Rolls

Howdy folks

I have a question.

Has anyone here honed a rolls razor blade? If so would you care to give some advice/insight?

Geek

Glad you asked. Finally mastered a Rolls yesterday, after maybe 6 months of off-and-on attempts. I started off trying to use the supllied hone and strop. I think most who have tried, and who are familiar with what a sharp straight should feel like, have concluded this does not work well. I next tried hones I had, Nortons and naturals (coticules, Thuris, J-nats). Better, especially after stropping on the Rolls hone with some Crox added, but not up to a straight shave. I felt maybe the blade was not up to straight steel quality, and put it away.

So yesterday I went to my standard Nani progression, which has worked well on most everything since my purchade of the 1-2-5-8-12 some months ago, followed by 10 strokes on a TI paddle leather strop, then another 10 on linen and twenty on horse. This gave me a shave equal to my best straights.

I do not use a wood skewer (chopstick), and I take off the blade guard because it interferes with using the optimal shaving blade angle, IMO. You have to be careful with the guard off while stropping/honing. Easy to slice your fingers, easy to drop the blade and ding it. Love the Rolls aesthetic, wish the system worked as a whole. I'm hoping I can at least maintain the blade now with the Crox-charged strop.

I honed my first Rolls a week ago, so take this FWIW . . . These instructions only work if you have some experience with honing straight razors.

Essential principle:

. . . . Treat it as though it's a short piece of a straight razor.

If the edge looks OK under 10X,

. . . start with CrOxide paste, then strop it, and test it;

. . . . . If that doesn't work, try a finishing hone (barber hone or 12-16K), CrOxide, strop, test;

. . . . . . . If that doesn't work, try an 8K, finishing hone, CrOxide, strop, test;

As I remember, the one I worked on took a dozen laps on the 8K. I worked with the guard attached -- 5 strokes on one side of the bevel, 5 strokes on the other. There's a slight danger of leaving a wire edge, I suppose, but "flipping" the tiny blade for every stroke (and reversing the guard) is really clumsy.

Charles

Thanks for the advice guys, i only have nortons so will need to work with them, but i have an idea to run with now.

Geek

Thanks for asking this question. I just purchased a Rolls myself and was wondering how to sharpen it. Now I know and knowing is half the battle.

Howdy gents.

I have another, the strop in the rolls razor. What's best to use for conditioning? I'm sure I read somewhere not to use neatsfoot.

Geek