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 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

Originally Posted by Estroncio

The years has maintained his sharpness with only pastes?

Dioni

Yes, Dioni, I believe he's saying he's kept his razors shaving sharp up until the present by using pastes only.

By the way, I've been to Catalonia only once (Barcelona, Montserrat) and found it to be one of the most wonderful places on earth.

Chris L

Originally Posted by Chrisl

Yes, Dioni, I believe he's saying he's kept his razors shaving sharp up until the present by using pastes only.

By the way, I've been to Catalonia only once (Barcelona, Montserrat) and found it to be one of the most wonderful places on earth.

Chris L

Wanting to say that amount of years with only pasta

Chris... I've been in Montserrat for many many weekends for years to interperie in sleeping bags with my friends. They practiced climbing. I am very glad that you like, is one of my favorite sites.

Dioni

http://www.mrfs.net/trips/2003/Spain...rrat_peaks.jpg

http://humano.ya.com/meisa2002/montserrat1.jpg
This needle has a height of 300 meters, almost vertically.

I should have asked before...is the Frictionite a dual grit hone?

The pasted strops have probably rounded the edge ever so little. You will need to stay on the frictionite longer, and use it wet with water, not lather. Stay on the Frictionite until you can feel a noticeable change in the edge when performing the TPT or HHT.

Hope this helps,