Thread: first iwasaki shave

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.