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Honer Improvement Pass around

Smattayu

Smattayu

"The TSC's Comic Book Savant"
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Are you just getting started honing your own straight razors and are looking for some help to improve? Have you been working your own edges for a while and want some feedback on them? Maybe you're an experienced honer with a rock collection to rival the Smithsonian, and you're willing to lend your expertise to those who are striving to get their edges sharper and smoother. Any and all are welcome to join this pass around.

@MilkCrate, @Fenster, and I have recently starting passing around razors that we have sharpened in an effort to improve our honing abilities, whether on lapping film, synthetics, or natural stones, and we're opening this up to anyone who is interested in doing the same. We know that there is a ton of information and videos about honing out there, particularly regarding different methods on various stones, but the idea of direct feedback and group discussion appeals to us more than watching a Lynn Abrams YouTube video for the 10th time.

Got all your honing chops down and think you have something to offer the newbs? I think I speak for all of us when I say we'd appreciate any tips that you're willing to give. Just starting and think you have nothing to contribute? I bet you're wrong, but either way this pass around is all about progress, so what your edges are like now is just the starting point. Everyone has something to learn and contribute here.

We will be posting our results in this thread and in a group PM that you will be invited to if you're interested. You can, of course, opt out of the public reviews if you like, but we want this thread to be a good reference for anyone that reads it, whether they decide to join in the fun or not.

Any necessary future details will be hammered out and added to this post, but for right now it's pretty basic:

1. Hone and strop a straight razor. Ebay beaters and Gold Dollars are welcome. Anything that will take and keep an edge.
2. Properly disinfect the razor.
3. Send it to one the gents that are part of this pass around, who will shave with it, disinfect it, and then pass it to the next person. We may limit how many people it is passed to based on possible edge degradation, but I'm not worried about that unless we get a slew of people joining in.
4. Once it reaches the last person that will use it, they will butterknife it and put their own edge on it, then put it back into rotation. This is subject to the preference of the last person to use it, and funky razor geometry will likely play a part in that decision.

I'd like to add future Zoom meetings into the mix, and any other suggestions are welcome. So, who's in?
 
Let’s get this thread going. I will mention that we all agreed to give accurate feedback on the edges we are testing. We are all trying to learn and improve, so no hurt feelings. Copied from my journal today.

Another nice, late morning shave today. I had been using The Fat as a benchmark soap for some razor testing, but another got the nod today. Eric @Smattayu, Gerry @Fenster and I are participating in a pass around to test and critique each other’s edges. The purpose of the exercise is not to compare stone edges, although that could be a benefit. The point is to help us refine our own honing technique

I think everyone is familiar with my shaving routine, it’s pretty basic: Load soap, whip up lather, shave and finish with an aftershave. I usually don’t do a lot of the luxury bits: like pre-shave, hot towels, talc and what-not. So there ya go. I started the testing with the soap I was already using, which was Krokus. On that shave I did not strop , I just used the edge that Eric had sent. The WTG and XTG passes were smooth, but could have been a touch smoother. The ATG pass was very crisp feeling and I had to focus a bit more to avoid irritation.

For the second shave, I switched to MWF to eliminate the soap as a possible culprit for the crisp edge. I did my typical stropping for this shave and was rewarded with a smoother edge. The edge I am testing is a JNat, so I did a head to head with one of Alfredo’s JNat edges. Not a fair comparison, but it put things in perspective. It was a good shave, but I got a closer longer lasting shave with Alfredo’s edge. His edge also picked up my trouble spots on the jawline easily. Eric’s edge did not completely cleanup my trouble spots. I used the Ethos aftershave to wrap it up and it was a good test.

Yesterday I stayed with The Fat and changed up my aftershave. Started my shave the same way and used my typical stropping. Had a nice shave and the edge seemed a bit smoother still. This shave was just Eric’s edge to stay focused on that. I didn’t notice any issues during the shave, but I may have done too much buffing because my aftershave made my face tingle just a bit.

That brings us to today’s shave. I did change up the soap and aftershave just because of my random kit stuff that I try and do on the weekends. Anyway I had another very nice shave and didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. When I hit the aftershave I knew I had some irritation though. Did I work the brush too hard? Not sure because the Simpson is not completely broke in yet. Still a very good shave and the burn didn’t last too long. Tomorrow we are going back to The Fat and a different brush. I know I have been mixing my kit up a bit during this testing, but the edge should work with whatever kit I bring to the sink.

At the moment, I think this edge needs to be sharper. But that’s just my opinion and I like a smooth, very sharp razor. Let’s see what tomorrow’s shave holds for us. Life is good!
 
Hi guys I’m in. I’m always looking for feedback on my edges. I’d be happy to join and provide edges. I’ve been honing for about 4-5 years and I’ve likely honed 100+ razors over this time. I’m still improving the every time. I hone 99% on vintage razors and I’ve become in my eyes pretty adept at figuring out tough razors. I have a lot of user razors in the basement which can be used in this pass around if needed.
Matt
 
Luecke3262 said:
Hi guys I’m in. I’m always looking for feedback on my edges. I’d be happy to join and provide edges. I’ve been honing for about 4-5 years and I’ve likely honed 100+ razors over this time. I’m still improving the every time. I hone 99% on vintage razors and I’ve become in my eyes pretty adept at figuring out tough razors. I have a lot of user razors in the basement which can be used in this pass around if needed.
Matt
Click to expand...
I’d say you might have a couple of razors laying around. 🤣
 
Welcome, @Luecke3262!

Thanks for the feedback, Tim. It looks like I need to work on smoothing out my edges as well if irritation is a recurring problem. I’ve been working more on synthetics and film the last few razors that I’ve honed, but I really want to get the Jnat down so I’ll probably keep using it for the pass around for now.
 
Smattayu said:
Welcome, @Luecke3262!

Thanks for the feedback, Tim. It looks like I need to work on smoothing out my edges as well if irritation is a recurring problem. I’ve been working more on synthetics and film the last few razors that I’ve honed, but I really want to get the Jnat down so I’ll probably keep using it for the pass around for now.
Click to expand...
I thought the smoothness would come with a sharper edge.

I know my current offering, that Gerry is testing, needs to be sharper. I am hoping I can get my synth/SB Ark edges a lot sharper. I really like The Method edges, but don’t think I can get there with the tools I have. I do still have the films, but trying to move to something more permanent.
 
Count me in guys. I need to get back on some projects that have sat to long. So this can be a good point to kick that off.

I'm also still getting to know my BBW and Coti since switching from synthetic hones. Getting some good feedback would be great, as well as getting to try other folks edges.
 
Below is a copy and paste from a PM 3 days ago giving feedback on the razor @MilkCrate sent me.


Tim, I used your razor today and you are too hard on yourself, it worked very well.

I made sure to take my time and prep very well, better than I usually do as it seems like I am in a rush more times than not. I did a 3 pass shave using proraso preshave and CBL Soaps Apothecary Tallow soap (Chris has not released this base yet, but it is great soap). Since I did not know if you stropped the razor or not, I decided to use it just as you sent it for the first pass, I then stropped it on leather about 20 laps before the 2nd pass and again for 20 laps before the 3rd pass. The stropping did seem to improve the edge slightly.

After the shave I did a full rub down with the Alum block to check for irritation (which I almost never do). I had very little irritation, the only place I noticed any was the 2 spots on each side of my Adams apple that almost always are slightly irritated no matter what type of razor I use. I finished off with the Nivea 2 in 1 Aftershave and got a very pleasant DFS. The only spots that had a minor amount of stubble left was again the same area of my neck beside my Adams apple. This is completely normal for me and happens with every shave no matter the razor. I stopped chasing BBS in this area years ago as it just leads to a whole lot of irritation for me.

As I said it was a DFS for me, good job on the honing. I am not sure what I would suggest to improve the edge, but it did seem like it could have been just a touch sharper/smoother, but I am not sure what to tell you to change or do differently. I have a feeling it is better and more consistant throughout the length of the edge than what I sent out, lol.
 
This is cut and pasted from the PM regarding my shave with @Fenster's razor.

Gerry, I used your razor today. I think you said it was finished on a coticule? If so, it matches my previous experiences with coti edges pretty closely. It's been a couple years since I shaved with a coti edge, but they were noteworthy in a couple regards. They never felt sharp, in that they did not easily cut through my facial hair, but they were all uncommonly smooth. Yours felt very similar to my memories of those. It felt like I had to use some effort to push it forward, yet it also felt so smooth that I could do no wrong with this blade. I seriously took chances on my ATG pass that I would never take with one of my own edges, including on my upper lip, and I pulled off a three pass plus clean up DFS+ with no blood or irritation at all. My definition of DFS+ is BBS on parts of my face and DFS on others. I usually get BBS on my cheeks and part of my neck, and DFS on the trouble areas of my neck, chin, and upper lip. I used a Fine aftershave, which is probably the most unforgiving of irritation, and there was very little sting.

I can really only think of two things to mention here. It could be sharper, which is something I think we're all having trouble with on the natural stones. Also the edge was not entirely consistent, and the sharpness fell off near the toe, which is a problem I often have with my own honing efforts. All in all it's a solid edge, and I enjoyed shaving with it.

Every time I've shaved with a Coti edge it makes me think of this video clip.

 
This is an great idea! I’m putting a list of things to get to give lapping film and balsa strops a go. I have a jasper stone, but no clue what I’m doing with it. I’ve been a little intimidated with honing since I ruined an edge on one of my razors and couldn’t get it back. This thread was the push I needed!
 
DeepSea said:
This is an great idea! I’m putting a list of things to get to give lapping film and balsa strops a go. I have a jasper stone, but no clue what I’m doing with it. I’ve been a little intimidated with honing since I ruined an edge on one of my razors and couldn’t get it back. This thread was the push I needed!
Click to expand...
Do you need me to send you a beater to practice with?
 
Last shave with Gerry's razor today. It was similar to the previous shave with another DFS+, though the razor did feel a bit more tuggy this time. As hard as it was working to cut through the hair it felt like my face would be lit up when the alum block and aftershave were used, but the burn was not much more than my usual Bay Rum experiences, and that faded very quickly. I'd say you have the smoothness down but it is still not quite as sharp as the other coti edges I've used. To be honest, coti edges kind of confuse me. Every time I've shaved with one over the years it felt like I wasn't getting a good shave from it, but the results have been deceptively good, and it feels darn near impossible to get a nick from one.
 
Ok so we have had a few more people join in on the Pass around which is great to so much interest. For those following along this is what we think the second round looks like: I still owe MilkCrate some feedback on the first round, but it is very similar to the first shave. I will try to get that written up tonight.

1. @MilkCrate and @Smattayu paired up.
2. @Luecke3262, @ShawnF and @Fenster paired (Shawn and I are close enough that we can drop off to each other, rather than shipping).
3. @OpusX and @uacowboy paired up.
 
Alrighty, so lengthy intro time. TL:DR, this noob uses films only and likes them.

I am quite the super noob to honing. My first ever foray into straight razors was this January, when I decided to go head first and snag a razor off the local craigslist. The razor came complete with a chip in it, so I got to not just learn to hone but actually reprofile an edge. Since then I have honed from zero, 10 razors, with one of those being an epic failure due to some very odd geometry.

My setup is currently 100% paper/films, and I feel it has done me very well. I have followed "The Method" in my honing (aka set a burr on one side, set on the other, and start to balance it out), with very acceptable results, though I know nothing different.

With the film progression I utilize any where from 250-1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper, and then 1800/4k/8k/14k/60k lapping films. I have dedicated 4"x12" tiles from Lowes for each film, and directly adhere them to these tiles, and use simple hydrostatic pressure for the sandpapers. I added some rubber bands to the sand papers to help prevent edge curling, and then added them to all tiles to help with stacking when finished (it prevents the abrasive surfaces from touching the tile stacked above).

20210320_173318.jpg

Let talk about the pass razor. I snagged a brand new Gold Dollar P81 aka 1996, from a prime online retailer. I received it with generous coating of machine oil all over it, which was clean off easy enough. The initial edge was better than the 66 I have, but not surprising now where near "shave ready". I butter knifed it on the back of one of my honing tiles and then set to work.

To set the burr I typically utilize a push/draw stroke (see gif) until things feel right when testing the burr. While doing this initial set I do like to use marker to see where things are hitting. For this razor I started at 1000 as it seemed pretty geometrically correct.

20210321_103539.jpg

20210321_103606_1.gif

After ten passes I checked the marker and noticed the toe wasn't hitting perfectly, so I added in a few X-passes/windshield wiper passes in the set, which cleaned things up. I made sure to add a few of these in in all subsequent sets in the progression. I also noticed a small ding in the heel of this blade, and felt at the end of 1k balanced laps that it would be worked out by the end of the full progression.

20210321_103814.jpg

On each film I did an initial set of laps, and then checked on the edge and chip. Most had a follow up that made me feel satisfied with what could be done at that grit. Total time was probably 90 minutes until I felt it was ready for the strop. Just to check my work I actually lathered my check and ran a single XTG pass, which said to me "yeah I would shave with this". Dried her off did a final few strop laps, packed it up and sent it off. Can't wait for the feedback from @uacowboy

20210321_115144.jpg

------Full Count of Laps per film-------
-1k Burr Set = 30-ish total draw/push passes per side (yes "ish" lost count while finding the feel on this)
-1k = 60 initial laps, 50 follow up == 110 total
-1800 = 60 initial laps, 30 follow up == 90 total
-8k = 60 initial laps, 20 follow up == 80 total
-14k == 100 laps total
-60k == 100 laps total
-Cowhide Strop == 50 laps total (10 laps after testing)
 
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