Thread: Blade refreshing

Ok I'm sure I'm not even close to being the first to ask for help...

I tried to refresh my 7/8 extra hollow Schulze this morning

I did 40 circles each side on the 8k then 25 x strokes

Then 40 circles on my Coticule and 25 x strokes

Followed by 60 x strokes on my chinese 12k

To the CrOx strop for 10 laps then cotton for 20 followed by natural horse butt for 60

With the grain the blade felt effortless, truly beautiful.
I relathered with Arko and went for my AG pass. On the cheeks and chin it still felt great, but on the neck and Jaw line it started skipping instead of plowing through like normal.

Where should I go back to?

Thanks for any help!

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First of all, when you say it needed a "refresh" how was the razor shaving beforehand? Was it pulling a bit and shaving a little less comfortably, or was it hardly shaving at all?

Usually when we talk about a refresh we are referring to a touch up, requiring minimal strokes on a finisher or paste to get the edge back to its former glory. You did a lot of strokes to get an edge shaving again....

It was pulling and not shaving comfortably anymore.

Still new to the stones so all hints very welcome

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My tip is to apply marker pen to the edge of the razor prior to applying the razor to the hones. This lets you get an idea of what is going on after doing a few strokes.


Mick

[QUOTE=MickR;885455]My tip is to apply marker pen to the edge of the razor prior to applying the razor to the hones. This lets you get an idea of what is going on after doing a few strokes.

I do that when I reset a bevel on my old sheffields, never thought about it for anything else




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Oh ya forgot to say all strokes done on water only, no slurry

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IMHO , you overdid it , big time . When refreshing an edge on a razor you've been using , you DO NOT use circles . You should use very light "X" strokes . The number of laps/strokes it takes depends on the type of hone , but you don't need to do many . To find out the number laps you need to do , start with 5 , then test shave . If it's not enough , try a couple more . Back when my finish hone was the Norton 8k it took 5 laps to refresh my edge . Currently , when I need to refresh a razor , I do 5 laps on my Shapton 15k , and another 10 on my J-nat . That's all it takes . However , I refresh my razors at the first sign they aren't shaving like they should . I don't wait for them to get worse . If you have a Norton 4k/8k , I think you need to go back to the 4k , give it 20 laps , then give it 5 laps on the 8k , strop , and see how it shaves .

Thanks for the info. I'd say you overhoned the edge with a combination of circles, too many strokes and likely too much pressure. The edge was probably very thin and crumbled before finishing the first shave.

dave5225 gave you some sound advice, but I would add that by the time you get to the 8k you should use little-to-no more pressure than the weight of the blade on the hone. I also wouldn't bother moving up from the 8k until you can get a comfortable shave off that stone; continue doing sets of 5 or so until you get an edge that is comfortable and lasts a full shave or two, then go to a finisher/paste.

thanks for the help guys!

I did 20 x on the 4k
5x on the 8k, didnt like it did 5 more smoother took it to the coti on water for 5 stropped cotton and horse hide and back in business. Guess i was a little over zealous with my first attempt?

dunno why its more intimidating to refresh an edge than it is to take one from bevel to finish. live and learn.

It's more intimidating to refresh an edge, because you are unsure of where it is currently at, or what "exactly" it needs. That comes with practice. I say this with sincerity, that a bevel set to finish is fairly straightforward. You're starting at the bottom and going up, so to speak....which, even though there is plenty of room for error, has a direct path of stones and hones.

With a Norton 4/8, I would recommend that you start at the 8k. Always begin touching up at your highest grit, as it will do the least amount of "damage". 10 strokes on the 8k, strop and test shave...was that it? a bit more? How about a conservative pyramid on the 4/8 (1/5, 3/5, 5/5, 3/5, 1/5, 1/7)....that is even recommended in the Wiki after an aggressive pyramid. "Use this if the razor is tugging slightly"...was that it? a bit more? and on and on.

That would be my advice