Thread: I empathize with Holli4pirating !

I told you Reynolds are the devil to hone. Most Sheffield blades take a long time just cause they are heavy grinds, but they actually tend to have "soft" steel - I mean soft compared to German, Swedish and American razors (I haven't done enough French to say about them). But most Reynolds that I have done are extremely hard. That hardness, coupled with the heavy grinds, makes them take FOREVER.

I've used a Norton 220, and that really helps. The only thing I don't like about it is that the Norton 220 is relatively soft, so it breaks down and releases grits. When this happens with a heavy grind, you get scratches just above the bevel and just under the hone wear on the spine. If the grit that breaks free is large enough, it can cause scratches that run maybe 1/8 of an inch up from the bevel. (The same thing can happen on a Norton 1k, btw, but I think you have to use a fair amount of pressure for it to happen).

Since I do use pressure when setting bevels on razors that need a lot of work, I'm thinking of ponying up and buying one or two Choseras. Specifically, I'm thinking the 600 to do the grunt work and then move up to my Norton 1k, but I may also get the Chosera 1k as well. We'll see what the funding situation looks like...

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I told you Reynolds are the devil to hone. Most Sheffield blades take a long time just cause they are heavy grinds, but they actually tend to have "soft" steel - I mean soft compared to German, Swedish and American razors (I haven't done enough French to say about them). But most Reynolds that I have done are extremely hard. That hardness, coupled with the heavy grinds, makes them take FOREVER.

I've used a Norton 220, and that really helps. The only thing I don't like about it is that the Norton 220 is relatively soft, so it breaks down and releases grits. When this happens with a heavy grind, you get scratches just above the bevel and just under the hone wear on the spine. If the grit that breaks free is large enough, it can cause scratches that run maybe 1/8 of an inch up from the bevel. (The same thing can happen on a Norton 1k, btw, but I think you have to use a fair amount of pressure for it to happen).

Since I do use pressure when setting bevels on razors that need a lot of work, I'm thinking of ponying up and buying one or two Choseras. Specifically, I'm thinking the 600 to do the grunt work and then move up to my Norton 1k, but I may also get the Chosera 1k as well. We'll see what the funding situation looks like...

I'm leaning towards a naniwa 220, or a 220 and 400... Probably the 200 because an 800 grit jump really isn't that bad (Hell, I go from the 1k to a 5k)

I have the Naniwa Superstone 400. It does cut pretty quick, but it also breaks down extremely quickly. You'll notice a dish after one razor - I mean, if you have a razor that needs to see a hone that low you have a lot of work to do so you'll be there a while. That's why I prefer the Choseras for that low - they are harder so they won't dish as much and they are not gritty like the Nortons.

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