First bevel on a razor I actually own.

I've been learning to hone on razors I "rent" from a vendor. I don't know what he is going to send me. It's been a mixed bag so far, near wedges, full hollow, a chip in the blade, 5/8 and 3/8 but they all have something in common...They are nowhere close to shave ready. It's been sort of fun but I feel like I was thrown into the deep end of the pool :p

So after sending a few hours using and cursing at my Naniwa 1k, I'm starting to get a vague, hazy, muddy idea of what it can do. Enough to try to get a chip out of my Boker Edelweiss, I banged the toe on the sink. I didn't care what happened to the razors I "rented" so that gave me the freedom to just grind away without a care in the world. Now it was different, I was working on my own razor...time to get serious! ;)

The Edelweiss was the first razor I ever set the bevel on that was shave ready but I had to get the chip out. I was afraid I was going to overwork the bevel making it too weak. I did 4 sets of Lynn's circles and x-strokes until the chip was gone and it was popping arm hair. I then did 20 laps each on Naniwa SS 3k, 5k, 8k, 10k and 12k. The bevel was really bright and shiny. Then 10 laps Chromium Oxide, 50 linen and 100 on Horsehide. It was passing the HHT up and down the blade except on the very end of the toe.

I shaved with it this morning and it gave me a real close shave. It was smooth, was it the smoothest of the smoothest? No but I like it and it was better than the Swaty I was using for touch ups. So I'm going to cont to rent razors because I need the practice and it's sort of fun. Each old dull razor I get is like a puzzle and I guess that's where the fun is at.