Thread: Japanese razor

I will soon be puhing the send button of a mail to So to get an Iwasaki myself.

@Kees: I have found many a combo to work:

1)
1000 Naniwa
4000 King
Blue Belgian
Coticule
Thuringian (Manufaktum)
CrOx

2)
1000 Naniwa
Tam O' Shanter / 4000 King
lower grit Narutaki
higher grit Narutaki
Nakayama Maruichi Maruka Nihon Kamisori


I use a different method than most because I haven't yet found a reasonable explanation on why you should use different amounts of strokes at a 3/2 ratio. All japanese razors I've honed so far took some of the best edges I've ever seen (and I had to reset the bevel on 2 so far) so I don't see any reason in making honing these razors more complicated than it has to be.
I hone and strop them like any other razor but I do include some backward strokes on the finer two hones (about one backwards stroke per 5 forward ones). That's it. No special strokes, no downward pressure, no ratio, no magic

Originally Posted by Joelski78

I tried to read it myself but didn't understand any of it.

1 whole head temple month marked a natural abrasive grinding wheel

2 have a hand in hand with a grinding wheel and the surface-called letter of the eight holders to write a piece to pull

3 behind the two paintings to write a letter to also called on the surface of the grindstone and look at

Seems self explanatory to me.

Originally Posted by trewornan

1 whole head temple month marked a natural abrasive grinding wheel

2 have a hand in hand with a grinding wheel and the surface-called letter of the eight holders to write a piece to pull

3 behind the two paintings to write a letter to also called on the surface of the grindstone and look at

Seems self explanatory to me.

Is someone speaking in toungues here?

I don't want to fall out with you guys, but I think it is a little pretentious and rude to think that we can sharpen a Japanese razor better than the Japanese can. Their Nation has the deserved reputation of making the finest edged blades for many centuries.

The description that is given in broken English is pretty clear to me.
He says use a figure of 8 pattern. Use only the weight of the blade. Use a natural 6000 grit hone to start and finish on a 12000 grit hone or use a paste if you have no hone.

That's exactly what I do on a western style straight.

Incidentally, his description makes no mention of back honing or honing one side of the blade with more strokes than the other. A technique which logically would make one side of the V different to the other and therefore unbalanced.

I don't have a Japanese straight but if I did, I would listen very carefully to what the Japanese have to say on the subject and learn from their many centuries of experience.

It's not a wheel that needs to be reinvented. Just translated.

I don't think anyone here said they could hone a japanese razor better than the Japanese. I have no comparison and I certainly won't state that I can hone them better than a Japanese swordsmith. Just using plain logic I hone them like any other razor. I only backhone them because that's what I do with many extremely hard blades be the western or Japanese style.

Oh, thanks for the "translation" - not being a native English speaker it was very hard for me to make any sense of the computer-translation.

Thanks everyone for your responses. I've played with the razor and it is very sharp........... So now....... I'm off for another shave!!! woooohoooo!!!!

Originally Posted by denmason

Thanks everyone for your responses. I've played with the razor and it is very sharp........... So now....... I'm off for another shave!!! woooohoooo!!!!

That's everything that counts - have a nice shave

This was a couple of months ago, but you may find this useful:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/newbi...-lot-help.html