Honing “Tricks” or Tips to Get You “Over the Edge”
Hi All-Having recently posted that I was getting back into honing after a hiatus, I was still reluctant to tackle a few “problem” blades I had put in the bottom of my pile:
-One was a German “Improved Eagle” razor that had even frustrated Sham, whom you long-term members will remember; I’d get close to a bevel on it, and blow past it, or it would disappear, over and over. Just maddening!
-Another is a Case Tungsten Steel that had a swiss-cheese edge from old rust. No matter how much bread-knifing I did, I couldn’t seem to get past the micro-pitting and chipping. Well, I finally got through all that to good steel.
-And the last was an American razor, a Minnesota Chief with a pronounced swooping, smiling edge and full hollow that I always had trouble getting all parts of it honed. Here are the razors in question (yeah, I'm no photographer obviously!):
http://i767.photobucket.com/albums/x...psle4tivup.jpg
Anyway, I couldn’t sleep last night, and just decided to hell with it, I’m gonna get ‘em honed. Long story short is that I surprised myself by getting wicked edges on all three in short order by incorporating or remembering a number of tips or “tricks” I read about mostly here on SRP for getting over “the wall” when you feel stuck on a given razor. In no particular order:
Tape-I tape every razor I hone. I’m not saying others should or shouldn’t (I don’t want to start a “Tape War” hehe!); it’s just what works for me.
The Bevel-It really is all about the bevel, as Sixxgun always says. Like many beginners, I used to foolishly try to chase an edge up the grits when I hadn’t laid a proper foundation. But if it’s not quite there on the 1k, some very gentle circles on the 4k per Lynn’s video, followed up by sets of x-strokes, generally does the trick. I don’t’ move up until the edge passes all the standard tests from heel to toe-You can’t have dessert until you’ve eaten your vegetables!
Pressure-This one thing seems to be at the heart of many honing problems. Too much? Not enough? What I keep finding is that it’s more about a gentle torque of the edge rather than pressure. In any event, I also found that with these razors, a little more pressure or torque than I had been using put me over the edge, especially at the lower grits (Norton 1 and 4k). But I also found that a little bit of pressure or torque on the first set of even higher-grit stones really tweaks an edge even closer. For me that’s Norton 8k, Chinese PHIG, and Naniwa 12k. Of course lighten up as you go.
“Maxing out” each stone-Like many, I always scratched my head over when I was “done” on a given stone. Though I haven’t seen him in a while, I used to marvel over the smooth strokes and that magical level of “suction” CJBianco got when he would hone at my kitchen table. Somehow I seem to finally be there “stroke-wise,” and it has made all the difference. Honing with my left hand, what seems to make a big difference for me is the gentle guidance of my right finger and thumb in helping to keep ALL of the edge gliding across the stone.
“Surfing” the Wave-I like my women and my razors curvy, which has forced me, again, to be mindful of honing ALL of a razor’s edge. Add in wonky geometry and hone wear on some of my ancient Sheffields, and that can be a challenge. More and more I find myself subtly “rocking” the edge with a little help from that right finger. I now focus more on watching the wave of water from heel to toe as the edge “surfs” across the stone. Those pesky heels and toes are now evenly honed as they should be!
Dish soap: When I’ve felt 20 or so ultra-smooth stokes and know it’s almost “there,” maybe 15-20 ultra-light final strokes on a drop of dish soap and plain water is the final touch.
Stropping after each stone-I know it’s maybe not common or traditional, but kudos to whoever suggested this! After both the 4k and the 8k, I did 15 laps on CrOx linen and 50 on English bridle to sort of “set” or burnish the work from that stone, with the same after final finishing. This one trick really tweaked my final edges!
Finishing-My Chinese PHIG finally proved its $15 value after a couple of years of gathering dust. My latest finishing routine has really taken my edges to a new level of both sharp and smooth. I do about 50-60 strokes on slurry from the PHIG’s slurry stone, diluting with a couple squirts of water every 15-20 strokes. Follow that up with 15-20 strokes on the Naniwa 12k. Clean the PHIG under running water, and do maybe 25-30 strokes on just water. Final finish is 15-20 ultra-light strokes on water with a drop of dish liquid. Final stropping is the aforementioned 15 strokes on CrOx felt followed by 50-60 on English bridle.
Doing all of the above, I can see a difference under lighted magnification, HHT, and how each edge effortlessly tree-tops leg hair.
And finally, I tested those three edges I had given up on for this evening’s final Sunday shave before going back to school tomorrow, and got fantastic, very smooth results from each of them, one of the best shaves I've ever had from any of my edges. And more interesting, that 1st-shave stropping afterward felt far smoother on the leather than any blades I have ever stropped! Thanks to everyone who has posted their little honing tips and tricks over the years!
Feel free to add in your own tips for when you hit the wall on problem razors!
Now if I can work up the courage, the one I have been really dreading is a W&B American Razor with severe hone/spine wear. I have had several very frustrating sessions with that beast!
Thanks-Aaron/SHD