Thread: Success - Thanks all!

Hello all,

After reading the extensive list of excellent hints at tips for honing, I have finally honed a straight razor and shaved with it! I bought a bunch of cheap ones from eBay for practise. The first couple I just couldn't get on with, so I have put them away for another day. But the third, a vintage full-hollow Butler, came out nice. Here was my process, after much trial and error.

1) Cleaned the blade, marked the edge with Sharpie, and set the bevel on a 400 grit stone. I used circles, then X strokes. I wasn't fussed by spine wear, so didn't tape the blade.

2) X-strokes on the 1K, followed by 3K then 8K.

3) Then I dropped back to my 5K Naniwa with X-strokes, then finished it on a 12K Naniwa.

4) Crox on my strop, followed by smooth stropping.

This worked a treat for me, too me about 45 minutes and the edge came out really nice. I have another full hollow to do, so will try the same process again.

Thanks for all the tips so far, without these I'd still be looking at a lump of blunt steel!

Mark

2) X-strokes on the 1K, followed by 3K then 8K.

3) Then I dropped back to my 5K Naniwa with X-strokes, then finished it on a 12K Naniwa.

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That's an interesting progression


Whatever works!

The 3K & 8K is a combo stone from Sharp Pebble, and are not very wide, so you have to use X-strokes on them.

The 5K & 12K are Naniwa Speciality Stones, and are wide enough for the full blade.

So after the 8K, I realised I'd missed the 5K out, and figured I'd try dropping back before finishing. I'm not sure if there's a bit of luck involved though, so I'll try the same again on a different blade.

I watched a video on a technique that dropped back and forth between grits, but couldn't remember the exact pattern!

Mark

Originally Posted by markc1975

The 3K & 8K is a combo stone from Sharp Pebble, and are not very wide, so you have to use X-strokes on them.

The 5K & 12K are Naniwa Speciality Stones, and are wide enough for the full blade.

So after the 8K, I realised I'd missed the 5K out, and figured I'd try dropping back before finishing. I'm not sure if there's a bit of luck involved though, so I'll try the same again on a different blade.

I watched a video on a technique that dropped back and forth between grits, but couldn't remember the exact pattern!

Mark

Going back and forth between grits is referred to as pyramid honing. This method has received much criticism but I still look at it as a very effective way to get your bevel dialed in up to 8k (or perhaps even 12k). I think Mr. Abrams posted a thorough explanation about it somewhere on this site. I’ll try to post a link if I can find it. Copy and paste the following because it did not post as a hyperlink:
https://straightrazorpalace.com/honing/39805-pyramid-honing.html

I’d be careful on the 400 grit stone, worth taping the spine imo. I use a well worn dmt 325 for grunt work, ie chips, frowns, etc. A 1k should be good for everything else. It would be well worth it to go back to the 8k, then 12k, then finish on the 12k. Think of honing and finishing as two different actions. Honing you’re trying to get stria looking all the same and uniform, erasing the previous stones stria if you will. Finishing will help get you the feel you want.

I hone up to my 12k Naniwa, clean the swarf off with a couple swipes with my lapping hone, squeegee the hone with my finger to get rid of extra standing water, then with lightest strokes I can manage until the blade feels just a little “sticky”.

Unless a blade is badly pitted or chipped. You normally can set the bevel on a 1K, although I have used lower grit stones on some razors that needed restoration.

Dropping back to a lower grit stone is OK, but you should still go back up to the original higher grit stone to remove any scratches left by the lower grit stone before moving up to the finisher.

As long as you get the bevel properly set at the 1K level, all you are doing with the higher grit stones is removing the 1K scratches and replacing them with ever finer stria until you get a polished edge. Consider using a progression of 1K, 3K, 5K, 8K, 12K. You will need to spend a fair amount of time on the 3K to get rid of the 1K scratches since the change in grit level is 3X. You will need very little time on the 5K, 8K and 12K as these grits are relatively close together. You could probably skip either the 5K or 8K entirely, but since you have both, you might as well use them. Be careful not to spend too much time on the Naniwa 12K. On some razors, overhoning on a 12K can lead to microchipping which will result in harsh shaves. Use very light pressure (weight of blade only) as you near completion.

BTW, even though the Naniwa stones are wide enough to accommodate the length of the razor, you should still use x-strokes to insure the entire blade is covered. Straight strokes (sometimes called axe-strokes) can be used early on, but as you finish the razor, x-strokes will give you a better edge. Remember that hones are not perfectly flat, even if you did a good job of lapping. Razor edges are not perfectly straight. Using x-strokes help compensate for the non-uniformities in the hone and edge.

I probably overdid it on the 12K to be honest. I was using the same amount of X-Strokes all the way through, from the 1K to the 12K.

I could feel when the blade wasn't being ground any more, and was smoothly going across the stone, however I carried on, as I had it in my head that I needed to complete a certain amount of strokes before I could continue. The next razor I do, I will try and sharpen by feel rather than an exact number of strokes.

On the 12K, when the blade started feeling sticky on the surface, I added more water and continued. Should I stop at this point instead?

Cheers,

Mark

Hi Markc

All great points so far, as to the 12k, 20 or so laps is usually more than enough to remove 5k or 8k stria.

Mark K

I like to use a loupe to check stria, before moving to the next stone.. Its the only way to know for sure.

I don't count strokes, I find it takes my attention away from what I'm doing. Typically I can feel the change in stria, from a slight skipping feel, to a constant drag. ( gets sticky ) but I like knowing for sure with the loupe.

In my line of work we have a saying. You have the time to do it right, just not twice.

As for the pyramid, I understand it, but see it as a waste of time. I don't like to back track, even when driving.

Thanks for the input. I like the Naniwa stones, the other ones I have are a 400/1K, and a 3K/8K made by Sharp Pebble. I thought I had a lot more 'feel' with the Naniwa stones, so may look to get a Naniwa 1K.

The Sharp Pebbles are great for sharpening kitchen knives, my wife is very happy as I went and sharpened up every knife in the drawer! But maybe they're not quite good enough for honing a straight razor.

Would a 1K, 5K, 12K progression be enough, or do I need some grits in between?

Cheers,