Thread: Touching up and finishing

Hey guys..
Ok here it comes.. I learning that from the Hones I have that I should drop 2 and hone to touch up a razor.. ,meaning I have a 12 k nainwa and a 4/8 norton.. So when touching up I should drop down to the 8 k do 10 strokes then back up to the nainwa 12k for 10 strokes then strop.. That would be a touchups.. Now I usually hone on a king 1 k for bevel then 4/8 norton.. How would I finish on a 12k .. Would I just do 10 laps on the nainwa after I finish the pyramid then diamond spray then 10 scrub 75 plain..

No sure where that advice came from,,,,,,
Touch up by revisiting your finishing stone, with a few light, 5-10 strokes, then your stropping routine.
When touching up, I have never had to drop below my finisher.

I would do more laps. Like 20 circles, 20 laps, 20 x strokes. If theres alot of slurry on the 8k, I would hit the 4k. If not 5 circles, 5 laps and 5 x strokes on the 12k and you should be good.

I'm with Hirlau on this one. Less is more, so try a few light strokes + stropping and see how it stands. If you have to go down to the 8k, then do so, but check first whether it's necessary.

Bill - by 'slurry' do you mean swarf? I.e. metal that has been removed and deposited on the hone?

EDIT: my advice above is strictly for 'touching up' as indicated by the OP. IMHO if one has to go much beyond a finisher, one is also going beyond 'touching up'.

Ok that would b a touch up correct.. When I finished most of these razors i only had a 4/8 k norton then a bought the 12 k most of the razors i own were finished on the 8 k .. So,now that I have the 12k how could I go back and finish what I finished on the 8 k with the 12 k.
.. I guess basically what I'm asking is what's the difference in the process between touching up and finishing.. The touch up i get ..5-10 laps on my finish stone strop and shave when razor starts pulling. Where would I incorporate the nainwa 12 k into the pyramid because the pyramid i learned on here you finished on the 8 k

Only my two cents here.

As you do not need to take them back to the hones I personally would hit them on the 8k razor only pressure for 5 laps. (as gssixgun put it butterfly kisses)

This would be more to set up/refresh the scratch pattern to remove on 12k.

and it could be anywhere from 10-25 laps on the 12k, each steel will act unique and will have its own sweet spot.

I tried the pyramid for a short while, I don't like to use it, just as some steel needs more time on a hone it added a lot of variables into the formula.

It very quickly taught me when a razor was ready for the next step, and how the different grinds and steels can feel.

I now opt for a linear progression.

I'm still learning and have had success with the pyramids... My problem is still not knowing when it's time to move up the hones.. I understand how to set the bevel and have had success.. But once i hit the 4 k I'm lost .. I have no idea what the tpt should feel like .. So Im lost when to move up.. I read on another forum that if when I get to the 8 k and its leaving visible metal on the 8 k the work wasn't done on the 4 k..how do u know when to move up?? Magpie taught me when the water starts actually running over the blade and not pushing it its time to move up??

Some little refreshes are nothing more than a few passes on crox or diamond spray before stroping and your good to go. Other times you have to hit some form of stone. There are many ways to do this but I think pyramid approaches work well even at this type of stage. When honing I used to do the 4/8 pyramid then do 8-10 polishing strokes on the 16K (in your case 12K- they are basically the same- maybe not on the microscope but in terms of how they feel on your face). Now I proceed from a 4/8 pyramid and then do a 8/16 pyramid. This principle works for times when you have to do a refresh but not really a honing- so to speak. So you might try a 5/5,3/3,1/3,1/5 pyramid with 8/12 before you hit the diamond spray, Zulu, CF, Escher, Jnat or whatever. The key thing, as we all know, is to make sure the mediums used are FLAT and that your strokes are light and true and find a pattern that works for you that is consistent.

So, if its a touch up. I first try the last thing I do before leather stroping- like crox on felt. If that doesn't cut it (pun intended) I then go to an 8/16 pyramid then final finisher then leather strop. I only do either of these things when I'm confident that my bevel is good across the entire edge. If I begin to doubt that I sometimes put a marker on the edge, take a couple of laps on a finishing stone and examine it under magnification to see that the entire edge was hit.

There are two things that can cause a frustrating evening; 1) Doing a refresh on something only to discover that it really needs a more concerted refresh or even a proper honing (or) 2) Doing a proper honing only to discover that the bevel needs to be reset. But, I would rather risk those things than unnecessarily removing too much metal. And, of course, I've done all those things before. I'm learning like all of us that you get a feel for these things and you become more efficient as you go and the dreaded overhoning can indeed be a thing of the past.