Honing Woes and Renewed Early Razor Acquisition
-=A NEW HOPE=-
So I have this Spyderco ultra-fine hone that is of questionable lapping standards, which is a shame because gemstones are fantastically fast, aggressive cutters that shouldn't require lapping (with appropriate use) and should usher in a new-age of sharpening/honing. I did a search and though it isn't really discussed in the SRP review database (that I could tell) the Big Guy himself (Abrams) gave a very appropriate evaluation with pictures which is completely congruent with my own stone.
I had successfully honed up and finished, apparently, the fixed-tip Wapienica (my second shave-worthy razor) with this sapphire finishing hone.. basically a new-age barber's hone (I guess, never used the "real" thing). Using the stropping/spine-first method to avoid micro-trench chipping of the edge, as in the case of my poor Dovo 13/16th. I shouldn't complain too much, it just hurts to think that a perfected edge blade would have 4-5 microchips in it, however small. It did give me permission to relax into my own newbie-ish honing for refreshing, which I suppose helps me to actually hone it up well. Yes, I still have honing anxieties when taken to the finishing stage, but that Dovo has functioned flawlessly and I am forever grateful for the economic price and shave-readiness for my entrance into the world of straight-razor shaving.
I have a Clauss "Fremont" (city?) 5/8th square-tip that has a hairline crack an inch from the heel and a well-tarnished Dixie Manufacturing Company (Union City, GA) with some decent chips in it's upswell at the tip. These are eBetray razors. I microchipped the Dovo I believe because I couldn't detect the imperfections of the ultra-fine spyderco because I was practicing honing on the smaller (2") width spydercos with the stupid "Master" and "Krystal" chinese and pakistani stainless trash (wedge and full hollow, respectively) razors. I bought them to practice honing on, starting with the Nortons. I believe those stainless steel imposters are so soft that the ultra-fine imperfections simply got eaten up in the softness at the edge when doing trial runs for practice and learning the subtlety inherent to the hand/eye coordination required for this near-magical avocation.
So I have found a major use in the flat Clauss and the one-sided smile of the Dixie str8s in evaluating the condition of this problem ceramic honing "whetstone" (some people with honing ability I respect feel it is really a dry hone, which is how I've used it). The Dixie is also good for using the x-pattern and keeping my smile honing technique sharp. I get back into the feel of honing with one of those, ensuring my muscle-memory is fresh before actually honing.
I have this Dubl Duck "Dwarf" I got for a really good price very early on, I think it was my first un-shave-ready razor from the Bay. Anyway, I had easily (sigh) honed it up to the 8k on the Nortons before they had lost their flatness, removing the chips (I did really good on that extremely early in my razor honing, thanks to the easy nature of the Nortons, G-d I miss using those..) and even shaved with it off the 8k. Last night, after all this posting and shaving with the Dovo and then the Wapienica I couldn't take it anymore and brought the Dubl Duck Dwarf to the ultra-fine with the conservative x-pattern, spine-first as usual. I didn't take out all of the micro-chips, actually. This Duck's edge was only partially restored, as it was very early in my honing days and I always felt it was best to not go all the way to the perfect edge with those fast-cutting coarse Nortons. Gave myself a few micro-chip's leeway to allow myself room to hone my honing ability when bringing to shaveworthiness. It also helped greatly with performance anxiety, this is a very delicate art.
So with spine-first strokes to further evaluate the finishing hone I brought the Duck to dazzling reflective brilliance. Ahhhhh... the satisfaction of bringing an old razor from another era to mirrored, keratin cleaving goodness. Life is good. I was hoping it would be great but I think I see where little white spots remain, it takes a long time to really perfect the edge on the estimated 12k (norton system grit rating I think) but it may be little spots created by the imperfections of the hone. Sigh. If I knew someone in the area who wanted their blade refreshed on the cheap I could do it, but I'd have to explain what it may actually do to the edge. I did manage to bring the slight curve at the heel and the curve at the tip with rolling strokes and careful work on the tip. It's looking good, but certainly not perfect. Now, while my skin is still clear and up to the challenge of other razors finished on the spyderco 12k I'm going to use my third razor and first eBetray find. Back in the first half year or so of 2008 I had the little 4/8th Krank, the shave-ready Dovo and this Dubl Duck. It's going to be a great feeling to think I could somehow bring them all up to satisfactory shaving sharpness with this sad finishing hone.
The good news is I haven't had the practice real str8s getting caught on the imperfections that the poor Dovo ran into that caused the micro-trenches over the past week. Maybe the imperfections have been shaved off by the true str8's hard steels? I don't know, but I sure don't want to risk it. I haven't developed a burr/wire-edge on the Dovo or the Wapienica, as far as I can tell. That Krank burned me twice with the second shave after finishing off the 8k, but it was more corroded so maybe it was compromised steel at the very edge.
I'm gonna use the "new" Dubl Duck tonight after the shower. Making food (mashed potatos) and going to use the double boiler method to melt some Chelsea's Garden shave soap into a little 5 ounce cocoa butter plastic container with sealing screw-top lid. Ohhhh.. new/old razors, cooking and shave soaps... what a beautiful holiday.
Wish me luck!
Descent into Synthetic Madness...
Okay, that's the concise response that makes sense and I'll have to put it in my "memory" file for later. But I have a tight money situation right now, and certainly for the foreseeable future. I'm making do with the Nortons and Spydercos. Just going to take out the "lapped" Nortons and see what I can do. I'm thinking if I can at least set a bevel with the first Norton (220/1000) then maybe it (the razor) can make the leap up to Spyderco's "medium" level, though it's an estimation at best I think it may function as a replacement for the Mexicano 4k side, which probably only works right when it (or me) is drenched in tequila! From there I could go to the Spyderco fine or the beloved 8k Norton. That Norton needs to start gettin' in touch with some "talent" agents in the porn biz, its got.. awesome potential...
Oh yeah, Kees... yer thinkin' 15,000 cr ox, right? I don't know exactly what the huge deal is with slow vs. fast cutting. I guess faster is better, especially for guys who hone other people's razors and other professionals. Screwing around with the Spydercos it looks like the "Kansas City Special" is kind of hard. I really don't know what I'm in for. I'm still a newbie at this. I must say, purchased two Bokers, both within 5/8ths range and square-tipped. Very nice condition, no major chips, nice scales and one's pivot pin is appropriately tight. Saw it, decided I'd put an unreasonable feeler of a bid out and figured I didn't have anything to lose as it was casual eBay browsing.. lo and behold, I'm now a potential member of the Boker Brotherhood for an unreasonable price. This was well over a year ago and it was not a buying frenzy so please don't accuse me of being one of your "kind". I'm better than that!
I have some quality time ahead of me. Slow, painful, angst-ridden quality time with plenty of blood (from wearing my hand skin off and tearing chunks out running over the 4k) sweat (because it takes forever) and tears (from betrayal).