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02-17-2013, 06:30 AM #1
- Join Date
- Dec 2012
- Posts
- 178
Thanked: 2Stropping Sharpness vs. Honemeister Sharpness
Dear Fellow Razorheads-Have watched numerous videos by Lynn, Sham and others, bought a Norton Whetstone set, a Naniwa 12K, a Chromium Oxide prepped strop , a Big Daddy Strop and several other razor mnt. items, I have run into a quandary. Been shaving straight for about 4 mos now, with about 1 year safety razor "Shavette" experience. With that in mind, I have a few questions.
Does a newbie shaver ever return to the honemeister sharpness, or does stropping just maintain the edge at a lower grade of sharpness? I noticed that two of my razors no longer grip the thumbnail, although they do passibly shave with several passes. Both were sent off around 2 mos ago. Both have been stropped regularly.
If the blade fails the nail test and 100 strops doesn't improve things, should the shaver go back to 12K? I've tried 20 passes on the Chromium Oxide treated strop to no avail.
Does anybody have any input on pre-shave oil? I have a 2 oz bottle coming and thought that it might help with the problem areas around the mouth.
I now fully understand why safety razors from Gillette were greeted with such enthusiasm!
Doubly frustrating for me, as I perform mnt for a living, restored over 100 tube radios while laid off, motorized a bike after 4 foot ops and consider myself very handy. Helped restore and own a 1963 Falcon and restored around half of my gun collection (Several of my guns are close to 100 years old!). Thanx for ANY feedback-Gearhead
Thanx for any input, as I cannot continue to send blades away at $20.00/pop!-Gearhead
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02-17-2013, 06:35 AM #2
- Join Date
- May 2010
- Posts
- 4,562
Thanked: 1263The "nail test" is usually only done while honing and then a bit more work is given to the bevel. If you're using it as a sharpness test before shaving then you've probably dulled your edge.
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02-17-2013, 07:57 AM #3
- Join Date
- Dec 2012
- Posts
- 178
Thanked: 2Thanx for the quick feedback! So the only shave test is arm hair or HHT?-Gearhead
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02-17-2013, 11:37 AM #4
- Join Date
- Mar 2012
- Location
- Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
- Posts
- 17,359
Thanked: 3228Stropping before each shave will help maintain the blade's original sharpness but only if your stropping technique is good and even then not forever. I don't use any tests but just go by when I think a razor does not shave as well as it should. At that point I will try a few laps on a pasted balsa stop and do a shave. If that doesn't work it goes back to a finisher like the Nani 12K. If it still doesn't shave well enough I go back one step in the honing progression and so on till it does shave up to snuff. That is just how I do it and everyone has a different maintenance routine.
There are quite a few different techniques that have to be learned and refined when shaving with a straight that go into making up a good shave. How well you can hone, strop, lather and actually use a straight. Any one or combination of them done sub par can lead to a poor shave and an edge not keeping it's sharpness long. It is a bit complicated and frustrating to sort it all out. You are right too that it is one of the reasons safety razors were so well accepted.
I have been at this coming up on the 1 year mark and just fairly recently have all the bits started to really come together. I still have enough failures too, just call me a slow learner. I don't know if that helps any but just saying it takes time to get good at the many different aspects of maintaining an edge.
BobLife is a terminal illness in the end
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02-17-2013, 01:41 PM #5
- Join Date
- Dec 2012
- Location
- Chicago
- Posts
- 186
Thanked: 26I'm much less enthusiastic about non-shaving sharpness tests after having tried them all with a fresh double-edge razor blade, where they all show that the edge is impossibly dull.
Last edited by mdarnton; 02-17-2013 at 01:48 PM.
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02-17-2013, 01:45 PM #6
- Join Date
- Jul 2010
- Location
- Switzerland
- Posts
- 20
Thanked: 10
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02-17-2013, 07:29 PM #7
- Join Date
- Dec 2012
- Posts
- 178
Thanked: 2Thanx again guys! I actually have the shaving bit down-it's the mnt. that's killing me! Bob-you are so correct-a quality straight shave is a whole lot of bits coming together. BlueDun, you are correct about the shave being the judge.Mdarnton,I cannot argue with your logic, although safety razors are a breeze by comparison.
Just have to keep slugging along, I guess. Thanx again all. Great forum-Gearhead
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02-17-2013, 08:28 PM #8
- Join Date
- Dec 2012
- Posts
- 6
Thanked: 0I'm with bobh on what he said about backing up by steps. I just honed my 48 rolls because I saw a small curl on the edge. I only went back to the naniwa 12k. That was all it took to remove the curl. It did however take a couple of shaves and stropping to restore smoothness to the shave. This seems to be pretty normal. Someday I would like to experience a Lynn quality hone. And compare the just honed edge to what I am doing. Sigh, if I could only talk myself into parting with any of my razors for a couple of weeks.
Dave
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02-19-2013, 05:24 AM #9
- Join Date
- Sep 2008
- Location
- Southern California
- Posts
- 802
Thanked: 154Careful stropping on canvas and leather can *increase* the sharpness of a razor. With practice, grinding with a stone or abrasive polish can become something done only once a year (or two years, or three...).
de gustibus non est disputandum
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02-19-2013, 05:53 AM #10
Seems like a lot of people are forgetting to read the fine print of the TNT. "Use for bevel setting". I know how you feel as there were times when I started I wanted use the test to see if I had dents. Make sure you use the TPT and shave test. It will save you some honing.
"If you have one bag of stones you don't have three." -JPC