Thread: What do you think of this honing process?

Originally Posted by medicevans

Just because it isn't water stones doesn't mean your face is less shaved.

It does mean the bevel will be convexed & require resetting when using stones. Not impossible just inconvenient.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

It does mean the bevel will be convexed & require resetting when using stones. Not impossible just inconvenient.

True as well.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

It does mean the bevel will be convexed & require resetting when using stones. Not impossible just inconvenient.

Thanks for the info. That should be useful as I learn to hone my own razors.

Originally Posted by conroygc

Thanks for the info. That should be useful as I learn to hone my own razors.

I did mention it before at post #28.
It depends on the degree of convexing but a light touch up on a barber hone or finisher may have no effect on this blade when it starts to pull making maintenance more difficult for a learner.

OK I missed something on this thread...

What was the honing process????? last I read and re-read we have an unknown buffing wheel of unknown speed and grit and three plain leather strops of unknown origin...

So what happened between this an an 9/10 rating on an edge????

Originally Posted by gssixgun

OK I missed something on this thread...

What was the honing process????? last I read and re-read we have an unknown buffing wheel of unknown speed and grit and three plain leather strops of unknown origin...

So what happened between this an an 9/10 rating on an edge????

Glen,

Unfortunately since I don't run the shop and own the equipment, I don't know every exact detail of his honing process and equipment. The shop is Lorenz cutlery in Salt Lake City. The buffing wheel is at least partially Aluminum Oxide. I do not know the speed or the grit. He takes the straight razor to the buffer for a very short time, then moves on to the strop.

The first strop is a very large vintage two sided strop. One side is leather, and unfortunately I don't remember if the other side was leather as well, or some type of linen/cloth. He does 100 passes on one side, then 100 on the other.

The last two strops are paddle strops, again very old. 100 passes on one, then 100 passes on a very small, very smooth paddle strop.

I'm sorry I don't have more detailed information, I know this is very interesting to the honemiesters. I was more interested in seeing if he could produce a quality razor than what his exact process was, but the whole thing is kind of moot to me now since I purchased my own hones and will be learning the traditional wetstone method recommended here at SRP.

P.S. Glen- Thank you for your videos on honing. I've been watching them over and over as I get ready to give it a go.

Great, another "*Ancient Chinese Secret" hone system... that is rated as a 9/10 by (no offense intended) a relative newb...

What I would really love is an update in 2 years to see if after you get proficient at honing if you still rate the honing as a 9/10 but perhaps you will learn that even quicker with some help from Chay2k...

Reminder: Denver July 15th or 22nd not sure which one yet 3rd annual Mile High Meet





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1970's Calgon Commercial "Ancient Chinese Secret" - YouTube

I don't think there is really that much of a secret here. Just about anyone could take a razor that is fairly sharp to begin with and get it shave ready by stropping the hell out of it. Especially if there is some sort of abrasive on one of the strops. The real test would be to take a completely dull razor to him to get sharpened.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Great, another "*Ancient Chinese Secret" hone system... that is rated as a 9/10 by (no offense intended) a relative newb...

What I would really love is an update in 2 years to see if after you get proficient at honing if you still rate the honing as a 9/10 but perhaps you will learn that even quicker with some help from Chay2k...

Glen,

You're more than welcome to call him and get the details yourself, if you're still curious. Their website is here: Lorenz Knives, Custom Knives, and expert Sharpening and the phone number is 801-363-2821.

Also, I don't mean to sound defensive, but I didn't rate his honing 9/10 (it's evident I don't know anything about honing), I rated the shave the razor gave a 9/10. However, it's probably the same thing and I'm probably just nitpicking the details.

Any new system interests me of course, as I hone quite a few razors..

I also have a plethora of buffers and with a multitude of different grits, a "shave den" stocked with every paste under the sun and most every stropping surface out there..

I just finished buffing and polishing 3 razors this morning, and the edges are sharper then most any knife out there, (trust me my fingers have suffered many times) yet the thought of trying to get a smooth comfortable edge out of them by stropping them in on any strop(s), makes my face tingle...
I keep thinking that any razor coming off the buffers I always kill that sharp edge on the corner of my 1k Chosera before I even set the bevel to take off those minute slivers of metal first.. Then I do it again to make sure the edge is even and smooth before proceeding to the higher grit stones...

Buffing a razor creates a very sharp, very uneven edge, and many times a very fagile one... as Oz already pointed out above, and I am just expounding on... Those of us that use buffers are quite familiar with what needs to be done after them, to attain a shave ready edge and it is a bit more than stropping (even a ton of stropping)... Please don't think I only mean from the lower grits, many razors only require polishing on the buffers...

So yes, I do question the process and the claims, and at that, I will stop as it looks like I am picking on you and I don't mean to, I just am trying to understand...