Thread: How sharp do you like it?

Originally Posted by LikesBBS

69 responses and almost 900 views...under 12 hours...what have I done here

I'm impressed! In my case you conjured up some memories, which have become fond ones because I have since learned to hone.

Lots of chatter on this thread. Lets some it up in a few dumb words. Different steels, prefer different finishers, subject to the skill of the person honing and the preference of the shaver.

I personally like a sharp, smooth edge. Lol!

I think I should of just made this a poll.... than you'd all just push the button and I could avoid all the other nitter natter that I already know from having probobly read everything on this site.

But for what it's worth, I enjoyed stirring the pot

All ya had to say was 8k, 12k, 16k and maybe include your paste
You guys are fun

LMFAO!!! that video with the brick...LOL priceless.

And yes, in a sense my fault for not titling this thread better lol, probobly what did all this.
Should of just titled it "which hone do you finish on" or something along those lines.

Why so much discussion on the difference between smoothness and sharpness? They are one and the same. A razor that feels sharp but not smooth has an imperfect edge, period.

We already have some polls about this,
http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...lar-basis.html
and
http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...le-choice.html
The first two that came in mind.

Sharpening is a funny thing. Not just for razors for any blade. It's tell tail signals lay just on the edge of our vision and just on the edge of our sense of touch. Perception of these signs are hard to exchange in words. Maybe the language required is lacking. Sounds like many an art to me. At that scale it's just not as easy as between 3 and 4 inches tall or harder than pine but softer than oak. Science is just so much more concise.

That said -- After the bevel is set I hone away starting with a little slurry and a little pressure, working to no pressure and clean water. All the while I'm feeling for the work to stop requiring less effort. I check for evenness. When the work is even and I feel no more reduction in drag and the steel floats evenly across the top of the hone I move to the next finer hone. When there are no more hones within reach I strop it up on just an old but unadulterated piece of leather and give it a shot. After a stropping I've shaved off my 6k king, I've shaved off my Japanese finishing hone I know nothing about and should probably try to get identified, I've shaved off my 10k Naniwa, I've shaved off my no name barbers hone. If arm hair is all you're after I've shaved off lot courser than that with a chisel or plane blade. What I'm looking for in a hone besides being able to produce a keen edge is how well I can feel that edge come into being. That is maybe even the most important aspect of a hone and of the act of honing.

The bottom line is you're done when it feels right on your face which probably means it also slides pretty effortless across the top of your hone too.

I have had issues where I've been less than impressed with my results, walked away for a few minutes, came back and given it a few super light passes and found a sweet spot to stop at that I can only explain as magic or I was just plain holding the razor to tight with my tired hand to really feel what I was doing. This same explanation could be used to explain a few of my shave too.


As an interesting aside, does anyone else tend to put the stones flat on your hand instead of laying it flat on the table? I've taken to doing this for my last few strokes at least. I feel it improves the feedback I can get from the stone and allows me to hold the razor in a more natural way. I doubt I would use this technique with my kitchen or pocket knives but it seems to work really well to top things off.


Man... I talk toooo much sometimes.

^ truly inspiring. I too like to go back and do a few light laps to find that "sweet spot"

And the idea of holding the hone in your hand sounds very tempting. But my NSS12k has a stupid plastic stand stuck to it. Maybe I'll try with 8k for giggles.


Is it me or o the rocks look better by themselves hmmm?

Everyone else has pitched in their spare change, I might as well too.

I'm qualified! I participated in JaNorton!

Too much of the physical sensation of shaving is happening in your brain for you to really be able to judge what's a really good edge until I've done a lot of shaving.

You, me, everybody -- we all interpret the world around us, and it gets dangerous when we assume those interpretations are objective fact. There is a blind-spot roughly the size of a dime DEAD CENTER in your field of view where the optic nerve connects to the retina. Your brain fills in that gap like the smart fill tool in Photoshop. All of your senses work this way. We do not experience the world as unfiltered data. You get to facts with repeated observation (for values of observation that don't just include looking). Lots and lots of repetition.

This applies to shaving.

One day a shave can feel like wiping butter off your fingernail with a feather and the next, with the same blade, stropped exactly the same way, it can feel like dragging a two-by-four over a cornfield. Some days shaving just isn't as comfortable no matter how good the edge.

But I'm not here to destroy objective reality. Where do you stop with honing?

Stop at the Norton 8k.

REALLY.

Unless you've got an enormous pile of razors (like me), you aren't going to be honing very often. Get better at stropping, because that's going to make a more regular difference in your perception of the edge quality. For a long time there was no practical difference between the edge I produced with a Norton 8k and lots of good stropping and the edge I could produce on a sweetheart CNAT and 'regular' amounts of stropping.

Here's the procedure that I find works best with every endeavor.

Step 1: Build your skill to 'good enough'.
Step 2: Keep doing it that way until 'good enough' isn't, every time you do it.
Step 2: Learn the technique for the next 'good enough'.

Iterate until you take a dirt-nap. Or hell, find a 'good enough' that works for you and just be happy there. Unless you're making edges for other people, that's all that matters!

Originally Posted by LikesBBS

Just wanted to see how sharp of an edge folks around here like to shave with IE off an 8k, 12k, 16k, pastes etc. And anything they notice as they move up in grit. Really hoping some guru's will chime in and show us what they like as a superb edge.

Ummm. Seven hundred and sixty four. No no, wait! 3. No! just a sec! Super Sharp with fries on the side and a café latte.

How sharp? How can you answer that?

Like has been said, sometimes there's a trade off between sharpness and smoothness. I know by Burrell is always sharp but rarely smooth, my little Wade and Butcher Special is always smooth. I guess I COULD get the Burrell smooth, but it LENDS itself better to scary sharp. The W&B doesn't LEND itself to scary sharp, it's strength is in the smoothness. My Swedish framebacks are always sharp. I think you need to find out what the soul of the razor is and exploit it. Bit like a woman really. You can't change them. If you try to, they cut you.

I'm one of those people who laugh at those who go on and on about wine tasting and who says "I don't know anything about wine but I know what I like".

A lot of people would say that just proves I'm not knowledgeable, which is probably true, but I prefer the term plausibly implausible...

My favourite edge is the one i put on my Puma razor from start to finish on my own, by myself. I have sharper razors from members here, but you can't beat the feeling you get from finally cracking one. It has taken a long time for me to get there, but i am on to my tenth shave with said razor and very happy with myself. My other razors are not happy at all, in fact i think i can hear them rattling in disgust right now. But who needs them? I doubt our forefathers would have had more than one or two. Having said that, with the knowledge i have found here,and the help and guidance from fellow members, i am very grateful.