Japanese razor

Today I shaved with a Japanese razor for the first time. I don't know what kind it is as I can't read what is one the razor or the box. But!!! I'm BBS!! The shave went real nice, no blood no pain. I was very surprised at how easy this razor was to use. I did wrap the handle in kangaroo leather lacing before using it. I'm thinking I need a few more of these razors. Not sure exactly how to hone them, but I did give it few passes on a 16000 stone and then stropped it :shrug: I'm I doing this right?? :shrug:
Anyways, it was a great shave.

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Originally Posted by denmason

Today I shaved with a Japanese razor for the first time. I don't know what kind it is as I can't read what is one the razor or the box. But!!! I'm BBS!! The shave went real nice, no blood no pain. I was very surprised at how easy this razor was to use. I did wrap the handle in kangaroo leather lacing before using it. I'm thinking I need a few more of these razors. Not sure exactly how to hone them, but I did give it few passes on a 16000 stone and then stropped it :shrug: I'm I doing this right?? :shrug:
Anyways, it was a great shave.

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Great Shave you did it right but really every blade is different so no one can say for sure without have blade in hand the 16 put a polish on it so it was probably close to shave ready when you got it

I'd love to try a Japanese razor one day :)

But I've been wondering how the razor holds in the hand.
Ain't it harder to control a Japanese razor then a straight?


Maybe this can help you with the honing process:
Japanese Razor Sharpening

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Originally Posted by denmason

Not sure exactly how to hone them

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Hone 3 strokes on the concave side , then 2 strokes on the convex side . I usually do 3-5 repetitions to touch up the edge .

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Originally Posted by Joelski78

I'd love to try a Japanese razor one day :)

But I've been wondering how the razor holds in the hand.
Ain't it harder to control a Japanese razor then a straight?

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If you can shave with a regular straight , you shouldn't have much trouble shaving with a Japanese straight . Keep your regular straight handy , to finish up with until you are able to do all of beard with the Japanese razor .

What hone do you use?

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Originally Posted by Joelski78

Maybe this can help you with the honing process:
Japanese Razor Sharpening

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I found this hard to understand. Computer translations still have a long way to go!

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Originally Posted by Kees

I found this hard to understand. Computer translations still have a long way to go!

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Yes, indeed. :)
I tried to read it myself but didn't understand any of it. :thinking:
I hoped the pictures would clarify some things. I'm sorry if this wasn't of any help.

There are several sites showing razor sharpening and they are all a bit different. However all recommend a 12K hone and they all recommend the usual ratio of strokes on the concave and convex sides. The differences are that some use typical honing strokes and some use back and forth honing strokes and some recommend varying degrees of downward pressure. I recently worked on a members japanese razor and I had to reset the bevel on it and with really no idea on what I was doing and no guidance I had to do some real flying by the seat of my pants honing and a lot of experimentation. I haven't gotten a verdict from the member yet so if it was a success I'll post a description of exactly how I did it. If it wasn't a success I'll just fade off into the sunset.

I will say this though, after this experience everything I've read about honing these things is going out the window as far as I'm concerned.

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Originally Posted by Kees

What hone do you use?

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I have had success with my Norton 8k , Shapton 15k , and my recently acquired Maruichi Nakayama Asagi hone (the one pictured in my avitar) . In short , whatever you're already using to hone your razors will work . I use the 3/2 ratio , that I already mentioned , with the edge leading . I DO NOT hone back and forth , and I don't reccomend doing so . I use the same amount of pressure that I use on any other razor , which is almost none , only enough to keep the edge in contact with the hone . I strop my Japanese razor the same way I strop my other razors , meaning that I don't use the 3/2 ratio when stropping . This method works well for me , so it should work well for anyone else , too . Hope this info helps :).

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 ;)

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Originally Posted by Joelski78

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

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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.

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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.

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Is someone speaking in toungues here? :confused:

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!!!!

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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!!!!

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That's everything that counts - have a nice shave :D

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