Thread: Kinda confused

Originally Posted by MJC

I've been honing and maintaining my own razors for a few years with great results.
But I still have to send one off to one of to a Pro's now and then...most of the time a case of "don't make it worse".

The best "get your mind right" exercise for me has been the 1K challenge: http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...r-1k-hone.html

It helped me to remember "first, we set the bevel" - and knowing that I was going to have to shave off of it made me invest the time and attention...

Good luck and keep us posted...

Ok it may be a bit before I get to it but I'm going to try the 1k challenge on the Dovo I just picked up.

Did the 1k Challenge and it went well.
Guess I should take some of my straights back to the 1k hones.

Originally Posted by AlanQ

Did the 1k Challenge and it went well.
Guess I should take some of my straights back to the 1k hones.

If you want to have some fun and some learning at the same time. Try shaving off of the next hone Without Stropping and then After and keep at it as you work up the grits. This way you really get to understand what the stropping does. It also lets you know how you are doing on the hones. While this is just about me--I've found that the lighter your finishing strokes are--the smoother the shave right off of the hone and that after stropping it only gets better.

While I've never tried it on my synthetics when I go to finish on naturals I spray them with Windex or a brand name glass cleaner. It really provides a slick surface. I got the idea when a friend recommended that I try 'Smiths Honing Solution' which I did and then found that the glass cleaner was similar but even more slick.

Originally Posted by cudarunner

If you want to have some fun and some learning at the same time. Try shaving off of the next hone Without Stropping and then After and keep at it as you work up the grits. This way you really get to understand what the stropping does. It also lets you know how you are doing on the hones. While this is just about me--I've found that the lighter your finishing strokes are--the smoother the shave right off of the hone and that after stropping it only gets better.

While I've never tried it on my synthetics when I go to finish on naturals I spray them with Windex or a brand name glass cleaner. It really provides a slick surface. I got the idea when a friend recommended that I try 'Smiths Honing Solution' which I did and then found that the glass cleaner was similar but even more slick.

Ok 5k no strop is up next

Originally Posted by AlanQ

Did the 1k Challenge and it went well.
Guess I should take some of my straights back to the 1k hones.

It's eye-opening. I know I fell in to the trap "it will get better as I move up"
The reality is it gets smoother - but the bevel is the foundation of the edge and without a solid foundation....well... you know the story.

After your "shave at every level" test I would suggest the Norton 4/8 challenge.
(And you can do it with a 3/8 Naniwa - whatever)

Originally Posted by cudarunner

If you want to have some fun and some learning at the same time. Try shaving off of the next hone Without Stropping and then After and keep at it as you work up the grits. This way you really get to understand what the stropping does. It also lets you know how you are doing on the hones. While this is just about me--I've found that the lighter your finishing strokes are--the smoother the shave right off of the hone and that after stropping it only gets better.

While I've never tried it on my synthetics when I go to finish on naturals I spray them with Windex or a brand name glass cleaner. It really provides a slick surface. I got the idea when a friend recommended that I try 'Smiths Honing Solution' which I did and then found that the glass cleaner was similar but even more slick.

windex or glass cleaner on naturals. I have never heard of that as a honing solution. Does it clean out easily if you go back to wanting just water?

Yes, Windex cleans out easily.

Ok I finally got a chance to hone again today and did the 5k challenge on the Dovo, no stropping. It wasn't as comfortable as the 1K with stropping and I only did part of my face before I stropped, linen and leather only. What a huge difference that makes to comfort!

Originally Posted by AlanQ

Ok I finally got a chance to hone again today and did the 5k challenge on the Dovo, no stropping. It wasn't as comfortable as the 1K with stropping and I only did part of my face before I stropped, linen and leather only. What a huge difference that makes to comfort!

Amazing what a difference it is isn't it!?!?! Keep the experiment up as it will keep teaching what is going on. You might also try just off the linen and then off the leather. Just a thought

Originally Posted by cudarunner

Amazing what a difference it is isn't it!?!?! Keep the experiment up as it will keep teaching what is going on. You might also try just off the linen and then off the leather. Just a thought

Well I have 3 more hones in my normal progression left to do on the Dovo so I guess I can do that. Should be able to do 8K tomorrow but as Ive been doing this with 2 days growth will wait til Wed to try it out. Gotta keep everything scientific and all