Thread: My 10 or so razors

I'm starting to think that my cheap Chinese loupe might not arrive. The seller is no longer registered on ebay. I should probably order another.

I took your advice and started practicing on the 8K. I honed the Chabaz on it until it started grabbing the stone, then did the same under running water. The edge does not pass HHT and the shave is harsh. I could shave with it, but I know there is room for improvement. I may be doing something wrong, but not sure what. I know this is a very subjective question but here goes: how long does it take to hone a razor on one stone of the progression? I know it varies a lot, but is it more like 5 minutes, or closer to 30 minutes or even an hour?

My Naniwa 4k Hayabusa arrived today and I used it with the SYUSUI "秋水" razor. I've set the bevel on the Nani 1k, but it is not perfectly even on the whole length of the blade. It is slightly narrower towards the heel on one side. Should I correct this or just leave it? It is one of the razors with the narrow blade tips. After the 1k it went on the 4k, but without a loupe I did not know when to stop. It easily shaves my arm hair. It will go to the 8K if I have time this weekend. I don't think a 6k step is needed.

If the bevel is pefectly the same zize from heal to toe it would be the sign of a razor maker that is very good or got lucky. You will find most are not perfect. T doesnt mean your bevel is not set. That is the main thing. If the bever is set and the bevel shows a little more in places dont worry about it.

As far as time on a stone, depending on how fast you hone could make a huge difference. As you said it very subjective. I can spend 5 minutes on one stone with one blade, then another blade spend 30 to 45 minutes. It also depends on how many razors, experiance you have. I normally spend 45 minutes to an hour honing a razor. More than that i will put it down for another day. Some guys can do it in 30 minutes total. Then you got guys like Glenn who could most likely hone a razor from bevel set to finish in 15 minutes. So tme is not really something to think about when honing. Some folks talk about a stroke count more than time. But counting strokes is not right either. I can do 30 to 300 laps on one stone, just depending on what im trying to do.

Thanks!
I thought so. I've heard about overhoning, but I have a feeling I should not worry about it.

I'll take a few pictures with the bevel. I think it is uneven because of the uneven honewear on the spine.

I am happy with the progress so far.

I've been away working for the last 10 days.
Another razor has arrived. I am a bit disappointed. It has some black stains over the gold leaf (is that gold leaf?) On the blade, corosion around the pivot, and the toe touches the scale wedge. I guess it was rescaled but not correctly sized. ... The pictures on ebay looked better... at least it was inexpensive

Originally Posted by Eurofighter

I've been away working for the last 10 days.
Another razor has arrived. I am a bit disappointed. It has some black stains over the gold leaf (is that gold leaf?) On the blade, corosion around the pivot, and the toe touches the scale wedge. I guess it was rescaled but not correctly sized. ... The pictures on ebay looked better... at least it was inexpensive

Looks like faded goldwash.

Celluloid can shrink over time. Weird huh?
Some blades have been broken by scales that shrunk too much over time.

Now that you mention it, I remember reading about shrinking scales here on the forum.
The razor was advertised as shave ready. It doesn't even shave my arm hair.
I do like the shoulderless design.

Originally Posted by Eurofighter

Now that you mention it, I remember reading about shrinking scales here on the forum.
The razor was advertised as shave ready. It doesn't even shave my arm hair.
I do like the shoulderless design.

Unless the seller claims to have honed the razor themself (or had it done professionally) I usually take it to mean "razor is pretty sharp". Either way, I'm skeptical unless it is a member here I trust. I'm usually very conservative in describing razors I've honed myself. I had a razor that shaved well, but when a mentor evaluated my work he said the heel needed work.

Examples of descriptions I've seen
"Pristine" - razor had very noticeable amount of black rust
"Never been honed" - ton of hone wear on spine
"BNIB" - used razor with busted handle and wrong box
"No damage" - huge chip in edge