Thread: First try, it's almost there

I've been using pasted strops to maintain my edge since I got started several years ago. My 5/8 Clauss I picked up from Lynn has finally gotten to the point where the pastes just won't bring it back, and my JR Torrey is in almost the same shape. So, I decided to try to hone it up.

I have a frictionite barber hone, boron carbide pasted strop & chromium oxide pasted strop.

I used the frictionite wet with a little lather, performing about 10-15 round trips. I then hit each of the pasted strops for about 25 round trips. The razor is sharp, but not shaving sharp and will not pass the HHT.


What do you guys recommend next? Hit the hone a little more? If so, how many laps?

What micron region is the BC?

I would do 10-15 laps on the Frictionite without lather, 5-6 with no pressure with lather, then re-attack using your pastes.

I'm a big fan of conservative honing approaches.

The BC is 1.8 micron, CrO2 is 0.5 micron.

Do you use any pressure with the hone, or just enough to keep the blade in contact with the hone?

For me it depends. At the risk of offending you (you have a lot of shaving experience) some beginning honers find using no pressure a big challenge, and given that your blade was probably just shy of that point when no pressure would be demanded I'd say no, a little pressure is okay*.

Now though, I think your probably already past the point when you could have used pressure. Now your into the big boy territory. Its all about a perfect, repeatative stroke without pressure. Now, a single lift of the razor off kilter and your in big trouble and the slightest pressure will lift the edge off the hone or misalign the edge as you stroke.

But you've got pastes to lean on a little to get your ultra sharpness from.

One of the new guys hit the secret on the head, I forget who, but he described it as a chain reaction of sorts. You have to link the grits together or step off from grit to grit, micron to micron.

* ultimately though you want to use no pressure most of the time.

Thanks Alan. I've got the no pressure routine working pretty well, but making to real progress with it. I'll try it with a little pressure & see where I get.

Based on my math I think you'll find that the BC won't improve the edge off of a Frictionite. I'd probably move from the stone to the .5 paste directly.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

Based on my math I think you'll find that the BC won't improve the edge off of a Frictionite. I'd probably move from the stone to the .5 paste directly.

i would also drop the the BC step. I would stay on the Fricionite using a bit of pressure for 1/2 of the laps then no pressure for the last half of the laps, say 10/10, until you feel a noticeable change in sharpness then move to the 0.5.

You are already familiar with the dry,water,lather progression.

Good to see you posting!


Just my two cents,

Well, what's the difference between dry, water & lather? I haven't really had a chance to play with it much yet. Maybe Wednesday, or Friday or over the weekend. Gotta love being busy!

Dry has the most contact and lather the least contact.

Originally Posted by sensei_kyle

I've been using pasted strops to maintain my edge since I got started several years ago. My 5/8 Clauss I picked up from Lynn has finally gotten to the point where the pastes just won't bring it back, and my JR Torrey is in almost the same shape. So, I decided to try to hone it up.

I have a frictionite barber hone, boron carbide pasted strop & chromium oxide pasted strop.

I used the frictionite wet with a little lather, performing about 10-15 round trips. I then hit each of the pasted strops for about 25 round trips. The razor is sharp, but not shaving sharp and will not pass the HHT.


What do you guys recommend next? Hit the hone a little more? If so, how many laps?

The years has maintained his sharpness with only pastes?

Dioni