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1st straight razor hone!

I got a GBS straight razor kit for Christmas from my wife. Many in this forum have identified it as a Gold Dollar razor etched for Gents Barber Shop & Spa. This this comes NOT shave ready. The 120# & 240# stone it comes with does absolutely nothing to get it ready. You can get the kit for $50- At any rate, I honed it on Shapton 1k, 5k, 8k, 12k, and a 15k finishing stone.

The purpose for tonight’s honing was to see if she’d shave. The razor is a 7/8” & did take a nice mirror edge. To the naked eye, I can see the tiniest nicks (gaps) in the edge itself. Also, on the heel and toe, the luster isn’t quite uniform with the rest of the bevel. I just shaved with it- I washed my face, no shower- and went straight to the shave.

The steel thickness or quality suggested that thicker blades are a little more forgiving? That was my impression anyway. I stropped it- I wouldn’t call it BBS, it’s not even a damn fine shave. It’s a shave- my skin is smooth, but against the grain tells a different story. I can partially attribute that to not showering which is ideal- I also know this isn’t a quality razor- yet the shave was extremely comfortable & it was only my 4th ever straight razor shave.

Moving forward, should I take this back down to the 1k & see if I can try to set the heel and toe a little better in the bevel? Or should I just do some time with patience in “X” strokes throughout the progression?

This razor was VERY comfortable considering the sheer lack of quality, and I don’t know how long it’ll keep an edge- but I’m willing to use this as the sacrificial learning razor- any recommendations moving forward?

Thanks in advance!
 
To the naked eye, I can see the tiniest nicks (gaps) in the edge itself. Also, on the heel and toe, the luster isn’t quite uniform with the rest of the bevel.

If you can see the smallest nicks in the edge with a naked eye then they are considered huge!
Using a naked eye only to critique a straight razor edge is not going to get you far.
If you drag your razor over a moistened fingernail you will feel those nicks. The fingernail test must be practiced and that is for a near finished edge. The ball of the finger or thumb is used to test a finished edge.
Some magnification will pay huge dividends when learning. Do yourself a favor and by a decent loupe so you can see what is going on.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
I got a GBS straight razor kit for Christmas from my wife. Many in this forum have identified it as a Gold Dollar razor etched for Gents Barber Shop & Spa. This this comes NOT shave ready. The 120# & 240# stone it comes with does absolutely nothing to get it ready. You can get the kit for $50- At any rate, I honed it on Shapton 1k, 5k, 8k, 12k, and a 15k finishing stone.

The purpose for tonight’s honing was to see if she’d shave. The razor is a 7/8” & did take a nice mirror edge. To the naked eye, I can see the tiniest nicks (gaps) in the edge itself. Also, on the heel and toe, the luster isn’t quite uniform with the rest of the bevel. I just shaved with it- I washed my face, no shower- and went straight to the shave.

The steel thickness or quality suggested that thicker blades are a little more forgiving? That was my impression anyway. I stropped it- I wouldn’t call it BBS, it’s not even a damn fine shave. It’s a shave- my skin is smooth, but against the grain tells a different story. I can partially attribute that to not showering which is ideal- I also know this isn’t a quality razor- yet the shave was extremely comfortable & it was only my 4th ever straight razor shave.

Moving forward, should I take this back down to the 1k & see if I can try to set the heel and toe a little better in the bevel? Or should I just do some time with patience in “X” strokes throughout the progression?

This razor was VERY comfortable considering the sheer lack of quality, and I don’t know how long it’ll keep an edge- but I’m willing to use this as the sacrificial learning razor- any recommendations moving forward?

Thanks in advance!
Newbie Honing Compendium
 
If you can see the smallest nicks in the edge with a naked eye then they are considered huge!
Using a naked eye only to critique a straight razor edge is not going to get you far.
If you drag your razor over a moistened fingernail you will feel those nicks. The fingernail test must be practiced and that is for a near finished edge. The ball of the finger or thumb is used to test a finished edge.
Some magnification will pay huge dividends when learning. Do yourself a favor and by a decent loupe so you can see what is going on.
+1
 
Yup, moving the apex of your edge around in really good light should show essentially nothing on a good edge. If you see little glints of light here or there, its chips or flaws.

Keep at it, you will only get better!
 
If you can see a nick with the naked eye then you'll need to take it back to bevel setting stage. You have the shapton glass stone 1k HR series I presume. I have that stone as my bevel setter. The bevel setting should probably take around 80% of your honing time depending on the blade. Make sure you flatten the stone before each bevel setting session.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
If you can see a nick with the naked eye then you'll need to take it back to bevel setting stage. You have the shapton glass stone 1k HR series I presume. I have that stone as my bevel setter. The bevel setting should probably take around 80% of your honing time depending on the blade. Make sure you flatten the stone before each bevel setting session.
I just replaced my 1K King with a Shapton. Lapped it this AM and will be setting a bevel tonight. Can’t wait.
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
I am sure you will have more successful and speedy bevel setting with the Shapton than the King. Me, I would have gone with a Chosera or at least a SuperStone, but mostly I use sandpaper or 30u film. The Shap will gitter done though, without the constant lapping demanded by the King.
 
I just replaced my 1K King with a Shapton. Lapped it this AM and will be setting a bevel tonight. Can’t wait.
Please report back I have a King KDS 1k/6K that needs lapping after every razor and sometimes during a honing session. I was thinking about replacing it with a DMT 1200 but that Shapton is on the list as well.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
The Shapton performed beautifully. Not nearly as soft as the King which is the reason I got it. Plenty of swarf from the steel but no noticeable slurry from the stone. I can recommend it.
 
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