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Ok...so I got my new iwasaki and decided to try it out today. No lapping or honing, straight to the face. First stroke ok. Second and third to much pulling. So I stopped. Finished with my W&B chopper.
My question...Should I take the Iwasaki for a few laps on my Strop or do i need to break out the stones so soon?
Norton 220/1000
Norton 4000/8000
Naniwa 12000
SRD premium IV English bridal
Tony Miller 2 1/2 Latigo
Just got one myself. Damn sharp & real close to ready but not shave ready for me.
I tried the strop to no avail so I used my Asagi. Your Naniwa 12k should work if you find it necessary but start with the strop. Do your research on ratios but essentially the omote gets the most work in honing.
Handy hints here : http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...my-barber.html
You may also need to "adjust " to the blade if you've only used western str8's but that shouldn't take long.
So do you still use a 30 degree angle when using a Japanese straight to shave. Or do I need to play around with the shave angle?
The 30 degree angle is only a guideline , you need to play around with the angle on any straight razor . I've been shaving with my Tosuke for more than 2 years , and I would suggest you start with a low angle , and work up to the angle that shaves best . If you're shaving with both sides of the blade , the angle will be different for each side .
When I got both my Tosuke and Iwasaki both needed a good honing before they were shave ready.
OK. So I stropped my iwasaki on my SRD premium IV English bridal. 30 on webbing / 60 on leather. I gave that a go on my face. I got through the whole shave this time, but it wasn't as comfortable as my other razors. Should I try a diamond pasted paddle first or right to the Naniwa 12k?
It depends on how far off your razor is. Diamond (.5) works well with the Iwasaki but then again so should your 12K stone so it's really up to you. The diamond should be faster.
I would suggest trying the diamond paddle first and, if that doesn't do it move on to the stones. BTW, I like a pretty flat angle with my Iwasakis. I never measured it, but I think that the bevel angle is already steeper than a typical traditional straight which is probably around 7 or 8 degrees off of the centerline (assuming that the total included angle is around 14-16 degrees). Maybe that dictates a flatter angle of attack....just a guess on my part.
That sounds right Bill. I keep the ura stamped side nearly flat on my face. The other- the hone flats are flat on my face which makes for a pretty steep angle
Speaking of nearly flat. Here are some instructions from a Kropp razor case.
OK....I honed my Iwasaki on my Naniwa 12k. I did a 10/1 ratio. about 40 on the omote and 4-5 on the ura. Then 30 laps on nylon and 60 on leather on my SRD English bridal. Passed a HHT on the tip middle and heal. Now to the face. wow what a difference. No pulling. A very comfortable shave today. thanks to all for your help.
Recently received an Iwasaki as a gift. Am new to straight shaving.Have shaved about 6 times with a professionally honed used straight. Bought thr Norton starter kit and honed 2 other old dogs that now shave nice. Iwasaki- shaved with it 4 times now. sharp from the get go but I believe that it could be sharper. First time, stropped first on my Filly stop and then hot water shave with the Omote side. A couple of small nicks, did not mind, an enjoyable styptic use. Am left hand dominant, second hot water shave with mostly the Ura. Again, couple of small nicks, still did not mind, had to laugh with the styptic fire. Third hot water shave, used combination of Omote and Ura, three sepatate passes, more small nicks, nothing serious, probably a good little blood letting, still laughing. Been stropping before each shave, varying 20 to 50 strokes on Filly. I would like to run the iwasaki over the 8k norton, am still hesitant to. Tonight, I first used the back side of the Filly, 8 strokes over the green .5 chromium oxide embedded rough side of the strop, followed by 40 strokes on the smooth side of filly. Cold water shaved with the Omote side and only nicked myself 1 time. 2 passes, 1 wtg, 1 across the grain. Overall, the shave was better. I would still like to try a 12 k hone to see if this would refine the sharpness even more. Don't own one yet and am still unsure about taking the Iwasaki to the 8 k. The .5 chromium oxide was an improvement, I think that the cold water shave helped too. Good luck with your dilemma and let me know how you make out. If you do decide to hone, post the technique and the results. thanks