Thread: The Famous/Infamous Norton 4/8 "JaNorton 2012"

Yeah, the Shaptons are very efficient.

The last few days have been hectic.

I did get in a second shave with the Wm. Allen and it performed well. I'm going to be refining the edge a bit now that I'm home.

Didn't get in a shave yesterday. Instead, I drove from San Francisco to Oceanside with a sick wife. We got in late last night and crashed pretty hard.

Today I think it's all catching up and her cold has its little viral claws in me. I'm still looking forward to shaving today. I just need to get past the head-swimming this bug is doing.

To anyone concerned that just using the razor on the Norton doesn't count as resetting the edge, gather round! I've got a story!

In the beginning there was a little William Elliot razor. He worked hard to get an edge good enough to shave with. He shaved and shaved a few more times and goodness, he did take off the whiskers. But his heel and his toe just weren't quite as sharp as his middle.

So back to the Norton he went, just a little bit of evening out on the 8k side, he thought. That toe and heel couldn't grab arm hairs, so they clearly needed 10-15 passes.

What happened? His edge ran away from home and didn't even send a letter! Not only couldn't he catch arm hair, using pressure near the roots just pushed the hair over backwards against the grain.

The moral to this story is twofold. 1) just honing on the 8k side really does reset your edge if your technique is poor enough. 2) Don't hone when you're sick.

I got an edge on it again, but the heel and the toe still lack and it wasn't as good an edge as the previous one.

Originally Posted by Voidmonster

The moral to this story is twofold. 1) just honing on the 8k side really does reset your edge if your technique is poor enough. 2) Don't hone when you're sick.

I got an edge on it again, but the heel and the toe still lack and it wasn't as good an edge as the previous one.

Well brother this is what this thread is about, we are sharing our failures also Sounds like a bit more work on the 4k and maybe giving the trouble spots a little extra attention (push) to bring them inline... Then go back to the 8k

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Well brother this is what this thread is about, we are sharing our failures also Sounds like a bit more work on the 4k and maybe giving the trouble spots a little extra attention (push) to bring them inline... Then go back to the 8k

I figure I'll do that and the Greaves later this evening, if I'm feeling up to it. I think now I'm going to wrestle with YouTube and try to get the video I shot posted. I'm working on the theory that it's just as useful to carefully document mistakes as successes.

It is most important to document mistakes, you're absolutely correct. How many times have I tried to learn something by watching other's successes, only to wish I could watch a failure. Watching a mistake happen allows you to self correct and add reinforcement too, that in our technological age of loneliness ...... that you're not alone.

My JaNorton Misadventures

It was pretty painful to take two of my best-shaving razors, both of which I had honed with great success using the Norton 1k to set the bevel, then following the pyramid method fairly religiously to get them to shaving readiness, then finishing them on the 8k.

But...here we go...

In preparation for the honing, I very gently ran the edge of my blades over a drinking glass, then took them to the stones. I had lapped my 4k/8k in the sink with my DMT 325 (the big 4"x10" monster).

I started with the TI Le Canadien, deciding to roughly follow Maxi's successful steps as described in his post here.

So it was:

4k) Medium slurry with my nagura. 20 circles, moderate pressure. Repeat. Followed with 10 X's, moderate pressure. Rinse stone and razor. TNT pass. Then 20 circles, no pressure. Repeat. Followed by 10 X's no pressure. Rinsed stone and razor. Finished with 10 X's, smooth, even strokes. At this point, it wasn't doing a good job on arm hair, so I took it back on the clean 4k for a further 10 X-strokes, at which point it seemed to be popping arm hair fairly well, so I moved it up.

8k) 10 X's, no pressure. Rinsed stone and razor. New water on stone. Remove water with finger. Damp stone: 10 X's, ultra light, very slow stroke (3-4 seconds down, 3-4 seconds back).


For the W&B Bow Razor, I followed pretty much the same steps for bevel setting on the 4k, but after the 40 circles and about 20 X-strokes, I moved to a pyramid.
This is 4k/8k: 20/5, 15/5, 10/5, 7/5, 5/5, 3/5, 3/7, 1/7,1/10. Now the blade was ploughing through arm hair with ease, so I proceeded to clean the stone and razor, then, holding the stone in the palm of my hand, I went for 10 slow X-strokes with very little water.

That's it for the stones, now I'll strop them each for 100/100 on my SRD Premium IV, then maybe a further 50 on the 'roo strop I got from episaacs. Tomorrow will be a shave-test with the W&B, then maybe the next day the Le Canadien.

Fun stuff!

Thanks to all the experienced honers for sharing their methods, as it's a great guide for the noobs like me. If I can't get these dialled in like this, I'll go back to trying the bevel set on the 4k again, then run them through some more pyramids, as I know those work for me.

This morning I tried my latest version of the edge on the Bengall. Pretty good. If I knew this was the best shave that I could get from a straight I wouldn't be disappointed. BUT... like a lot of people here I know it can be better and will continue this quest.

The best razor related fun I had today came during archery leagues. We shoot two lines so you rest and BS while others are shooting. I was telling them about JaNorton. I was wearing a Tshirt and showed them my forearms commenting about how they were looking pretty bare from testing the edge. One of the women commented that I should try using my legs. I then lifted my shirt and showed them my beer belly. Last night honing in my living room shirtless I took the Bengall and and took a swipe on my beer belly. I have about a 1.5 inch bare spot about 10 o'clock from my belly button! The looks I got were priceless! LOL

I have to come up with a better test or people will start thinking I have mange!

Tim

Even though I didn't officially enter this experiment I have taken part in it. My wife got me a few flea market razors from Florida and gave me them for Christmas,an Everkeen,and a Carbo-Magnetic,both were in pretty good shape,but dull as butter knives. I took off any edge that they had with a glass and started,using Glens method for the Carbo and Lynn's circle method for the Everkeen. In keeping with the spirit of this test,I didn't count the number of circles or the "japanese strokes", I just kept on the 4000 until it passed the TPT, and took some arm hair,then both went to the 8000,the same treatment as on the videos (I had the laptop on the table with me) slurry to clean water with both,and very light strokes as I got to the hair-popping edge. Then they went to the strops,and those I counter out of habit, 75 on linen and 100on the leather.
I just finished my first shave with the Everkeen and was pleasantly surprised,the shave was smooth and very pleasant,I used Ma's vanilla soap
and must say that when all is said and done,all you really need IS the Norton 4/8k and a good technique. So that's the tale of the first shave and I will post pictures when I figure out why this computer isnt reading the memory stick.
Keep on honing
Griz

Ok, I'm in. Complete honing-noob here. Just pulled the trigger on a DMT D8C (325), Norton 1k, Norton 4/8k, and two stone holders from Sharpening Supplies .com.
I've got 4 straights, two Soligens, two Sheffields, and have been straight shaving for three years without a hone or real strop, cottage style!
I'll be reading this thread in it's entirety in the near future hopping to hone my skills.

I went with the Nortons over the Naniwas because of some reported swelling issues with the later.
I figure this was the way to begin. I'm looking forward to the journey...
Hex