procedure, took me about 30 minutes....
The Time for Honing depend on various Things, how hard is the Steel, what Setup do you use, how good you practise is,
so i cant say a concrete time i need.
For Example, with my Setup (Naniwa Super Stone 800, some fast Vintage Coticule´s, a very fine and slow old Thuringian and
(if needed) a La Lune for Finish) a 326 Herder or a Red Imp 133 will need around 30-45 Minutes, some old and very hard french Wedge Razor take me normally more time, around one hour and more.
Being an inexperienced honer, I would say at least an hour maybe more. The bulk of that time would be trying to set the bevel.
Bob
Myself I always answer this the same way every time somebody asks it...
Once the bevel is set, it takes me about 15 minutes including stropping..
The bevel set is where the difference in time comes in, that is where all the variables and about 90% of the work occurs... Might not be exactly the answer you were looking for, but it is the truth :D
Basically setting the bevel takes as long as it takes :p after that it is all pretty fun
Does using the paste they way I mentioned work at all? I guess it would amount to a bigger refresh as opposed to a honing since I didn't set any bevel?
4 days up and back, USPS sent to a pro:)
Bwahahaha....I appreciate your technique...I share the same methodology!!Quote:
Originally Posted by pixelfixed
That was a good one pixelfixed...:rock:
A much more accurate answer than mine. I was giving a ballpark average figure of my experience.Quote:
Originally Posted by gssixgun
I feel like half my time is spent wiping and checking and taping and re-taping.Quote:
Originally Posted by BobH
That and getting around the wall sometimes...
heck that's what keeps it interesting.
Heck yeah, not everybody has to or needs to do his own hone work. Some might not have the time, others not into the hands-on-wizardry that is can be. Not everybody is the DIY type and some of those may not have the "touch".Quote:
Originally Posted by pixelfixed
but mostly it's great to be able to pay folks to do work they enjoy doing.
I did eight in one night and it took me 6 hours from bevel set to strop... I just did 1 and it took me 1 hour 15 minutes from bevel set to strop used lapping films... You do save some time doing multiple razors at the same time but not a whole lot...
Shaved with the one I did today and almost have bbs ... Missed one spot in touch ups.
Ok, I just did an old WB. Hadca slight chip. 220 for about 10 minutes, 1000 for about 10 minutes, bevel set. 4k, 8k, edlis barbers hone, 15 minutes each, 15 or so on tge Swaty.
Mind you half the time is spent wiping, checking through loupe.
Stropping, rechecking, not satisfied, back to the Swaty.
90 minutes and final stropping set for tomorrow.
Guess I underestimate my timing...
As a noob I did 10 razors of various condition, size & shapes in close to 6 hours, from bevel set to final strop trying to get them all to the buttery feel when shaving using the following system (I think it was either Glens or Lyn's system I watched in honing vids)
Naniwa 1k bevel set minimum 40 usually but up to 100 circles with 40 - 60 X stokes as required
Norton 4k 40 circles with 20 - 40 X strokes
Norton 8k 20-40 X strokes
Naniwa 12k 20 - 30 X strokes (first time use of this hone)
3" Big Daddy - Felt stop 40 strokes
3" Big Daddy - English bridal Leather 80 strokes
All counts both sides as usual
No pastes etc in my current set up
The higher counts where on my couple of smiling blades learning the proccess on the curves more than anything else but the straight blades where the lower counts as a norm
Also agree with souschefdude time spend wiping & checking edge with a 30x loupe takes up time also
Followed by 2 x 5 razor shaves this week to test them, thank god all but 1 half hollow smiling W&B came out feeling smooth even ATG so a bit more touch up required for 1 is a great outcome for me.
Fastest time (razor needed a bevel set but was not far off) was 8 minutes from chosera , 1k,5,10 suehiro 15 and 20. crox and strop another 2. So 10 minutes.
That seems almost unreal! 10min. Impressive
My time won't set any records, either, as it is about 60 to 90 minutes, slowly but deliberately.
You Guys are slugs:)Quote:
Originally Posted by PensacolaTiger
Speed honing with a dremal,1.6 mins.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...econe/drem.jpg
I can shave that down considerably by using the grinder we used in the Navy to grind down deck plates.Quote:
Originally Posted by pixelfixed
My answer is...there is no answer. I probably spend more time cleaning the thing up than honing it (in many cases). The type razor and overall condition will dictate the time.
My stomach literally did a flip when I saw thatQuote:
Originally Posted by pixelfixed
To me, honing is like reading a great book. The process draws me in and captivates me. I lose track of time and forget about most other things.
The more drawn in I become, the faster I progress...but I never hasten the experience because I enjoy the journey as much as the destination.
A long as it takes to set the bevel and then about 15 minutes. On an "easy" razor setting the bevel takes me about 20-30 mins. I find the full hollow razors the easiest to hone but the smiling TI's that require a rolling stroke are more fun...
-john
couldn't agree more! when I'm gong to take a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday spend on the stones....its something i look forward to and enjoy each step in the process...i usually hone with the stone in my hand while standing at the sink.....now all i need is a good, tall stool that rolls and has back support hahaQuote:
Originally Posted by unit
Until recently... It took me forever! I kinda had to develop my own technic utilizing everyone else's technics! Now in a hr or less i can go from no bevel to shave rdy... 1k king for setting bevel, 6k king one stone technic somewhat .., then 12k Chinese stone to finish! I skip the 8k now days because my 6k is very hard and it feels like 7k... But with the king slurry stone she behaves like a 4k so my 6k gets lots of use... Strop and rdy to go
Ouch, that hurts and makes me want to cry...Quote:
Originally Posted by pixelfixed
Noooo! Thats why i restore everything by hand!!!! I am about to cry for sureQuote:
Originally Posted by Noswad
It takes me about 27.3 yards.
:D
James.
I had one razor that took over three years from start to finish.
3 days.
1st day is a touch up on my 12K. Shave...feel that the razor still isn't quite there.
Wait a day for the beard to grow and break out the 8K, do a few licks and up to the 12K again. Shave...and think I can push it a little further - but if it's not sharp now it must be the bevel.
Wait another day for the beard to grow and break out the 5K, then 8K then 12K. Shave.
...by this point I've calmed down enough to control my feather light strokes and it's usually good to go. It's a mental game for me.
I'm embarrassed to say I've even brought out my 1K for a touch up progression...the little devil on my shoulder whispering "the bevel must be set, the bevel, the bevel, the bevel! All else is a waste without the bevel..."
OK, seriously then.
A new Dovo from the factory usually takes me around a 1/2 hour up to 45 minutes from go to whoa (bevel to finisher). I've done so many of these now that I just know what is needed and it's relatively quick as a consequence.
Vintage razors can take anywhere up to 5 hours all up, maybe more, though I've never really timed those kind of resto honings - that's just a guesstimate. It depends on a lot of things like the grind, the edge condition etc.
Probably more important than the time it takes though is just to make sure what you are doing is working. From that point of view honing is timeless. For certain things (like factory Dovos) practice brings the time down eventually. For others, experience helps but each razor needs to be taken on its own merits. In the end what you want is a good edge - it doesn't matter if it takes a 1/2 hour or 20 hours (though I suppose if you want to hone for money it may effect your bottom line if you continually take days to hone a razor...)
James.
Exactly! I just honed up two ebay specials and each one took the better part of the day. Only because I took my time with them and made sure they were silky smooth and sharp. Really took my time on polishing and stropping the edge. No way I would take that kind if time if I was honing for money. Not consistently anyways. I would have to find some way to speed things up but right now I enjoy it and take my time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimbo