Hello! & a friendly challenge!

Gentleman,

As they say on the radio, long time reader, first time poster. With that I would like to say why I am now posting. I purchased a few razors after falling in love with wet shaving when given an antique 1920s DE razor. After getting good, I decided to move to the next level with a straight razor. I have in my possession, a Morley & Sons full hollow, Fredrick Reynolds wedge, a W & B Wedge. All Pictured Below. ( I gotta say 2 of which came from SRP classifieds, both purchases good experiences;-)
So why I'm posting---> Last night I successfully brought all 3 back to pass the hanging hair test. (HOORAAAH!). (FYI I have read many of the Wiki’s, watched vids by Lynn & GSSixGun & many others. Despite the below, I have yet to complete a full STR RZR shave.)

So here is my progression:
1. 1,200 grit stone – Splex ?? (I think)
2. 4,000 grit stone - (King Whetstone)
3. Honing Stone – Grit unknown; but MUCH finer than my 4k.
a. I borrowed this stone from my father. He has owned it for YEARS (read: all information lost /forgotten). He has used it to bring his jointer blades to a mirror finish (if that helps with the grit).
b. (I use 2 pieces of tape.)

So here are my questions; when honing, I noticed a few things:

1. After getting what looked to be a keen edge on the honing stone (I progress linearly through the stones), I tried the hanging hair test to no avail. Not getting discouraged, I went on to the strop (An uncle heard of my new fascination and gifted me my grandfather’s nearly unused Certifyd Strop (HOOORAAAHHH!)). After about say 50-60 passes tried again, BINGO. Got it. Cut a loose hair. Is it normal for a razor to not pass the hanging hair test before being stropped after coming from a honing stone? Or is the hone stone closer to say an 8k than say a 12k and wasn’t fine enough & the strop took it the rest of the way to a keen edge?
2. After further inspection I noticed that the edge wasn’t perfect in a few spots. (A dull razor when held edge to a light source will have flat (dull) spots that reflect light back.) The imperfections that I am speaking of are similar spots but just slight degree differences between themselves and the bevel (the main mirror finish that will grab a bead of light and reflect it seamlessly from toe to heal.) Is it normal to have slight variations on the cutting surface that (to me) say there is a slight variation in the bevel angle (read: I see this as being not perfect and needs to be corrected. Could it be the stone’s age or need to be flattened?)? Even if it isn’t perfect, if it passes the hair test do these questions matter?
3. Between the wedges – slight smiles- and the Full hollow –straight spine-, the straight is much easier to hone (although the wedges are more fun). However on all the blades, I noticed that the bevel surface is smaller near the heal. Is this normal or am I doing something wrong?
4. As I am sure that you noticed from the pic, the W & B has no scales. I plan to rescale it (maybe buff a few light stains out) after finals are over (I’m in grad school).

So here is the fun question. Post a pic of your favorite W&B meat cleaver! Mine is included below as well; I need some inspiration to work towards for my first project. The dual pins, dark horn, & slight point near the double pinned end are all awesome, amazing for a restore. What is your favorite?
My Razors:
Attachment 114705

Taken Shamelessly From Madaspen.com
But a design i really like. Show me your favorite & maybe i will be inspired to recreate it.
Attachment 114706

Great to meet everybody! and thanks for any info ahead of time.

Joseph.

AAAaaaaaagh! Welcome! :gl:

Welcome Joseph,
I love the energy of your first post.

You are about to start a journey that can last a lifetime, or you could lose interest in a couple of months, pace yourself. The photo you borrowed from Madaspen.com is enough inspiration, when you can duplicate the craftsmanship of that razor, then you have reached the mountain top.

Practice your straight razor shaves for now. Re-read the section on honing & enjoy the ride.

Ditto Hirlau.


Mick

Thanks guys. I have re-read the honing sections already. & broke college budgets don't allow for extra stones (to get to 4 stages) yet;-) well reassess the after the holidays though. But the next post i think is gonna be in the show and tell section forum, after I try my hand on that W&B. Thanks.

Joseph.

Question???

Your Screen name suggests that you might be from up my way if so fire me a pm and we can sit down over coffee or beers and talk razors...

A low budget is the same for me, I started honing with 3M Abrasive PSA Lapping Films. I got a sample pack that had 15, 5 and .3 micron sheets for really cheap. It took a lot of reading to learn how to use them correctly, but I'm sure you won't have any problems.

GSix,

Unfortunately i am not in Idaho. But the name was inspired by a trip long ago to that region. Amazing place that state. I am in Louisville, Ky. I do have a specific questions though if anybody would oblige. as of last night my semester ended, so i will have more time to make that 4k-to-hone stone leap work. (or give in and buy the transition stone/films as suggested).

Are there pictures of what a good bevel looks like? That said i lack (but plan to borrow this weekend a Lupe/Magnifying glass) to better evaluate what exactly a good bevel looks like?

I have read a lot about the pressure, the stroke, the tape, the strop, but i am person that needs to touch and feel it to understand. Any decent shots of a good bevel set on a coarse stone looks like? for comparison i am dealing with and of what should be moved to finer stones.


Thanks,

Joseph.

I've seen photo's of that sort of stuff on the forum somewhere, but it's been a while. Try doing a search for them perhaps.


Mick

Here is just the first one I searched there are a few others

http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...pic-heavy.html

Hi Kootanai, Welcome Aboard,
Just to address your honing issue, if you are getting high spots where the stone is not reaching the edge, I would suggest that possibly you did not go far enough with your coarse stone. The intial bevel must be complete for the rest to work. A tip I have learned: I hone with a light about 18" above my work surface. Hold your razor horizontal with the edge away from you. Slowly rotate the edge up and around. You will see the shine from the bevel on the side nearest you, and as you rotate you will see a shine from the opposite side. When finished with the first stone, you don't want any shine between the two. If there is, you have not gotten the bevels to where they meet at the edge.
Good Luck,