Thread: Japanese straight questions

thanks for clarifying O_S

i admit it
it's not the first time !!!

=LesPoils;553521]Jason, i assume you understand that much of the honing of the kamisori is done on the Omote side.

Yes I understand that some recommend spending more time on the omote side than the ura side while honing.

i understand, but i am not sure, that it would be kind of dumb to put soft metal on the omote (from the edge to the shinogi line lets say)

I dont know if it is dumb to put soft metal on the omote side, but it does seem wrong to me to spend most of the time honing on the soft side.

because much of the honing is done there and that would scrap the angle of the edge in just 2 minutes of honing. right ?

I am sure it takes longer than 2 min, but I do have in my possesion a vintage Jstr8 that no longer has a omote. It is now a symmetrical wedge grind, no I didnt do it.

Omote side is hard steel
i think u are wrong thinking that omote is jigane

And I think you are wrong thinking it is not(if jigane is low carbon).

seems you are right Jason.



Quote :
I do have in my possesion a vintage Jstr8 that no longer has a omote. It is now a symmetrical wedge grind, no I didnt do it.

who is the Frankenrazor who did that !!!?!

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

Why...
History.... quality steel was rare and expensive.
The Japanese frugal solution was to weld
small amount on one side. Once
the weld was done the wedge shape
of the final knife is a given.

Yes with twice the steel it would have been
possible but difficult and more expensive to
weld the fine EXPENSIVE stuff in the middle
as a sandwich.

Japan was and is a resource starved island.

There are also asymmetrical 'Honyaki' knives made from one piece of steel & differentially tempered but yes, they are expensive. The sandwiching technique is an attempt to mimic their qualities at lower cost.

Here comes the stupid questions.

1) Are these types of straight razor any easier or more difficult to use than the conventional straight razor. (they look easier)

2) Given that one of the previous posts in this thread talks about right handed bevels, does being a leftie make any difference.

3) The fact that you are in effect only using one side of the blade whilst the other rests on your face, does that mean you are more likely to slice into yourself

Thanks

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by Doublewood

Here comes the stupid questions.

1) Are these types of straight razor any easier or more difficult to use than the conventional straight razor. (they look easier)

They are easier or atleast as easy on one side of your face and harder on the other half of your face, IME. They are a little easier to get into the tight spots, but takes a little longer to shave with due to their size. One caveat though, both sides of a kamisori are capable of shaving, so if you are not trying to only use one side it makes them easier to use and on par with wstr8s.

2) Given that one of the previous posts in this thread talks about right handed bevels, does being a leftie make any difference.

If you use a kamisori the way some here swear by(using omote to shave) I think using your left hand would make it easier, since you wouldnt have to twist your arm around to get the omote to make contact. If you want to use the Ura side it would be easier to use your right hand. The Jstr8s Old
_School sales can be special ordered in a left hand version also, IIRC.

3) The fact that you are in effect only using one side of the blade whilst the other rests on your face, does that mean you are more likely to slice into yourself

My biggest nick(a real cut) came from a Jstr8, but I blame it more on my being in a hurry and making it worse by trying to continue to shave the same spot even though the razor kept getting caught on the nicked skin cutting a little more each time, till I finally gave up, but the styptic pencil stopped the bleeding easily. IMO it is easier to cut yourself with the omote side than it is to do so with the ura, due to the angle needed to shave, but I have read that others feel exactly the opposite(some feel the same as me, but not near as many). As with most things shaving related, to each his own.
Thebigspendur has a kamisori traveling the country(psst, hey sonny want to try a kamisori(iirc)), maybe contact him to see if it is still possible to get in on the rotation so you can see for yourself how they are to use, before putting up the cash to buy one.

Don't know if I've done the right thing as I have only been straight shaving for a couple of months, but I have just ordered a Iwasaki

Don't worry you did the right thing. Just ease into it like you did with a western straight.

I only use the non stamped side to shave and I have had great results. I have 4 of them. 3 are shave ready and one I am going to attempt to hone when time permits.

Originally Posted by Doublewood

Don't know if I've done the right thing as I have only been straight shaving for a couple of months, but I have just ordered a Iwasaki

Sorry for reviving the thread, but didn't want to start a thread with nearly the same name.
I got a Tosuke razor in a trade, and I have some quesions that are bothering me. The omote side is totally wedge shaped, it doesn't have hollowing, is this normal, or will this make any problems while honing? I don't know, but is seems like it was made this way. I suspect the razor was honed by some newbie, because the bevel on the ura side is about 1mm wide at the heel, and 2mm at the toe. Can this razor be honed to shave ready, or it needs some grinding? Can I/should I help to correct the problem with taping the spine so the bevel will be smaller? Thanks in advance for your help, I hope I can give new life to this razor, because it looks very nice, and I always wanted to try a kamisori