Thread: Can you "feel" progress when honing?

Originally Posted by Johnus

For what it's worth... I go straight from the 8k to a pasted strop. If it still feels 'unfinished' when I try it I then go to a Barber hone and then back to the pasted strop. I use Crox on the strop.

Not sure that the leather really does anything after the pasted strop, but if the leather spirit moves me I'll do ~20 on horse.

I tried that once but the horse wouldn't stand still. I crack myself up. To be honest I've never really understood how bare leather does anything noticeable to an edge. However, I've been working hard (long hours) learning to sharpen knives for 6-7 years and a bare kangaroo (VERY smooth leather) makes a very significant difference in the edge. Of course the edge on a knife has to already be super sharp but the roo seems to put a "keenness" on the edge that I can definitely notice. With razors it's different. First the technique is completely different. Second the blade and edge is so thin it magnifies the fragility OR the perfection when it's done right. People have chewed me out when I bring up knife sharpening in the conversation about honing razors. But, it's just how I compare them that I understand more clearly. Well, I think I understand more clearly.

Anyway, my semi-understanding of a bare leather strop is it's not for sharpening. I's more for adding a smoothing or burnishing characteristic to the edge. The smoothing may just smooth the microscopic teeth that are on every sharp edge. This is a semi-explanation of my semi-understanding.

Use a razor for 2 or 4 shaves without doing anything to it. Then strop the heck out of it. 100 or 150 laps. Is it sharp again ? You betcha ! To me the strop is just like any hone. It has it's job and does it. Some call it keeping it sharp, others maintenance, and I have never heard of anyone over stropping a razor.

See me leaning toward the strop more side :<0) I do a minimum of 25 linen, 75 horse *hint ( Tie the horse to a post). If I fail to do it well or take a short cut I feel it in the shave.

I agree with Shooter on about everything he says and as for stropping after a honing I do similar to 10pups, 100 laps on linen/canvas and then 100 on leather. I have been ridiculed in the past for this but I will stand by it, it does wonders to finish an edge.

Originally Posted by 10Pups

Use a razor for 2 or 4 shaves without doing anything to it. Then strop the heck out of it. 100 or 150 laps. Is it sharp again ? You betcha ! To me the strop is just like any hone. It has it's job and does it. Some call it keeping it sharp, others maintenance, and I have never heard of anyone over stropping a razor.

See me leaning toward the strop more side :<0) I do a minimum of 25 linen, 75 horse *hint ( Tie the horse to a post). If I fail to do it well or take a short cut I feel it in the shave.

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

I agree with Shooter on about everything he says and as for stropping after a honing I do similar to 10pups, 100 laps on linen/canvas and then 100 on leather. I have been ridiculed in the past for this but I will stand by it, it does wonders to finish an edge.

+1...For number of laps on the strops after honing and for refreshing a blade's edge with lots of laps on a strop when it starts to dull a tad. It works for me!

I have two razors. A Boker and a L. Herder & Son. I watched the video of Lynn using Shapton glass stones starting at 1k. I did that to both razors a month ago. I have felt since I am still learning I need practice even when the razors are shave ready. So I have been shaving with the Boker and "practicing" with the other. Since I honed the Boker all I've done to it is strop it. 10-20 passes on webbing with .25 micron diamond spray. then 50-75 on leather. This has kept the razor in good shape I believe. The other razor I just can't get it as sharp as it was after the 1k-16k honing. I think there is something wrong with the razor. Yeah right. I'm pretty sure my "practicing" has done more damage than anything else. In the past week I have tried to shave with it and it always feels dull. So after one side of my chin I pick up the Boker and sure enough it does much better. For some reason when I first started straight razor shaving I started on one side of my chin and worked toward the sideburn. Then the other side of the chin and to that sideburn. Anyway, now I'm thinking if I got the Boker shave ready a month ago and have kept it in pretty good shape since then maybe I shouldn't "practice" so much. I'm going to set the bevel again on the other razor starting with 1k and continue through 16k then strop on the two strops. See what happens. I'm also going to send that razor to Lynn sometime soon for him to hone. I need to shave with a razor honed by a pro to see what that feels like. Then I'll know if I'm doing good, bad or terrible. Even though I'm still having trouble I'm not discouraged. It's a learning curve and I just need to keep it on the road until I get through the curve.

A few people have mentioned stropping after honing, i am by no means terribly good at honing, but i can refresh an edge reasonably successfully, i find that a well stropped post hone edge is similar to an edge that has been shaved with a few times and mellowed slightly, i find freshly honed unstropped edges a bit harsh usually.