Thread: Iwasaki Razor honing method with pics

Hi All,
I was browing through and found this treasure trove
http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl...755409/755410/
I could not get the link to the translated page
Hope it helps a few Samurais

I had a japanese contact translate that page a while ago. He said it didn't give much information about the actual honing process.

If you want to attempt to make sense of the translation you can go to:

http://translate.google.com/translat...755409/755410/

My basic understanding is this:

Wet the stone and work up a slurry
Lay the razor on the stone holding the razor with one hand.
Do a stroke
Reverse sides and do another stroke
Repeat the process making sure you vary which area of the stone you use to promote even wear/keep the stone flat
The slurry becomes finer as it gets ground
Cotinue honing until the razor cuts hair
Wash off the slurry
Finish honing without slurry
If you can cut the root end of a hair with just the weight of the razor, the razor is shave-ready.
If you don't have a proper natural stone, you can substitute with 6k ceramic stone and a 12k shapton stone
While honing, use pressure in the beginning and finish using just the weight of the razor
There might be mention of stropping on leather - not sure

Wash your razor with hot water after shaving. Wipe dry with a towel

Neither I nor my japanese contact could find any mention of how many strokes on each side to do.

I still have his response in my email:

"This page doesn't say anything special, only very basic stuffs. It says 'couple of times' to raise the burr, and 3 to 4 times to take out the burr."

I also asked him about the common suggestion of using a 3:2 ratio and he said:

"I don't think numbers of strokes are so strict. It should depend on the property of the stone you are using. If the stone is weaker cutting, you'd have to go more than that, and if strong, less."

He also said that honing a japanese razor is more about knowing how to use your stone and that the process is considered a secret.

Good pics for our friends...

Though I will never hone that kind of chisel, it is still good information.

http://www.google.com/translate?u=ht...&hl=en&ie=UTF8

From what I can 'see', it seems as though both sides are honed.

Is this correct?

It's what I do, but I was never confident that it was the way it should be done....

C utz

Like I've always said the art in honing these babies is the use of the hone and knowing how much pressure to use. I would think that if you use equal strokes on an asymmetrical edge eventually the edge will not be asymmetrical anymore.

So my next question is who is the authority on this link. The one I saw for the Tosuke specifically said different strokes for each side and use a 12K hone. I think like everything else many have many opinions just like honing western razors.

I find in the end for the Iwasaki a diamond strop is the best way to get it really honed up. The way that guy is using it he'd better plan on spending a looooong time with that razor.

Whoa what a busy week.
From the traslated page -
"The time when you grind (frequency) it makes long accompanied by the finish"
I guess Japanese donot have a shotage of time ....
Only way to find out .... I have a couple on the way .....

Originally Posted by deadlyvj

Whoa what a busy week.
From the traslated page -
"The time when you grind (frequency) it makes long accompanied by the finish"
I guess Japanese donot have a shotage of time ....
Only way to find out .... I have a couple on the way .....

Well, I have an iwasaki and I can tell you, having initially started using a 12K then falling back to the blue belgian and pyramiding back and forth between the two and a Japanese natural finishing hone it reminded me of when I honed my TI damascus. The iwasaki just laughs at the hone. I found the diamond strops tamed it real quick. Good luck with the hones! reminds me of that funny cartoon of a skeleton at a computer and a guying passing buy saying "system been down long". We can change that to a guy holding a razor on a hone and the guy passing by saying "been honing long"

I don't have an Iwasaki but just started honing a new Tosuke on my um 40K Japanese natural. It's a very hard stone and a fast cutter (comparatively, of course), and even with moderate pressure it is coming along fairly well. Already passing HHT with silvertip hair but not as easily as I like. At this point, I am already using very little pressure.

However, I decided to stop for a while. I'll probably finish it in another session, I'm not going to be shaving today anyway

Cheers
Ivo

Here is my friend's translation of Mr. Mizuochi's words.

This is how Mr. Ryoichi Mizuochi (an artisan who is manufacturing the Japanese razors at Mr. Iwasaki's forge) sharpens the razors in the final process. He uses a nature whetstone called Motoyama sold as Maruriki brand at Nakayama, Kyoto. (If you don't have a nature whetstone, please use the Shapton #6000 and #12000 whetstones.)

1. To rub the nature whetstone Motoyama with the Nagura whetstone. Through this procedure, the surface of the nature whetstone Motoyama becomes grain #6000. The particles of the Nagura whetstone help it.
2. To hold a razor with one hand, and to put the surface of the razor on the whetstone tightly. Then to pull the razor in the direction from the top right to the lower left.
3. To put the rear side of the razor on the whetstone tightly, and to pull it in the direction from the top left to the lower right.

To repeat the above procedure of 2 & 3 changing the part of the whetstone so that it could be decreased flattly. Gradually grains of the whetstone become smaller and smaller. To examine whether a razor cuts well with hair.

To repeat the above procedure of 2 & 3 again after washing the whetstone with water.

To stroke the razor (both sides) in a palm lightly so that the unnecessary waste can be removed.

Final check; You stand with the root of the hair as the top, and cut it with the razor. If it could be cut lightly only with the weight of the razor, it would be all right. Again, if you don't have a nature whetstones, please use a whetstone of gran #6000 and the Shapton #12000.

Points to sharpen the razor;

1. The particles of the whetstones becomes smaller gradually.
2. The pressure to sharpen the razor should be stronger in the first stage. In the last stage, please sharpen it only with the weight of the razor.
3. The distance to move the razor should be shorter gradually.
4. The time to sharpen the razor should be longer gradually.
5. Polishment with the leather should be done softly.

Do not let the razor rust by any means.

Maintenance points;

1. To wash the razor with the soap well so that the remianing skin oil can be removed.
2. To wash it away with hot water.
3. To wipe it with a dry towel. （need attention on the top part）

That's all!