Thread: Pre honing ritual

Originally Posted by AusTexShaver

]I've gotten spoiled since I've finally figured out how to hone so it's not uncommon for me to quit using a razor that's not doing the job in the middle of a shave. I've already filled my quota of bad shaves.

Ok, let me chime in and say that you stating what is above combined with everything else here has me wondering- How long have you been shaving and how many razors do you use?? It sounds like not veeeery long. If that is the case (and even if it's not) and you are using three razors during a shave because you think the first two need touchups (but you only honed them days/weeks ago) then something is wrong and it ain't your razors so to speak. Maybe you need to revisit your honing technique? Once I hone a razor well (usually the first time), I don't need a touchup for months and months using a bunch of different razors in rotation.

Originally Posted by Philadelph

Ok, let me chime in and say that you stating what is above combined with everything else here has me wondering- How long have you been shaving and how many razors do you use?? It sounds like not veeeery long. If that is the case (and even if it's not) and you are using three razors during a shave because you think the first two need touchups (but you only honed them days/weeks ago) then something is wrong and it ain't your razors so to speak. Maybe you need to revisit your honing technique? Once I hone a razor well (usually the first time), I don't need a touchup for months and months using a bunch of different razors in rotation.

Excuse me for not having a large enough collection and soft enough beard that I can pass one on to my grandchildren before it needs sharpening.

Originally Posted by AusTexShaver

I've gotten spoiled since I've finally figured out how to hone so

You are in your own words admittedly new to honing, so why be defensive when someone says your technique may fall short of greatness?

Originally Posted by AusTexShaver

Excuse me for not having a large enough collection and soft enough beard that I can pass one on to my grandchildren before it needs sharpening.

You are excused.

Pre-honing ritual:

Lock the door & close the curtains.

Put on my "Karate Kid" headband and lucky Spiderman pajamas.

Crank up Bethoven's 9th on the Hi-Fi

Light as many Tabac scented candles as will fit in my Liberace commemorative candelabra.

Do a shot of Jack Daniels

Begin honing...

Originally Posted by Philadelph

Ok, let me chime in and say that you stating what is above combined with everything else here has me wondering- How long have you been shaving and how many razors do you use?? It sounds like not veeeery long. If that is the case (and even if it's not) and you are using three razors during a shave because you think the first two need touchups (but you only honed them days/weeks ago) then something is wrong and it ain't your razors so to speak. Maybe you need to revisit your honing technique? Once I hone a razor well (usually the first time), I don't need a touchup for months and months using a bunch of different razors in rotation.

Sorry Tex, but I gotta agree with Alex here. I'm not trying to give you a hard time. Glad to have ya, but how about a bit of an idea of what tools you're working with? You should be able to go through quite a duration between hones with proper stropping. Pretty much regardless of the razor wire beard you're shaving through. Where your tools play a part in this is: I want to know what kind of steel you're working with.

Quote:
Originally Posted by AusTexShaver
I've gotten spoiled since I've finally figured out how to hone so

You are in your own words admittedly new to honing, so why be defensive when someone says your technique may fall short of greatness?

Quote:
Originally Posted by AusTexShaver
Excuse me for not having a large enough collection and soft enough beard that I can pass one on to my grandchildren before it needs sharpening.

You are excused.


Sorry, I was tired when I wrote that so was a little irritated that my original question had somehow morphed into a question of my abilities. I also worded the "finally figured out" badly and what I meant to say was making the leap from a standard 4k/8k/linen/leather progression decent shave to a finely polished scary sharp buttery smooth squeegie experience.

I also never implied that I was having to hit the hones weekly and use 3 razors per shave...only that when the edge does run out (regardless of whether it takes 10 shaves or 100) I don't finish shaving with that razor.

While I will probably never achieve the level of greatness as those who do it for a living I will say that a razor I got sharpened by Lynn only lasted about 10 shaves more than the one I did myself.

Originally Posted by bpave777

Sorry Tex, but I gotta agree with Alex here. I'm not trying to give you a hard time. Glad to have ya, but how about a bit of an idea of what tools you're working with? You should be able to go through quite a duration between hones with proper stropping. Pretty much regardless of the razor wire beard you're shaving through. Where your tools play a part in this is: I want to know what kind of steel you're working with.

OK, I'm gonna bite on just one more of these "it's either your ability or your equipment" posts and then I'm not responding to anything other than my ORIGINAL question of does it help to strop before honing.

I don't recall mentioning anything about duration in any of my posts so how did this end up with everyone believing I'm ruining 3 freshly honed razors per shave?!?!?!?

Equipment is Norton 4/8k, Shapton 16k, and chromium oxide pasted strop. Right now I have a Dovo special and a TI doing an every other day rotation.

Experience is irrevelant as doing something wrong for years isn't as important as how many times you have done it correctly. Let's just say on a scale from one to ten where Lynn is a ten I'm about an eight.

Now I must go and abuse the TI on the wire brush of my chin whiskers.

Originally Posted by Seraphim

Pre-honing ritual:

Lock the door & close the curtains.

Put on my "Karate Kid" headband and lucky Spiderman pajamas.

Crank up Bethoven's 9th on the Hi-Fi

Light as many Tabac scented candles as will fit in my Liberace commemorative candelabra.

Do a shot of Jack Daniels

Begin honing...

FINALLY...true trade secrets!!!

I'll try swapping out my Batman pjs but I've had such good luck with the "Stones" Satisfaction that I'm reluctant to give that up.

I have this from a couple of dudes that I have great respect for in their knowledge of sharpening, how to get a lasting edge. They say you must cut away enough to get past the fatigue, which is work hardened and becomes very brittle.

Straightening the edge on a strop may be a great idea, but if you don't hone enough- leaving the fatigue behind -your edge may enter a perpetual cycle of chipping.

what does it look like through the spyglass?

When I was abusing the paste i had similar issues. a quick smooth razor with short lived durability.

I 've read the thread. Got puzzled as to why things got a bitty snappy. (whispering): maybe it's the blue.

Anyway, fine hone setup, if you ask me.
It's easy to hone an extremely fine edge with the 16K and the CrO strop. An edge that will most likely not take the beating of a coarse beard very well. I think you are experiencing that. The 16K will already leave an extremely fine, yet fragile, edge. Doing anything more on the CrO will refine it even further, while all it needs is just a few very light smoothing laps. 3, maybe 4.

Moreover, once you hit that keeness level on a razor, subsequent touchups of the (far too easily) microchipped edge, bring you write back at that same edge. It's a vicious circle. Oddly enough, the solution is in that same CrO strop. Stropping the razor with a more than average slack and some pressure for about 30 laps will round the edge to a healthy sturdiness. Rehone on the 16K but don't overdo it (hard to tell from here where you must stop). As said, finalize with 3, maybe 4, light laps on a taut CrO strop to extinguish the harshness of the 16K.

Another sidenote: "borderline honing" is walking a thin line. Some razors will take the keeness you're after, and others will not. In my experience, this isn't even brand or model related.

As for answerring your original question, I don't see how stropping prior to honing could make any difference to the end result. A strop, albeit an extremely fine and slow one, is just another abrassive. Anything it can possibly do, will be wiped away by the first lap of a hone.

Best regards,
Bart.