Thread: Success - Thanks all!

1, 5, 8, 12, Nanis, will do the perfect job for you. And a 20-30X loupe. Its a great feeling, honing your own, you get to create your own edge, and find your comfort level while shaving.

You can skip the 8k, but you’ll spend quite a bit of time on the 12k because of it. Definitely get a loupe like outback said. It takes a while to get to a point where you can feel rough spots on your bevel as you hone. A loupe is indispensable they’re cheap too, no need to buy something expensive.

The "ideal" synthetic progression is one in which the grit doubles each step. You can do that with some hones like Shapton. You can go 1K, 2K, 4K, 8K, 16K and then all the way to 30K if you wish. Norton goes 1K, 4k, 8k, so you miss the 2K step and the 12-16K step. You can go from 1K to 4K and many do this, but it will take a fair amount of work on the 4K to remove the 1K scratches. Many people can shave off an 8K edge, but if your beard is tough, you will want something finer.

Unfortunately, the Naniwa SS series is kind of wonky: 1K, 2K, 3K 5K, 8K 10K, 12K. If you do not want to purchase the entire series, 1K, 3K, 8K, 12K should be fine. 1K, 2K, 5K, 12K is another possibility. I purchased the full set, so moving up the progression is easy, but rather expensive. You do not really need the 10K, but sometimes I use synthetics up to 10K and then skip the 12K in favor for some type of natural stone, or I can go to my Shapton 16K.

As others have recommended, do not simply count strokes. If you do, you may be doing too little work on some grits and too much on others. Go by feel and blade appearance. Many people use a loupe to inspect the edge, but I like using a USB digital microscope that allows me to project images of the edge on a computer screen. I can also capture photos so I can go back and compare images from various stages of the process so I can evaluate what is happening to the edge. That will help you improve your honing techniques.

Thanks for all the advice. As I already had a 5K & 12K Naniwa, I bought a 1K and an 8K for honing yesterday. I will still use the Sharp Pebble stones, but stick to kitchen knives on them. I also bought a jewellers 30x loupe, so should be ready to go at the weekend.

I know there may be some additional work jumping straight from 1K to 5K, but I'll see how I get on, and perhaps ask for a 3K Naniwa for Xmas!

I'll keep you posted on how I get on with my next razor. I may even go back and dull the blade on this one, just to re-hone it from scratch.

Mark

Enjoy, Mark. I didn't find the jump from 1 - 5 all that bad, with Naniwas. Their fast hones, start with a bit more pressure/ tourqe, then lighten as you get closer to removing the last of the previous stria.

Enjoy your shaves..

Thanks... I've been shaving with a straight razor for a couple of years now, but always too lazy to hone myself. I maintained my edges with the 5K and 12K and a Crox strop, but have never taken a used, blunt edge to shave ready until now.