Thread: What's Your Touch-Up Sequence

Originally Posted by Utopian

Five strokes on a barber hone and I'm done!

+1. I have one razor that hasn't seen anything but a Swaty for over a year.

When I have a razor that starts to pull a little, I normally will give it 10 light X strokes on either .5 diamond spray on felt or Chromium Oxide. When this quits working, I drop down to 10 light X strokes on a finishing stone followed by the paste or spray. If this doesn't work, then I'll drop down to the 8K or do a quick 1-3, 1-5 pyramid followed by the finishing stone and paste or spray. I have also used either a barber hone or just a finishing stone with success as well.

Have fun,

Lynn

Originally Posted by Lynn

When I have a razor that starts to pull a little, I normally will give it 10 light X strokes on either .5 diamond spray on felt or Chromium Oxide. When this quits working, I drop down to 10 light X strokes on a finishing stone followed by the paste or spray. If this doesn't work, then I'll drop down to the 8K or do a quick 1-3, 1-5 pyramid followed by the finishing stone and paste or spray. I have also used either a barber hone or just a finishing stone with success as well.

Have fun,

Lynn

This is what I often call "sneaking up on it." Do a minimal touch up, strop, and shave. If it did the trick, great. If not, then do something a little more aggressive the next time and then shave test that. It's a great way to get a better sense of the sublety of what you are doing.

So it's looking so far like there are two main camps.

The is the pragmatic "I know what gets me touched up and I use it consistantly" camp (which I fall into).

Then there is the artists "I work my way back" camp, or as Utopian put it, "the sneak up" method.

I suspect there is a lot of personality that leads people into one camp or the other.

If the razor starts to pull or leave a lot of stubble, I use my PHIG with a moderate slurry, and dilute it as I hone. When it's all said and done, I do a few trailing strokes against a damp stone without slurry, then it's straight after my ugly mug with no stropping. This is, of course, when the edge starts to deteriorate, so it only happens ever three months or so. Sometimes, after a few weeks of stropping only, I'll run the razor over some Flexcut Gold for about 10-15 strokes, then another 20 or so on clean leather. If I do my part, the razor runs buttery smooth over my nightmarish grill.

I still haven't figured out what I like best for touching up. When it works, I like doing nothing at all, but sometimes stropping is required and sometimes some honing. Sometimes the razor talks to me though and I just know what it needs by feel. Honemeisters won't generally get to know their own razors this well, since they hone and shave with so many different razors day in and day out. I strive to be a know-ones-own-razormeister

Usually 4 to 10 laps on a barber hone. Sometimes followed by newspaper.

Usually I find 10 - 20 X laps on a balsa bench strop with CrO sorts it out. If not, about 40 laps on a Peoples Hone and just water, then the CrO.

This thread is very helpful! Thank you all! I'm at the point where I need to touch up my razor (for the second time, the first time I couldn't get it and sent it to SRD for a honing). It's great to see all the different options.

Thanks again!

Ken

Originally Posted by Utopian

Five strokes on a barber hone and I'm done!

Same for me, Why go to extra and unnecessary work?