Thread: Logarithms for honing, or, How many passes?

The pyramid method is indeed only a starting point. It is a structured approach that will help you get to where you want to be.
I have to agree with all of you. It takes what it takes and the variables are many but you can get that razor honed to you own standards. I wish there were a formula that would work. But there is none so we have to develop an actual skill.

OK, as an adition to this post, we have to establish the sharpness and edge holding. Everyone is talking number of weeks (months) their razors last between honings, forgeting to mention their shaving routine, rotation, beard type... So, the better benchmark is not the time razor keeps the edge, but the number of shaves. That way, regardless if the razor is in the rotation or no, we can determine the edge holding capability. So, the questions (actually 3 of them) are:

1. How many shaves you get from your razor between honings?
2. What stropping routine you use?
3. What is your beard type, color, growth (goatee, moustashe, clean shaven)?

And the aditional info is on how do you hone your dull (from shaving) razor?


hope this helps,
Nenad

vladish- Great post, I don't think I've ever read that. All have to start searching the files yet again for these little tidbits that are so fun to read.

I'm at the point now where I take all my razors to an overhoned edge and then backhone. This seems to put all the razors (with some minor variances in steel softness etc) to the same exact point. I sort of assumed every one else did the same. Then a few passes on the carborundum, a few on the Swaty, and then lots, like 40-60 on .5 pasted balsa strop. Then just .5 reps until shaving perfection. So thats the only process I know, which I think is attacking the problem a little backwards. But works really easy.

I'm still very unclear on how you guys use just hones to put it into an exact shaving edge without honing, shaving, honing, shaving, honing, shaving..etc. but I would like to learn.

The closest I've come is to run the razor over my arm hair, but the blades seem to mow down my arm air no matter what I do to them. I end up with a really wide variance by honing; really sharp razors that don't shave anywhere near as nice as a razor stropped on balsa wood with paste.

This, pseudo-epiphany may be my problem. I always assumed once the bevel was set there was a "general" understanding of what it would take from there and that you could test on a thumbnail and on the flesh itself later as you moved up with a pretty common number of strokes on a Norton.

Here's how I do the armhair test: Hover the razor at the very tips of the hairs. Othervise it will cut them all, like you said, sharper or duller, no matter. When razor catches the hair, you will learn to tell if the razor is sharp enough by pulling sensation on the hairs: If it is a little painfull, it is not yet sharp enough. It should slice them without pulling... You can set the benchmark with DE blade, wich cuts arm hair wit ease...

Nenad