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

I have used both razors 3 times now.
I must say, this combo hone can put out some really nice edges.
Combined with some good old stropping, I find the edges very much shave-ready.

I am taking both back to be honed again though, implementing a few of the techniques presented in this thread this far.

What I'm planning on is to use circles and pyramids (one of the methods per razor)more than what I usually use, after taking the edge off the razors on the side of the hone.

The ones I started out with was already shave ready, so now I'm going all the way with the 4/8.

I will be doing it without slurry for now. That will have to wait for next week

I normally use the Thumb-pad- and arm-hair- test for assessing my progress as I hone, but I will try the numbers game on at least one of them for comparison

This JaNorton thing is a real hoot!
Tons of stuff to try out, and seeing so many approaches works so well for so many is inspiring!

I wasn't feeling particularly full of oomph last night and I didn't have time today, so instead of taking the Elliot back to the Norton I just stropped it really a lot this morning. Whattya know, it shaved great! I still feel like the heel and the toe aren't quite as sharp as the middle, but it's all sharp enough that I'm getting consistently excellent shaves.

I could honestly be happy shaving with just this one razor and the Norton stone to keep it shipshape.

I could, that is, if I did not have a monstrous, galloping case of RAD.

Like many here in the JaNorton ShaveFest I'm four shaves into it, and having re-honed my pair with a 40c-10x-40c-10c type pattern, AND moving from the 4k only after popping hairs I'm done. My goal now will be to shave for the remainder of the month alternating between my two razors (ProbableWade and LeaderDuck), stropping consistently and only going to the stone if I have to. I don't want to clutter the thread with too many shaving reports, so I'll chime in maybe with a weekly update. This has already been an eye-opening experience and we're just getting started! Thanks ALL!

Decided to replace the BB with a different razor, don't want to wear down a custom 8/8 to a 2/8...

So I grabbed the 13/16 Globusmen.
Killed the edge on my scuttle, soaked the Norton for 10 minutes (man the 4k slurps water!)

Made a slurry with the Naniwa stone that came with the Chosera.
Did 40 circles on each side.
5 regular stokes
5 x-strokes
5 regular.
Cleaned off the hone
5 regular
5 x-strokes
5 regular.
At this time it had a bevel that cut hairs all along the edge so I was happy

Pyramid:

10 on 8k
5 on 4k
8 on 8k
4 on 4k
5 on 8k
1 on 4k
5 on 8k

Cleaned of the hone and wiped off water with my index finger and did a very light "20 laps to dry"

50 laps on Illinois #827 linen, 50 on the leather, 50 on Kanayama suede, 50 on the cordovan.
Passed my personal HHT with flying colors all along the edge, I'd say it's ready for a fine shave tomorrow.

Did another 25 laps on the 8k side to try to improve the smoothness of the shave, and it seemed to help. The shaves are comfortable, with minimal irritation, but not as close as I am used to. More to do and report on, but I am having fun.

It went well. Dovo 5/8. I did two passes. Before the first pass, i did about 60 on webbing, 100 on leather. Between passes I did another 30 on leather.

The shave was pretty good. I had noticed on the final strokes of the last shave that it was just minutely scratchy, which led me to up my stropping count for this one. I felt fine with the razors edge throughout the shave.

I'll be back in the city with my hones and strops in a couple days, so I'll start tweaking the other razor when I get home and post some results along with stroke count and style.

3rd Shave

Razor : 7/8" W&B chopper

Method :

Just for the heck of it, I did 5 sweeping X-strokes on the N4k.

I then went to the N8k with just water. Using only the weight of the blade, I did 10 sweeping X-strokes again, then rinsed the hone, and did 10 more sweeping X-strokes.

I then stropped 40x on my homemade denim cloth strop, followed by 40x on my homemade cowhide leather strop.

Shave : I did my usual 2 pass shave (WTG, XTG), following the same prep procedures I always do. The shave was, again, fairly comfortable, and ended up fairly smooth, very similar to shaves #1 & #2. It did feel like it was a bit closer of a shave this time compared to the previous 2 though. In the interest or seeing if I can get another close shave like this one, I will do the same procedure next time.

Just finished my first JaNorton shave. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good, either. It was the W&B Bow Razor that had been shaving wonderfully, but tonight it felt rough and I limited it to two passes, as opposed to my usual three. I will definitely be going back to the Nortons for more pyramids with this one. Tomorrow or Saturday, the Le Canadien gets a run out.

Here's how I honed it: http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...tml#post901150

Ran the Greaves over Mr. Norton's thousands of grits today. It went much better than the Elliot (he says now, before shaving with the Greaves).

I'm starting to feel like I have some perception of the process, and a little bit of control over the outcome. I was able to get an edge on the Greaves with much less fuss. I got a bit better feel for the thumbpad test and was able to feel exactly where the edge was and thus focus on other parts.

The proof, of course, will be in the shaving, which I'll do tomorrow.

I am having a great time!

Originally Posted by Voidmonster

WARNING! This video is an hour and five minutes long.

I didn't have an extra hour and five minutes tonight! :-] But I Jumped through the video stopping in about 10 places. One of the spots was at the point you said, "The best way to learn is through doing." Maybe not your exact words but I couldn't agree more.

Tim