Thread: Shaving off of 8K

I copied this quote from the Shapton USA website ,How To Use Shapton Stones, and the the same applies to any progression AFAIC.

"The most important concept when using the Shapton system is achieving consistency at a given grit level before moving up to the next finer stone. At the 2000 grit level, your tool should be perfectly shaped.


It is ineffective to attempt to reshape your tool at any finer grit level. If you have built a good foundation at the coarse grit level, very little work will be required at the finer grit levels.


Sharpening is an attempt at perfection. The most interesting aspect of sharpening is the reflection of the infinite."


I love the last sentence. I agree that if you have finer polishing stones why not use them for a smoother edge and therefore a smoother and more comfortable shave. I just got in the habit of testing at the 8k level to make sure I had done a good job up to that point .... but I'm repeating myself.

Originally Posted by v76

I have all the time in the world when it comes to shaving... not a variable. I wanna keep my precious jugular intact. :P

But I agree with you, it's probably user error.

I'd like some more feedback on this, though... so I can correct my honing.
What do you think I should try to make a shave off of a D8EE comfortable?

I don't use the D8EE (never have), but I've used the Shapton 8K and Norton 8K. What I've done successfully on them is 20-30 really slow extremely light strokes after I'm done with my normal progression through the 8K. It's just about feel, and I don't know how to verbalize that very well.

Originally Posted by v76

...
I'd like some more feedback on this, though... so I can correct my honing.
What do you think I should try to make a shave off of a D8EE comfortable?

I don't see it as correcting; more like refining.
After the D8EE (or any hone) is prepped, i.e. broken-in, lapped, etc...:

Just use the lightest possible pressure (on the finishing strokes) with a very even stroke. The longer you do it, the more both will improve; up to a point.

Most people will hit "honing plateaus" as they go along. Example: One will probably hit many small plateaus when first starting (in the first week or 3) and then they might be months apart. At some point, the plateaus will come years apart, or not at all. At which time we have reached our maximum.

I think that the longer we use a particular hone, the more we get out of it. Up to a point...

I've shaved off a King 4K, because that's the same as a Norton 8K. 4K JIS - 3 micron. 8K mesh - 3 micron. Both synthetic waterstones.

I get my knives to shave arm hair with a single cut bastard file or 36 grit silicon carbide, then take them all the way through to my finest finishers, which are now 10K Naniwa Super or translucent Arkansas followed by a kiita. Used to do 8K King followed by chromium oxide strop.

i shaved of n8k and the shaves are as good as it gets

Originally Posted by gary haywood

i shaved of n8k and the shaves are as good as it gets

Dang! I am doing something wrong. Mine don't seem sharp at 8K. Guess it is technique.

Way way back !!!!

Here is something funny to look at ...

If you look at just this forum, not even advanced Honing, and hit the page finder that says "Last", you will go back it time to 2005 when .com forum started... The posts, talk mainly about two stones, either a Coti or the N4/8 there are soooooooo many tricks to getting the most out of both it will scare you...

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...ur-norton.html


That is just one of 1000's

Have fun back there...

Thanks, gentlemen, for your insight and sharing your experience. It's a great help to those of us still struggling with trying to put the best possible edge on our straightrazors. It's kinda funny, but I found that learning to shave with a straight razor was a whole lot easier than trying to learn how to sharpen them.

Originally Posted by bjanzen

Dang! I am doing something wrong. Mine don't seem sharp at 8K. Guess it is technique.

just practice

As heavydutysg135 says in his honing video series here most razors that guys are having difficulty getting sharp do not have the bevel set adequately. IMO if a guy has the chops down to properly set the bevel he will have the skill to sharpen the razor as he moves up in grit. So the foundation seems to be the key as it is in a lot of other things.