Thread: My first honing attempts with photos

What does HAD stand for Gent's? For some reason it is not coming to me.

Hone Acquisition Disorder

Originally Posted by FAL

What does HAD stand for Gent's? For some reason it is not coming to me.

It will.......it comes to us all eventually....

Thanks Utopian, wow, I've had HAD since age 8, I must be in the last stages.

Now my dreams are of the always faster, finer, Hone-'e Grail.

So... I have had the King 1k in my possession for a month now. Today I tried again to hone and made progress. It was my 8th attempt.

I made some slurry on the 1k, did circular motions first on one side, then the other. I tried to keep firm but light pressure. I spent maybe 15 mins before it shaved arm hair by the skin level effortlessly on both sides and along the whole edge.

Then I washed the stone and blade and made some 1k slurry and dumped that on top of the Welsh slate and slurried the mix some more. Did circular motions on both sides, diluting the slurry twice. Dilution was washing the blade and dropping two drops of water on the stone. I washed the stone and made new slurry and made X-strokes on both sides. Again wash the stone and more X-strokes on water only. Then 7 laps on CrOx and 60+ laps on leather strop and on to shave test.

The edge was not completely disaster, I managed to make two rough passes on my head before giving up and finishing the job with a DE razor.

I made some progress as I got it shaving arm hair but I still have a way to go before I can proudly say that I have shaved with my own well honed razor.

I have never used a slate before So I am not familiar with the method, but I don't quite like the using the king 1k slurry and trying to work it like a jnat slurry. Synthetics (95% of the time) do not tend to break down like a jnat, thus just diluting a king 1k slurry won't give you quite the progression that you need to be shave worthy. But it does sound like you at least got your bevel set. Great job. That is 95% of the battle.

Originally Posted by rlmnshvstr8

I have never used a slate before So I am not familiar with the method, but I don't quite like the using the king 1k slurry and trying to work it like a jnat slurry. Synthetics (95% of the time) do not tend to break down like a jnat, thus just diluting a king 1k slurry won't give you quite the progression that you need to be shave worthy. But it does sound like you at least got your bevel set. Great job. That is 95% of the battle.

Thanks for the encouraging words!

I am also not sure if diluting the 1k slurry had the effect I intended but I got the job done. Next time I will give the edge more time on the Welsh slate slurry and dilute even more gradually.

Are you using tape on the spine?

Did you lap the King, and bevel the edges?

So, you are using an EBay Welch slate, not a Coticule and not a vintage Dragons Tongue?

What brand of Chrome Oxide are you using and what is it on?

The original bevel was very shiny, what were you stropping on?

In all the original photos you were not reaching the edge, are you now?

How about a photo of what the edge looks like, now?

Originally Posted by Euclid440

Are you using tape on the spine?

Did you lap the King, and bevel the edges?

So, you are using an EBay Welch slate, not a Coticule and not a vintage Dragons Tongue?

What brand of Chrome Oxide are you using and what is it on?

The original bevel was very shiny, what were you stropping on?

In all the original photos you were not reaching the edge, are you now?

How about a photo of what the edge looks like, now?

No tape.

No lapping and I didn't bevel the edges. Sounds like something I should do but of course I don't possess the tools for that.

I bought my Welsh slate second hand and it was lapped by the previous owner. It's not coticule for sure and I don't know if it's vintage. Those for sale on eBay look identical to mine.


^^My strop came with Chrome Oxide layer on on side, cowhide on the other. It's my only strop and I have no idea of the CrOx brand used.


^^50x magnification of the edge now.


^^500x magnification but from different location on the edge.

Do I reach the edge now?

I have news for you that loom strop with the green paste is not chromium oxide. It is Dovo green paste which is much coarser. Its grit is about 6 microns. The next finer would be the red at about 2-3 microns and then the black paste is for finishing. Chromium oxide is about .5 microns. So you thought you were finishing with a pasted strop with a grit equivalent of a mid range stone.