Thread: Mid-range tips

Absolutely go to 8K stone. No burr to worry about. No over honing this is the normal progression. Pyramid style 1K/4K/8K.
Remember to lighten your pressure a little as well . Give me fifty x strokes on the 8K.
You can check my advise with Lynns Pyramid guidelines. Its all pretty straight forward.

You don’t have to remove all the 1k stria, just the ones that will cause problems/chipping…

Yes, which ones are those? Good question.

We normally advise, remove all the previous stria, then move up, it is the easiest way to get the most out of each stone. If you move up, and have issues chipping after the 8K, you will just have to go back to the 4k and remove the 1k stria. If your not sure which stria is which, a few laps on the 8K will show you the 1k stria if there is any.

If you alter the direction of the final strokes of each stone, from straight to heel forward 20-30 degrees, you will easily be able to tell which is which.

Yes, a 4k edge will be rough, not as bad as 1k, but an edge will not straighten up until after 8K.

If you have deep 1k stria, after 100 4k laps, you have some deep stria that definetly needs to be removed. Try 20, ½ inch side strokes on each side with the 1k, to remove the deep stria, then go to the 4k. Use some pressure on the first 20 laps and lighten up on the pressure on the next 20, or a half lap progression of 20,10,5,3,2,1 a total of 41 laps, works well and not produce a burr.

Make sure the stones are lapped and the edges are rounded or beveled.

“isn't an 8k prone to over honing ?”

No way, if you feel the edge chipping, (So called over honing) just joint it and re-set it, should not take more than 15-20 laps.
You won’t be wasting steel, if the edge is harsh or chipping, no matter how you do it, you will have to remove all the steel, until you get to good, straight steel. The amount of steel you remove is exactly the same, jointing is just more efficient.

So just straighten it then, just get the bevels to meet again.

Barber hones are at about 4- 6K, with a few exceptions.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

You don’t have to remove all the 1k stria, just the ones that will cause problems/chipping…

Yes, which ones are those? Good question.

We normally advise, remove all the previous stria, then move up, it is the easiest way to get the most out of each stone. If you move up, and have issues chipping after the 8K, you will just have to go back to the 4k and remove the 1k stria. If your not sure which stria is which, a few laps on the 8K will show you the 1k stria if there is any.

If you alter the direction of the final strokes of each stone, from straight to heel forward 20-30 degrees, you will easily be able to tell which is which.

Yes, a 4k edge will be rough, not as bad as 1k, but an edge will not straighten up until after 8K.

If you have deep 1k stria, after 100 4k laps, you have some deep stria that definetly needs to be removed. Try 20, ½ inch side strokes on each side with the 1k, to remove the deep stria, then go to the 4k. Use some pressure on the first 20 laps and lighten up on the pressure on the next 20, or a half lap progression of 20,10,5,3,2,1 a total of 41 laps, works well and not produce a burr.

Make sure the stones are lapped and the edges are rounded or beveled.

“isn't an 8k prone to over honing ?”

No way, if you feel the edge chipping, (So called over honing) just joint it and re-set it, should not take more than 15-20 laps.
You won’t be wasting steel, if the edge is harsh or chipping, no matter how you do it, you will have to remove all the steel, until you get to good, straight steel. The amount of steel you remove is exactly the same, jointing is just more efficient.

So just straighten it then, just get the bevels to meet again.

Barber hones are at about 4- 6K, with a few exceptions.

Thanks that clears a lot up. When I hear remove the 1k stria I'm thinking there shouldn't be any larger scratches then a 4k.

I'll try these vibrating strokes too.

How does one know when they have over done it with the 4k? i.e. Can you do too many strokes on the 4k?

By the way, are your stone surfaces clear? Some Naniwas will clog with metal swarf and that will slow them down, or even stop the cutting action almost completely. Just asking cos it seems like you're making a lot of strokes and still seeing old scratch marks, which shouldn't be happening...

Originally Posted by Srdjan

By the way, are your stone surfaces clear? Some Naniwas will clog with metal swarf and that will slow them down, or even stop the cutting action almost completely. Just asking cos it seems like you're making a lot of strokes and still seeing old scratch marks, which shouldn't be happening...

Yes I religiously lap my hones! Maybe I'm using too light pressure?

Originally Posted by S0LITARYS0LDIER

Yes I religiously lap my hones! Maybe I'm using too light pressure?

Thats alright. Not a lot of pressure is necessary in the mid-range, but I dont go as light as weight of the blade either. Hard to say how much is enough.. I never bothered to measure it, but some people have aparently (was it 3 lbs? Not sure...)

What I find though is that my Naniwa SS will slow down after 40-50 strokes, so I use a nagura to clear it regularly. Not a lapping plate, just the nagura.

100 strokes on a 4k and still have deep 1k scratches - something isn't right. Most synths cut well and those 1k scratches should be gone in just a few strokes. Are you seeing them disappear at the edge? As you lighten pressure you should see the 1k scratches disappear from the apex first, then as you hone more, further up on the shoulder of the bevel.

Cheers, Steve

Ok, the 1k is used to flatten the bevel, and get them to meet, so depending on the condition, you will need “some” pressure to grind it flat. But, the more pressure you use, the deeper the stria, and you will pay for deep stria on the next stone, by putting in more time to remove that stria, there is no free lunch…Deep stria causes chipping at the edge, and the whole goal of honing a razor is a super straight, chip free edge.

The 4k removes the deep 1k stria, begins to polish the bevel and straighten the edge, so here again you may need some pressure or do more laps.

You can’t do too many laps on the 4k, you will want to joint the edge before you start on the 8k anyway, to get a straight edge, 20 or so laps should get the bevels to meet and remove 4k stria. another lite 20 laps, will polish the bevel and straighten the edge.

Too little pressure is as much a problem as too much, because the amount of pressure varies, depending on what you are attempting to do. Generally you start with more pressure and ease up on the pressure in the finish laps. How much is too much is determined by your results. You have to read the bevel and edge.

As an update I got home lapped my stones, used the same razor I have shaved with for 2 days. Started at 4k until it felt like it was sticking to the hone and then went to 8k until the feedback told me to stop. Checked tpt, stropped, checked again. Then did a mid-level arm hair. All good. Going to test shave it tonight

Guys what is happening when the tpt feels good at 4k then is gone at 8k?

Originally Posted by S0LITARYS0LDIER

As an update I got home lapped my stones, used the same razor I have shaved with for 2 days. Started at 4k until it felt like it was sticking to the hone and then went to 8k until the feedback told me to stop. Checked tpt, stropped, checked again. Then did a mid-level arm hair. All good. Going to test shave it tonight

Guys what is happening when the tpt feels good at 4k then is gone at 8k?

How are you doing the TPT?
A little more pressure.slide off the blade at a 45" angle.
Shave is most important