Thread: Honing C-MON

Originally Posted by mainaman

natural stones do not have grit ratings.

Here is what I will try. I will go back to the 1kfor 20 passes then move up through the others. I may be moving in reverse but the experience won't hurt. If it still stalls where the others seem to have, I'll send it off to you for evaluation/honing/re-pinning.

20 passes may or may not do it. It depends on how much more your razor needs, if the bevel is even the issue. Try this since you seem to be using hair shaving for a test: do another round of circles(maybe 40)/half-strokes(maybe 20) followed by a few x-strokes (10ish) to even it out, test shave a small patch of arm/leg hair.

What you're looking for is a good clean hair removal. Depending on how coarse your hair is, it may/may not pull a bit. You'll have to find out how a good bevel reacts for you. (This is the hard part: personalizing the tests). Do not move on until you get to this point or until the razor stops improving. If you have a scope, now is the time to use it--you're looking for the scratches of your 1k to go all the way to the edge, nice & clean all the way to the end.

Try the same thing off whatever you do on the 4k: here you're looking for hair to fall off in a clump. There should be no pulling @ all--the edge is really almost there off the 4k anyway. Again, do not move ahead until you get to this point, or until the razor stops improving. If that works, then go to the 8k--try 15 strokes & strop. Let us know what happens then.

Strop it till the cows come home, or move this thread to honing!

Here read and watch

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...on-2012-a.html


If you can't figure out how to get the most out of your Nortons after trying those techniques and ideas in that thread, then the Norton Police are coming to arrest you


edit: Moved to Honing

OK, I went after it again today on the hones. I started off on the 1k doing circles. I feel fairly confident that the bevel was already set. But to be 100% sure, I went all the way back to the lowest grit stone. I passed all the tests, TNT, TPT, and shaved at skin level......maybe even a little above. I did 20 circles and 10 X's on slurry. Then I repeated it. I then did some light passes on just water as if to polish the edge on the 1k until it didn't sem to be making any improvement. I then went to the 4k doing 20 circles with very, very light pressure. 20 X's and a few straight down the hone. Then again with the lightest pressure attempted to polish the edge with fresh water until it seemed to be doing no more good. Again, it shaves hair and is catching some standing hairs. I move on to the 8k. Lots of water, I do about 20 Xs and five straight down the hone. I repeat this a couple times. Again, it seems as though I've gotten all Icahn get from the last stone. I giv eit a final 5 passes on diamond spray and strop. Tomorrow I test it with a shave. Looking at it under the scope, it LOOKS like the other edges but maybe slightly less polished. The metal seems to have a little more grain to it than the other edges. The bevel looks clean and even down the blade. I feel confident that it will shave but we'll see if it's any better.

Success! I don't know exactly what I did differently but I nailed it. Extremely close shave today. Nice and comfortable. I suppose if there is a lesson to be taken away from this, its watching more closely at each level to ensure that the most has been taken away from it before moving on. I kept reading about over honing and knowing when to stop. I think I was stopping too soon having heard those warnings. Nice shave, good sharp edge.

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

Success! I don't know exactly what I did differently but I nailed it. Extremely close shave today. Nice and comfortable. I suppose if there is a lesson to be taken away from this, its watching more closely at each level to ensure that the most has been taken away from it before moving on. I kept reading about over honing and knowing when to stop. I think I was stopping too soon having heard those warnings. Nice shave, good sharp edge.

Good job! Congrats! Double O