Thread: Kamisori panic

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

How did it shave?

It shaved nicely. It was another maker's kamisori, though, so I don't know about the one owned by the OP. Assuming that the OP has honed razors before, I'd think he could manage with the hones he has and the videos. If he's worried about it, though, he should send it out.

Without experience be gentle and conservative
and things should work out.

I was thinking along those lines, im going to start with 12k, see if it has any effect at all, that should give me a better idea if the bevel is set, if not down to the 8 k for a bit and back up to the 12. If that doesnt work, ill be back asking for european honers contact numbers lol !!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Hoddy

Without experience be gentle and conservative
and things should work out.

I was thinking along those lines, im going to start with 12k, see if it has any effect at all, that should give me a better idea if the bevel is set, if not down to the 8 k for a bit and back up to the 12. If that doesnt work, ill be back asking for european honers contact numbers lol !!!!!!!

I posted a link to a honer in Europe in my previous reply check him out.

Wow...don't overthink this. You're attempting to get polished steel on both sides of the edge of the kamisori. It's got a built in bevel for you to do it, and a hollow on the back side to do it.

I couldn't fathom sending something like this out to be honed if I had a GS 8 and 16k. This razor is going to be made of some simple carbon steel (probably yasuki white #2, and if not probably some sort of vintage swedish stee), and it's made in the tradition of japanese knives and chises. All you have to do is hone it and keep your eye on the edge. Start with the 8k stone.

Shaptons will chew through carbon steel quickly, and even a 2 micron abrasive 8k stone will do the job just fine unless the razor is broken or very poorly forged (and that's exceedingly unlikely on any craft work in japan, except the cheapest tools). Rub it on the stones on both sides until it's polished to the edge. Stop when it is. If the edge is harsh then, rub it on something that makes it less harsh.

All of the alloying elements in western razors that can make honing a bit of a crapshoot with different naturals are not going to exist in 99.9% of kamisoris, this is a straightforward job.

Originally Posted by DaveW

Wow...don't overthink this. You're attempting to get polished steel on both sides of the edge of the kamisori. It's got a built in bevel for you to do it, and a hollow on the back side to do it.

I couldn't fathom sending something like this out to be honed if I had a GS 8 and 16k. This razor is going to be made of some simple carbon steel (probably yasuki white #2, and if not probably some sort of vintage swedish stee),

Iwasaki makes his own steel, he uses some kind of Swedish carbon steel that he modifies to his spec to be as close to tamahagane to properties as possible.

If he is forge purifying swedish steel then it should be extremely easy to abrade, and the shaptons should do the job well (really anything should do the job).

Originally Posted by DaveW

If he is forge purifying swedish steel then it should be extremely easy to abrade, and the shaptons should do the job well (really anything should do the job).

He changes the composition of the steel, in any case it sharpens easy and takes a great edge.

Steel abrasion has never been a problem with any Kamisori, in fact just the opposite it is the control of abrasion that creates a problem... Simply rubbing the razor on a rock because this after all isn't Rocket Science is exactly the wrong way to hone one of these, it takes a change of pressure during the honing to not wreck the razor... Hamhanded honing on these wastes steel way faster then with a western razor and creates problems down the road with your razor...

@DaveW your statement of "Shaptons will chew through carbon steel quickly" is the problem not the solution, burning through the Kamisori steel is too easy which is where people mess up..


to the OP please don't even take my vids or Jims vids to heart, Iwasaki himself has a guide to how to hone his razors Jim and I have just adapted his and other Japanese honing guides and tried to show everyone how they work and what they mean.. Jim's version is probably more "Authentic" mine was done specifically without any Japanese terms to make it as easy as possible for us on this side of the pond..

Yes, the kamisori sharpens easy IF you know what to do. It's not the kind of thing you see on this site where someone says they have been honing their Western razor for 2 hours and can't get a result. Do that to a kamisori and you'll do irreparable damage to it. Pressure is the key and it's not an intuitive thing. You just have to learn how to do it.

Last two post confirmed my thoughts,nthe secret has to be taking the min amount of steel off something made so well. That is obvious