Thread: Scratches on the bevel after natual finishier, too much pressure?

I do have a Suehiro GK20K. It does produce a very sharp, very smooth edge. However, I cannot say that it is any better than other stones followed by pasted strops.

For a while, it was difficult getting CBN. Ken Schwartz was the primary promoter of this method and he passed away. I recently found that KME has several emulstions in stock along with kangaroo leather strops.

https://www.kmesharp.com/cbnemulsions.html

Diamond pasted strops can be overly aggressive. If you apply too much paste or spray to the substrate, it can be too aggressive and you will get microchipping. The same thing can happen if you use too many strokes. That is why I use CBN pastes and sprays. They do not seem to be quite as aggressive and are not as prone to microchipping. Thus, they are more forgiving.



Microchipping, however, depends upon how the razor steel is heat treated. I have one razor that microchips no matter how I hone it. I think the steel was improperly heat treated. Other razors will take a super sharp edge without microchipping.

Never try to make a razor sharper than you need it to comfortably shave your beard. I have a very tough beard and very sensitive skin. That is why I like super sharp, super smooth edges. Unfortunately, the downsize of producing such an edge is that it will only stand up to a few shaves before it needs to be refreshed.

Originally Posted by RayClem

I do have a Suehiro GK20K. It does produce a very sharp, very smooth edge. However, I cannot say that it is any better than other stones followed by pasted strops.

For a while, it was difficult getting CBN. Ken Schwartz was the primary promoter of this method and he passed away. I recently found that KME has several emulstions in stock along with kangaroo leather strops.

https://www.kmesharp.com/cbnemulsions.html

Diamond pasted strops can be overly aggressive. If you apply too much paste or spray to the substrate, it can be too aggressive and you will get microchipping. The same thing can happen if you use too many strokes. That is why I use CBN pastes and sprays. They do not seem to be quite as aggressive and are not as prone to microchipping. Thus, they are more forgiving.



Microchipping, however, depends upon how the razor steel is heat treated. I have one razor that microchips no matter how I hone it. I think the steel was improperly heat treated. Other razors will take a super sharp edge without microchipping.

Never try to make a razor sharper than you need it to comfortably shave your beard. I have a very tough beard and very sensitive skin. That is why I like super sharp, super smooth edges. Unfortunately, the downsize of producing such an edge is that it will only stand up to a few shaves before it needs to be refreshed.

Thanks for all the tips. I think I've just got to the bottom of the rabbit hole. Initially my honing technique wasn't quite there and thus need to strop to get a shave ready edge. Started with CrOx paste, thought it was too slow. The got some 0.25micron emulsion and found the edge off it was too harsh, started looking for 0.1micron stuffs, ended up with 4 sets of them from different sources and some 0.1micron alumina powder and 0.01 ZrOx powder. Though I'm happy with the edge off 0.1 micron diamond at the begining, but it became harsh again after a month or two coz I tended to strop before shaving on the 0.1micron diamond. So obviously I stropped too many passes eventually and micro chips occurred. So I turned to natural stones, and also my honing skill got better and don't really need to strop after off the finisher. Then I realized the bevel got scratched on the naturals and that's why this thread was here.

My skin is also super sensitive too. I was using cartridge razors. They were okay but got pretty bad in the last a couple of years. So I started looking for a straight razor. My beard isn't that thick, so it can last around 2 month if I shave 2 to 3 times a week and it only takes ~10 time to touch up on a natural. So it's not bad at all. So far, I don't feel I need a Gok 20K or Shapton 30k, but you know, I just want to have one. I'll also check the CBN you mentioned too.