Thread: Honing Miracle?

So I bought a shave ready Wapi off the classifieds about a week and a half ago. I got it in the mail yesterday, no big deal since it was coming from Ireland. However, in my impatience to see my first Wapi, I pulled it out of the packaging on the walk back to my apartment.

Basically it flew out, opened, and landed on the asphalt. I must have gotten very lucky, because I didn't chip the blade or even ruin it all. I did, however, manage to what looked like a nice wide dent in the cutting edge of the blade.

I don't know anything about honing. The only reason I have anything to hone with is that I got a Barber Junior hone in a trade for a razor about a month ago. I figured I would give it a shot, thinking I couldn't mess things up any worse.

After about 30 minutes and countless circles on the Barber Junior, the Wapi was nicely taking the hair off my arm, with very little visible deformation of the cutting edge. A further 200 or so laps on a CO pasted strop have this Polish beauty removing arm hair just as smoothly as my professionally honed Red Point.

Could I be happier with my first experience? I think not.

Good save! I'm guessing it is less miracle, and more proper preparation by having stropping and blade maintenance down well first. Perhaps this is a good reminder that less is more when it comes to honing as Lynn has said on several occasions.

Glad to hear it worked out so well.

Welcome to the club

I have 3 Wapi's and LOVE em I kinda felt an obligation to use a Polish razor, being part Polish myself

I've noticed I can get a really smooth just doing one pass with mine. You should post a couple pics

I need to take some of mine as well, come to think about it

I have an Escher like stone that shows the distinct outline of the virgin Mary and the baby Christ when you wet the stone. Does that count as a honing miracle or only a hone miracle.
5 dollars a person to touch the hone and fifty to hone your razors on it.

Well I would love to take pictures, but the only cameras I have are on my phone which won't let me send picture messages for some mysterious reason even though I pay for it, and my computer. So the quality is nowhere near good enough to get a shot of the edge (not that I haven't tried).

On the plus side: I shaved with this beauty today and I absolutely loved it. Makes me happy I have one NOS on the way. I may have in invest in another NOS and have them rescaled someday for an awesome pair of razors. That or just spend the money now and get a classy one from Fendrihan.

That would be a miracle hone I think. An Escher huh? Tell you what - in order to be certified as a true miracle that hone must be impounded and sent to the Vatican. Since I'm a good 800 miles closer to it than you are, send it to me and I'll make sure it gets the attention it deserves. But be forewarned that sometimes artifacts like that take quite a long time to examine properly. You may not see it again for years :-)

Nice outcome on the Wapi! As I read your description I could just see it flying out and skittering across the sidewalk in my head. Lucky guy! Though I guess that does illustrate the level of abuse that they were designed to take being of military issue. And that also proves that having a decent hone and some basic level of knowledge about honing can sure save the day - and a blade.

Originally Posted by JMS

I have an Escher like stone that shows the distinct outline of the virgin Mary and the baby Christ when you wet the stone. Does that count as a honing miracle or only a hone miracle.
5 dollars a person to touch the hone and fifty to hone your razors on it.

2 HUNDRED laps on a crox strop? I think the instructions I got from chris recommended no more than half a dozen laps lol.

Still, if you're happy!

Originally Posted by gregs656

2 HUNDRED laps on a crox strop? I think the instructions I got from chris recommended no more than half a dozen laps lol.

Still, if you're happy!

Chances are, after 200 laps on a CrO strop, the bevel is convex. A proper bevel setting will be needed during the next honing session.

That many passes on crox will absolutely round that bevel side - but as Sparq says, it won't be a problem until you go to hone it again. Normally 5 or 6 passes on a 220 grit stone will flatten it again. If I recall, the standard procedure is NO MORE than 16 or so laps on crox. Less is better.

Originally Posted by gregs656

2 HUNDRED laps on a crox strop? !

very good point