Thread: Honing Experiment/Those Before Us

I was planning on only about 20 laps with the Co. Too much?? The strop isn't heavily pasted.

Originally Posted by cudarunner

I was planning on only about 20 laps with the Co. Too much?? The strop isn't heavily pasted.

I'm no expert but I would do 5 or 10 light laps and try it. You can always do more if you feel you need to. I use a paddle for crom ox, a pasted hanging strop might deliver the goods faster. Not sure but I think so.

Well after being so careful about keeping the variables the same, my last Post didn't properly explain the final step.

The final step will be on an 12k with the same honing technique as was done before on the lower stones. Then tested and then stropped on the Co pasted strop to compare! I apologize!

Jimmy! Thanks for the advice!

Another interesting mini-experiment you may want to throw in - after you shave off each hone going up, try the same thing going back down. I bet the differences you feel will be far more pronounced. I find that after moving to a better finish, going backwards can be very uncomfortable.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

Another interesting mini-experiment you may want to throw in - after you shave off each hone going up, try the same thing going back down. I bet the differences you feel will be far more pronounced. I find that after moving to a better finish, going backwards can be very uncomfortable.

Hi Dylan! Thanks for the Input!!!!

If I read you correctly, you're suggesting that say, I hone on the 8k/try a shave/then go back to the 4k and repeat the honing procedure and then re-test the shave? You then suggest that the 'Feeling of the Shave' would be 'More Pronounced?'

I would figure that it would be a given!

Please let me know if I'm misinterpreting what you said! I'm always trying to learn something!

Thanks in Advance!!
Roy

Not necessarily with the same razor, no. But at some point, after you finish your current line of shaving off each hone, go back and shave off the 4k. I think you'll find it's not nearly as nice/tolerable/whatever the second time around. The first time through, it's something like ignorance is bliss. But once you know what a great shave really is, anything less is not nice at all.

But yes, I do think you'll feel a bigger difference if you shave off the 8k and then the 4k as opposed to the 4k and then the 8k.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

Not necessarily with the same razor, no. But at some point, after you finish your current line of shaving off each hone, go back and shave off the 4k. I think you'll find it's not nearly as nice/tolerable/whatever the second time around. The first time through, it's something like ignorance is bliss. But once you know what a great shave really is, anything less is not nice at all.

But yes, I do think you'll feel a bigger difference if you shave off the 8k and then the 4k as opposed to the 4k and then the 8k.

Thanks Dylan! Now that makes some sense to me! However with that said. If one never had anything more refined than the 4k would they ever know a difference?

This was kind of what this post started about. What kind of hones did those before use use, and what was the quality of their shaves?

Originally Posted by cudarunner

What kind of hones did those before use use, and what was the quality of their shaves?

Before any men used razor to shave with Mother earth had Natural stones available. Finest hones out there available as of today is Natural stones.

I do think that with only a 4k, ignorance is bliss. And I'm sure you'd learn to get the best out of that 4k, too. As for what people used - who knows. There are, however, amazing vintage natural hones floating around and people's professions used to revolve around the creation, use, and sharpening of straight razors, so I'd have to assume they were pretty darn good at what they did. Not to mention the competition - sink or swim. Shave or be shorn?

I have read and posted in a few threads about the quality of vintage edges and how good were their shaves etc etc. Each time, there are posts on both sides, but I always fall on the same side. I think back in the day, they were as good or better than we are and their edges were as good or better. But, just as today there are likely those who don't hone well or hone with equipment not really suitable for the task, I'm sure there was plenty of that through the years. I'd think less were worse off, though.