Very cool! How long have you been playing? Do you play professionally?
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I'm old so a long time, but nothing near professional. When I was in high school, I could not decide between going to college to become a doctor or going into the Navy band to go toward professional. Unfortunately, I did not get into the Navy band. Two weeks after starting college I got a call notifying me that I was accepted into the Air Force band. They were offering me the opportunity to start basic training in just a few weeks. Maybe if they had contacted me BEFORE I started school, I might have gone. I should have gone. It would have made college later a lot easier to pay for but I already had my first taste of freedom and I could not let that go! Ultimately I ended up becoming neither a doctor nor a musician.
I played in college and since then have occasionally played in community bands and theater orchestras, but not really at all for the past nearly 10 years. I do miss it. I have good intentions to get back into it, at least playing with my home town's community brass band again next year, but those priorities keep right on interfering. Winning the PowerBall would help immensely, but I suppose I'd occasionally have to buy one to do that.
I'm going to continue on :OT as my best friend 'Carl' (we've been friends for over 52 years) played the trumpet in the Jr and High School Band. His dad (my second father) was very involved with the local VFW and he'd have Carl play Taps and other military tunes at functions.
Well Carl was born with his top two front teeth pretty much sideways. After graduating from High School and College Carl had his teeth straightened with braces. Once the braces were off Carl was home and his dad wanted him to play for a VFW function so Carl broke out his trumpet and try as he could he couldn't play the damn thing! The air just didn't come out the same as when his teeth were crooked.
Damn was Pop pissed! He just couldn't understand why Carl couldn't play.
Well, my teeth have remained crooked so I don't have that for an excuse!
:OT
I think we were talking about honing here!
I didn't mean for the thread to go off on a tangent- I was merely pointing out how we all start somewhere and this thread will help many new honers (myself included) better understand how to set a proper bevel.
For those that are more advanced maybe it will remind them not to get sloppy with basics?
For all it is opportunity to contribute their knowledge and experience for the benefit of others- always a good thing.
By the way I have been continuing to shave off of each stone without stropping, then stropping linen/shave, leather/shave palm strop/shave. I don't think I'm going to be getting rid of all of my stones but I am absolutely stunned by how well a razor can shave without being levitated over a $1,500 hand harvested stone from a secret monastery on the summit of Mt. Everest wet with the tears of Angels.
We are rubbing steel on rocks, cotton, and horsehide and scraping hair off our faces folks...just like our ancestors did 100 years ago. I don't think they analyzed it this much [emoji23]
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I was sort of cranky yesterday. Of course, I still think the same stuff (I *do* think it's important for the 1k to have completely set the bevel and not rely on later stones, even though you can get away with it, just that I don't think it's necessary to *refine* the bevel with it to be able to shave), but I probably wouldn't have posted on other days.
For Sdm and others, it's all touch, smell, see, hear (I don't think anyone tastes, but I have probably at some point - I don't remember - but maybe just to see if the stones taste like chalk like they sometimes smell like). At any rate, one of the great pleasures in life is learning by touch, smell, see and hear rather than reading or over-analyzing. A friend of mine calls this craftsman's sense - when you learn what's so without necessarily being able to communicate it as such. It's a feeling of what's working right rather than a bullet point checklist.
While this isn't my thing for exercises (watch the spines on those practice razors!!), it is time at the hones and certainly my radar may be off about how helpful it is. Getting the bevel set completely and evenly without damage, getting a uniform polish without compromising geometry or leaving damage, and a good linen and leather that don't degrade an edge - all of it's necessary and time at the stones (this exercise, included), builds the craftsman's sense.
I apologize for busting up the party. If it was enough to put a hitch in developing these senses for a couple of readers, then that's certainly not the right direction, either!!
I can gladly say I have joined this list of 1k shavers after being encouraged by Glen. Very interesting experience to say the least. Thank you for promoting this challenge!
It shaved keener and smoother than expected that's for sure. Great way to learn what bevel setting means and doesn't mean!
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.
:beer1:
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.
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...
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.
Well, I tried this.
Interesting... I did this with a 9/16 full hollow Solingen blade, nothing special. First thing to note is that after stropping, the razor was scything standing hairs on my forearm just as well as I would expect after going from a much higher stone to the strop. But, the shave was nowhere near as smooth. In fact, I switched razors for the second pass, though it also should be said that I prefer a much heavier blade with a smiling edge (it seems I have very heavy growth on sensitive skin, and the smiling edge in particular seems to make for vastly improved comfort).
So, nice to have a clear realisation that keenness and smoothness are two different things.
But I would not want to shave straight off the 1k stone without stropping.