From Finisher to Face

Hi Everyone,

Happy Easter, and hope you all had a great weekend.

I've had a bit of time off the past few days so I took the opportunity to do some honing. What I was trying to do was find which of MY natural finishers gave the smoothest and sharpest shave from stone to face. (No stropping). The reason for no strop is because while it improves the edge it also changes the feel/edge left from a stone, IMHO, and I wanted to decide on one finisher for future re-finishing.

So, my question is, from your experience, (and the particular natural stones you have, having just come off 8k), if you had to go from hone to face which hone would you choose? (Prior to naturals I use a mani 8k). And the hones I have are: new coti; vintage coti; Escher; Thurry.


Cheers

Tuff question :)

I tested that way for quite awhile, and it does work to an extent

With the rules you put forth I would chose my Blue-Green Escher


I would however recommend a minimum leather only stropping session to get a better feel of each edge, maybe 10 laps, regardless of how fine the edge is, honing still leaves a raw edge, and that small amount of slapping leather will change the outcome quite a bit.. at least on my Hollywood face :)

I've never shaved after honing without a minimum of 50 laps on leather, so I can't help much here. Because I find an increase in sharpness after even those 50 laps, I'm not about to start either.

I did this a lot when I first started honing. It was because I was never sure if my edge was finished yet so I would skip the strop for a little test shave. Over time the question of am I done got to knowing better that I was done and I did it less. I still do a little test periodically when I'm playing around with a new finisher, which come into my life often these days. For the most part I am testing hones I have cut, so not a hone you would be familiar with.

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Originally Posted by ace

I've never shaved after honing without a minimum of 50 laps on leather, so I can't help much here. Because I find an increase in sharpness after even those 50 laps, I'm not about to start either.

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Yes, that's part of the reason for not stropping. This is just an experiment, mainly to narrow down my choice. My canvas, cordovan and latigo routine improve the edge to such an extent I find it hard to tell which finisher I've used.

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Originally Posted by Frankenstein

My canvas, cordovan and latigo routine improve the edge to such an extent I find it hard to tell which finisher I've used.

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I was going to respond earlier, but decided to wait. I think you summed up my non-existent reply quite nicely, if you read between your own lines.

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

... slapping leather will change the outcome quite a bit.. at least on my Hollywood face :)...

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I saw that photo of you Glen and you are right - the change is astounding!

Attachment 163882

Regards,
Neil

I wonder how many straight razor users could tell which finisher was used in a blind test after stropping their own razor honed by someone else on a variety of finishing hones. Guessing this question has been put forward more than once.

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Originally Posted by Frankenstein

Yes, that's part of the reason for not stropping. This is just an experiment, mainly to narrow down my choice. My canvas, cordovan and latigo routine improve the edge to such an extent I find it hard to tell which finisher I've used.

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Originally Posted by WW243

I wonder how many straight razor users could tell which finisher was used in a blind test after stropping their own razor honed by someone else on a variety of finishing hones. Guessing this question has been put forward more than once.

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You might enjoy these two old threads, it was a bit of fun we had

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...7-day-set.html

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...ving-test.html

These were great reads! Thanks :beer1:

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

You might enjoy these two old threads, it was a bit of fun we had

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...7-day-set.html

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...ving-test.html

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So my response to the OP was a little different....I liked these threads....but the difference is that the person shaving would do the stropping on razors honed by a known professional on different hones.

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

You might enjoy these two old threads, it was a bit of fun we had

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...7-day-set.html

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...ving-test.html

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I too like the Escher post 8 or 12k, but my favorite is a black or translucent ark edge.

Not much that stropping cannot improve. I have also noticed stropping on canvas sail cloth between stones seems to bring an edge togeather a bit quicker, may be my imagination, but I like it.

What is future re-finishing?
And if in the future, you are going to return to your canvas because it improves an edge.....I'm sort of baffled by this post....so guessing here, you are moving towards having one of everything. I've almost done that, it wasn't on purpose though.

I likely don't possess keen enough senses but i get comparable shaves from coticule and trans Arkansas - I doubt i could tell between them in a blind test.

Going with the 1961 barber manual excerpt on stropping and honing, I never shave off of a stone without stropping, not even for an experiment. Sorry if I seem like a poor sport guys but ...... Anyway, 8k norton or 10k chosera, I follow with my Escher y/g or sometimes the suehiro gokomyo 20k (splng?) Once in a blue moon a coticule.

I uderstand the concept of testing finishers by shaving off them but as said before minimal stropping is an improvement.
I can shave pretty comfortably off my Nakayama Asagi but above applies.

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Originally Posted by WW243

What is future re-finishing?
And if in the future, you are going to return to your canvas because it improves an edge.....I'm sort of baffled by this post....so guessing here, you are moving towards having one of everything. I've almost done that, it wasn't on purpose though.

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Well, I didn't intend to cause a backlash amongst the SRP community, lol, nor did I think the premise of my experiment to be so difficult to understand. Perhaps I didn't explain it clearly.
Stropping improves the edge, therefore, I'd like to find which of my finishers gives the nicest edge before stropping.

I've had a nice collection of finishers for a while; and I've used them all quite a bit; but I've never had the time to do a comparison test with the same razor using a different finisher each day. I just started the thread to see if anyone else had reached similar conclusions to me.

OK, I think I get it now....in a related experiment I have thought of lathering up for a shave but not actually shaving, just leaving the soap/cream to dry for 24 hours, then re-lathering, shaving and see if there is a difference;)

My last two honing sessions I have gotten so excited to shave that I forgot to strop first :gaah:
However, both shaves were excellent :shrug:

I finished on 0.3 um lapping film with a page or two of copy paper underneath.

I guess there are stages that we go through. For awhile I would routinely use CroMox, even bought a very very nice mounted leather strop for the green stuff. Now, I never use it and cannot imagine using anything more exotic than my finish hone and my strop. Maybe my sense of adventure is gone.

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Originally Posted by coachschaller

My last two honing sessions I have gotten so excited to shave that I forgot to strop first :gaah:
However, both shaves were excellent :shrug:

I finished on 0.3 um lapping film with a page or two of copy paper underneath.

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Originally Posted by RezDog

I did this a lot when I first started honing. It was because I was never sure if my edge was finished yet so I would skip the strop for a little test shave. Over time the question of am I done got to knowing better that I was done and I did it less...

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I'd imagine this would be a rather standard path for most honing beginners. It was true for me also.

Experiments finished; and the results were very interesting, if only for determining a stropping routine after the finisher.

I tried Glen's and Jimmy's suggestions as well, but found even minimal laps cause too much interference in the results.

So without getting too wordy about it, you can really notice a big difference in the edge on the face during the shave, and then hours after it (in terms of skin); and the way the edge cuts during the shave, and the feel of the regrowth some hours later.
Both cotis would really benefit from pastes and linen and maybe thicker leather; Thurry seemed smoothest but not as sharp; Escher seemed most balanced and mature, really only needing latigo or light leather strop.

YMMV, of course; and this was just a personal experiment to measure and compare my own tools, but thanks for the replies.

On the Escher,, Did you finish it using a very light slurry and slowly into almost clean water ????

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

On the Escher,, Did you finish it using a very light slurry and slowly into almost clean water ????

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Same method with all of them. About 45 from light slurry to just water. And a very light touch.

I'm sure I remember when I joined this site, many members were using cotis as finishers, and were doing a lot more than 30 laps before stropping. I was after a comparison though.