Thread: Are You A Real Man? Do You Think You Can Hone? Shave Off Of Your 1k Hone

Joined the 1k ranks tonight, and took it to the two pass plateau with alum block chaser.
Surprised by the results.
Three days growth, and certainly needed stretching to ensure a taught surface, but no burn after the fact. Not as smooth as I like of course, but good enough for Monday meetings.
I used a Saito Gloria for the challenge and went weight only for at least the last 50 strokes, and I did strop for 50 laps on bridal leather before the shave.
But a good challenge to try.

Well, I just shaved with the Boker "Our Own Hollow Ground Razor" that I rescaled and posted about on another thread. I started setting the bevel on the Chosera 1k; it was coming along nicely, but I kept getting those issues of not undercutting on parts of the blade like we discussed in another thread. I have learned to just rest the weight of a finger or two on the offending section while making my strokes, and that mostly sorted it out, but it still needed some more to get it right all the way across the blade.

I followed this up with very light circles and half-strokes on the Norton 4k, and finished with ultralight passes. I then did sort of a stropping progression on my various linen and vintage shell strops until it was tree-topping hair nicely. The resulting shave was very smooth-I can see now why Bokers are such legendary shavers!

I can't wait to see how this Boker progresses up the hones-I plan to test-shave at each step to find out. This idea has been a very eye-opening strategy in my honing journey.

Well I have been honing since I started and had yet to try this. Had 2 blades I found chips in and needed to go back to the 1k so thought what the hey. Used a Ern Ator. Set on the Chosera 1k. Did a side by side with a shave ready blade.

Straight from the hone did half right cheek. Not bad but rough. Stropped on linen and finished the cheek. Definitely better but still a little rough. Then leather and the right side neck. Smoother and shaving well obviously just lacking the refinement to be fully comfortable.

On the second pass did left side and on atg just did a few bits to get a feel for performance. By this stage some areas were already feeling a bit raw. Overall it did perform far better than expected. Was taking hair at tree tops but not well off the hone and was lopping them after stropping. Will continue through the hones testing them but dont think I will do as much as this time just a bit each pass.

Used a Ern Ator

Probably my favorite razor-love those Ators!

To do this challenge is it necessary to kill the edge or just reset the bevel on the 1K and strop/shave ?

I think the spirit of it is to set the bevel from scratch. It is about learning when the bevel is truly set. A light kill on a finger nail should set you up.

Originally Posted by Jnatcat

To do this challenge is it necessary to kill the edge or just reset the bevel on the 1K and strop/shave ?

I have an aversion to killing the edge except in a contest.

Tell us what you did and perhaps why.
This is not a contest but an exercise in the foundations of honing.

For me a razor that needs honing is the critical reason to pick a razor for this.
i.e. The razor you elected to not shave with because it was in need of a touch up.


You can it is your razor but I have an aversion to abusing a darn fine razor.
Perhaps a light kill with a fingernail.
Simply tell us what you did...

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

I have an aversion to killing the edge except in a contest.

Agreed.
I consider it to be the equivalent of breaking your leg as the initial stage of training for a marathon.

In this case I presumed that a light jointing would be in order, so you could truly say you'd set the bevel not just knocked a working edge down to 1K. But for most other things I'm prone to agree that killing an edge is just setting yourself back a step.

Well I took the 1k challenge today. Cleaned up my Dovo Extra I got at the flea market the other day and honed it on the 1K Naniwa. Well shave went better than I expected. Was it a great shave? Nope but my face wasn't butchered, in fact not even any weepers and got a decent shave, not great, but decent. Problem area was my chin, but then that's a problem area for regardless of what I use to shave. So when I get the chance I will continue with the other hones and compare the shaves. Judging from how it did in the 1K challenge I think I am going to be very happy with my new Dovo.