Thread: Honing Advice Needed

Hello, my friends.

I've been doing a lot of reading online, but can't seem to find the answers to these questions. I apologize for the noob questions and also if this info has been covered in previous discussions. If you know of threads containing this info, please feel free to simply share them here. I have Naniwa 1k, 5k, 8k, and 12k Super Stones, as well as .5 Chromium Oxide paste on one side of my fabric strop. I'm looking to learn how to restore razors as well as maintain the edges on the shavers in my rotation.

1) If I never damage my blade, can I maintain my edge and bevel with the 12k and .5 Chromium Oxide paste indefinitely, or will there come a time that I will need to reset the bevel and hone it from the ground up?

2) If I use a 12k to maintain my edge, when will I ever need to go to a lower grit? How will I know? Is it just when I can’t get a good shave off of the 12k? If so, how much should I hone on a stone before deciding that a lower grit is needed?

3) I've read that you should be able to pass the shave test off of a stone before moving on to a higher grit for polishing. Do you shave test after every stone and then proceed to polish with higher grits if it passes?

4) Since I own hones, is there any point in trying to maintain an edge with the paste, or will I just be using that to polish?

Thanks in advance to any who can assist me here!

1. Yes, maybe.

2. When the comfort level degrades and stropping leather or paste will not bring it back to shave ready.

3. First find out what is going on with the edge, magnification. Look at the edge under a good magnifying glass to see if the edge is damaged and to what extent. The level of damage will indicate your course of action.

Chrome Oxide is or should be around 50k grit level. None of your stone are anywhere near that. Yes, strop on Chrome Ox after the 12 K to further polish/ refine the edge and make it more comfortable to shave with.

Theoretically… one could indefinitely maintain a razor with just paste…but and especially if you are new to Straight Razor Shaving, you will probably damage a shave ready edge by stropping, before you acquire the stropping skills to maintain and improve it.

Learning to properly strop is critical to maintaining an edge and the cause of most dull razors.

Thanks for the info!

So based on what I have learned so far...

When my razor starts to pull, try the CrOx. If it still pulls after that, hit the 12k and then the CrOx. Keep going on like this, incorporating lower grits when needed, until shave test is passed. Also, it's important that the blade pass sharpness tests before moving on to higher grits for polishing.

Am I on the right track here?

I have seen posts advocating shave tests before finishing and polishing, stressing the importance of getting the edge sharp on one stone before going to a higher grit. I have also heard that you can polish and then shave test. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Originally Posted by Man

Thanks for the info!

So based on what I have learned so far...

When my razor starts to pull, try the CrOx. If it still pulls after that, hit the 12k and then the CrOx.

Hi Man, Welcome to the forum. When the shaves are getting a little uncomfortable try 20 laps on 12k then 10 laps on the CrOx and finish with 50 linen/100 leather that will keep your razor going for a year, at that point the bevel will get rounded and will need bevel reset full honing.

Mark

Man,

My rotation blades are given a touch up on 0.5 micron CrOx on a hard leather paddle after ca. seven (7) shaves; after ca. thirty (30) shaves they are given a touch up on a 12k Naniwa SuperStone.

The above regime has kept them in fine fettle - most of my blades have not been 'fully reset' (reset bevel, fully re-hone) for a couple of years now.

If the 12k doesn't give the results you like, IIRC, it has been recommended to drop down to ca. 8k, then the 12k and test.

Good luck !

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Thanks for all the great info guys, it's been really helpful. I hit the 12k and the the CrOx and my shave was a lot better this morning.