Thread: Can't get my razor 100% shave ready..Help me please

Originally Posted by eleblu05

what type of razor are you honing ? and whats your honing progression?

I hone carbon steel straigth cut razors...start with the 1000 k and then the 4 k and then the 8k (norton waterstone) and finish off with a leather and canvas strop

Lap your hones good, and hone with lots of water on top. put some on and rub it all across the top so the entire surface is wet. Try different style strokes. I was trying X's, circles, straight and found I got best results from a scything motion (like a smile) but that's just me. You should try a style for 10 strokes.... than see how sticky the edge is. depending on how your body moves a different stroke might suite you better IMO. light confident strokes. If you hear a lot of noise off the 8k when honing, flatness (on the hone, or how your holding it) or pressure is your problem. The edge should bite good and hard into your finger when feeling it - and even more after stropping. I shaved a few times off the 8k and it does a good job. If theirs swarf on the 8k go back to the 4k.

If your testing with the TPT, you don't only need to use your thumb pad. I use the tip of my index finger and it gives the same feel. I gently lower my finger to the edge and if it sticks and raises a layer of skin when it touchs, I know it's sharp. Also I find the better your TPT the better the HHT will be.

Been honing for a week now and these are things I have noticed to be key for me.

Good luck!

Oh and make sure your lapping stone is good... I used the norton and after 3 grits it stopped working lol. Now I use a DMT 8c and SHAZAM makes them grids disappear :P

Forgive me for insulting the shaving Gods, but here goes. I have tried to shave off an 8K edge it is like saying you can make a bridge with an erector set. It can be done but who wants to do it? If your beard is tough, dense, or both, you will find sweet pleasure in knowing that you are paying for all your past sins and when you are done and that you are now "one with the universe" and all your Karma debts are paid! It has been years since I have regularly shaved off anything courser than a 30K and most of the stropping pastes that I have are equivalent to about 160K.


Find someone that you can go and see that has at least a 12k stone and some pasted strops so that you can get it straightened out. Nothing like seeing it done it will save you tons of time and frustration. Another angle is to send it out to have it professionally honed so that you will have a standard that you can compare all your future honing adventures to. There are some very experienced users in Denmark so it may be that someone will step in and offer some help.

AND by the way this all IMHO!


Later,
Richard

Forgive me for insulting the shaving Gods,

And here all this time I thought you were one of them...

Could you easily shave arm hair off the 1k stone? If not then the bevel hasn't been correctly set and you'll find it difficult to impossible to get the razor sharp.

well...I have been trying for a long time to get a good comfortable edge with an 8k and have had acceptible edges but never found that it couldn't be improved with a 12k or etcher hone.
Try as I might I am never satisfied with an 8k edge. IMHO.
Stingray