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18 Days Straight Razoring

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Developing your own edges is all part of the fun of SR shaving.

With your CrOx pasted strop, I would worry about cross contamination between the pasted side and the "clean" side. You might consider getting yourself another separate strop and keep that new strop clean on all surfaces and well away from your pasted strop(s).

You really don't want any CrOx particles included in your final clean-leather stropping. This also means that you will need to thoroughly clean your SR between pasted stropping and clean stropping. Once a paste has found its way onto a strop, it is there for life and cannot be fully removed.
 
The Jung needs heel correction and may have other issues as a result, the Gold Dollar, typically have tons of issues and will need repair before they can be honed.

So, what is the brand of the new razor. Post a photo of it both sides to ensure that it also does not have issues that require repairs.

Which brand of hones are you using, have they been lapped, how?
I'm using inexpensive Amazon brands -- sharp pebble. I lap them before honing with a lapping stone.

Help me out here are you saying the Gold dollar is not honed?
 
Developing your own edges is all part of the fun of SR shaving.

With your CrOx pasted strop, I would worry about cross contamination between the pasted side and the "clean" side. You might consider getting yourself another separate strop and keep that new strop clean on all surfaces and well away from your pasted strop(s).

You really don't want any CrOx particles included in your final clean-leather stropping. This also means that you will need to thoroughly clean your SR between pasted stropping and clean stropping. Once a paste has found its way onto a strop, it is there for life and cannot be fully removed.
I clean the blade in between sides. And another stop is on order.
 
Developing your own edges is all part of the fun of SR shaving.

With your CrOx pasted strop, I would worry about cross contamination between the pasted side and the "clean" side. You might consider getting yourself another separate strop and keep that new strop clean on all surfaces and well away from your pasted strop(s).

You really don't want any CrOx particles included in your final clean-leather stropping. This also means that you will need to thoroughly clean your SR between pasted stropping and clean stropping. Once a paste has found its way onto a strop, it is there for life and cannot be fully removed.
That's what I thought I was doing -- creating my own edges.
In my long life I have trained myself away from perfectionism... I admit I'm sensing some of that in this thread and at the same time I'm open to learning.
 
I'm using inexpensive Amazon brands -- sharp pebble. I lap them before honing with a lapping stone.

Help me out here are you saying the Gold dollar is not honed?
I had one of those, a 3k/8k combo. The grit ratings were more like suggestions. The 3k side was actually decent but it was closer to 1k, maybe lower actually. Notably coarser than my Sharpton1 5k. The 8k side kicked up rogue particles...i can't recommend it for razor honing. There are better options that won't break the bank.
 
I don’t know the status of the Gold Dollar, but typically they have issues. They can be repaired and made to shave well, but if you want to learn to hone, learn on a well ground razor.

Later you can repair razors and hone them, not now.

What is the brand of the new razor, post photos both sides of that razor and if it is ok, we’ll learn on that one if it is a good candidate.

You need to lap your stones on a diamond plate or a sheet of 220. Lapping stones are messy and a pain to use. They create so much slurry the slurry washes off the pencil and you can easily, falsely believe your stone is flat, when it is not.

You can buy a good 400/1k diamond plate online for about $30 or use a sheet of 220 wet and dry.

Do not worry about paste now. First lap your stones and get the bevel set on the 1k.

They are not the best stones, but you should be able to get a shaving edge on a decent razor.
 
I had one of those, a 3k/8k combo. The grit ratings were more like suggestions. The 3k side was actually decent but it was closer to 1k, maybe lower actually. Notably coarser than my Sharpton1 5k. The 8k side kicked up rogue particles...i can't recommend it for razor honing. There are better options that won't break the bank.
Understood. I expect over time I'll expand my collection of stones as I expand my collection of razors. For right now, going by what I see under a loop between stones, though the numbers might not be exact, the grit is monotonically increasing.
 
Oh, and that little rub stone is just to condition the surface and/or raise slurry. It won't flatten the surface. You really need to get it reasonably flat, a diamond plate or wet/dry on a known flat surface as mentioned above.

There's another fellow here that has gotten decent results with the Sharp Pebble...and I actually got edges I could shave off, once I had a better handle on the process. I think the biggest challenge was erasing the "3k" scratches in the bevel.
 
I don’t know the status of the Gold Dollar, but typically they have issues. They can be repaired and made to shave well, but if you want to learn to hone, learn on a well ground razor.
It shaves wonderfully.

Later you can repair razors and hone them, not now.
I am currently using 5 of the seven razors I've accumulated and honed -- I like them all. And so while I'm still here, I'm baffled why I'm so happy with what I've done so far based on this thread.

What is the brand of the new razor, post photos both sides of that razor and if it is ok, we’ll learn on that one if it is a good candidate.
Leymiga
Photos soon.

You need to lap your stones on a diamond plate or a sheet of 220. Lapping stones are messy and a pain to use. They create so much slurry the slurry washes off the pencil and you can easily, falsely believe your stone is flat, when it is not.
I'll stick with the lapping stone for now... not a perfectionist here, I'm actually an artist -- its all grey to me.

You can buy a good 400/1k diamond plate online for about $30 or use a sheet of 220 wet and dry.

Do not worry about paste now. First lap your stones and get the bevel set on the 1k.
It was actually more of a crayon... I would not use it if it did not improve things and it is improving things.

They are not the best stones, but you should be able to get a shaving edge on a decent razor.
 
Oh, and that little rub stone is just to condition the surface and/or raise slurry. It won't flatten the surface. You really need to get it reasonably flat, a diamond plate or wet/dry on a known flat surface as mentioned above.

There's another fellow here that has gotten decent results with the Sharp Pebble...and I actually got edges I could shave off, once I had a better handle on the process. I think the biggest challenge was erasing the "3k" scratches in the bevel.
Again I'm mystified, I get wonderful shaves with what I've done.
 
Ok, I'm done, It's clear now why there is warnings about honing discussions pinned to all the topics.
I'm not a perfectionist, I have nothing to prove here and though I was going to try to learn here, I recoil from perfectionism.

We're talking about making a working razor sharp edge on a piece of metal. I am 100 percent results driven.. meaning whatever method used to achieve the results it's the results that matter.

I resist rigid process and did that all my working life, What I have right now is a good enough process to get a great shave --

Thank you all I know you all have the best intentions and please don't be offended by my remarks.
 
In my long life I have trained myself away from perfectionism... I admit I'm sensing some of that in this thread and at the same time I'm open to learning.
Edges don’t need to be perfect but they do need to be good. As you gain honing experience, your definition of good will probably change.

I’m still fairly new at honing, but I’ve seen steady improvement over the past few months. What was good to me in the summer would be mediocre at best now. What’s good now would have been perfect a couple months ago. A perfect edge now is wowwwww… I’m sure it will be different next year.

Do what works for you and stick with it. There are lots of ways to get to the finish line. That being said, I highly recommend heel corrections for virtually all razors. I think I’ve done it to every single one of mine. It makes a huge difference.

It's clear now why there is warnings about honing discussions pinned to all the topics
🤣🤣 welcome to B&B!
 
Oh, and that little rub stone is just to condition the surface and/or raise slurry. It won't flatten the surface. You really need to get it reasonably flat, a diamond plate or wet/dry on a known flat surface as mentioned above.

There's another fellow here that has gotten decent results with the Sharp Pebble...and I actually got edges I could shave off, once I had a better handle on the process. I think the biggest challenge was erasing the "3k" scratches in the bevel.
It's a lapping stone. All you really need is two stones rubbed together long enough and they will both become flat.
And I know it is flattening because I watch the progression of where and when the pencil lines get removed.
Does it achieve optical flatness? No it becomes flat enough.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
@smorgana, I am not offended at all by your posts. The main thing is to do what gives you the result that you are happy with. Some chase perfection others are happy with what they achieve now.

If you feel you want to improve your honing technique, that is when you should start asking questions in the B&B honing forum.
 
Edges don’t need to be perfect but they do need to be good. As you gain honing experience, your definition of good will probably change.

I’m still fairly new at honing, but I’ve seen steady improvement over the past few months. What was good to me in the summer would be mediocre at best now. What’s good now would have been perfect a couple months ago. A perfect edge now is wowwwww… I’m sure it will be different next year.

Do what works for you and stick with it. There are lots of ways to get to the finish line. That being said, I highly recommend heel corrections for virtually all razors. I think I’ve done it to every single one of mine. It makes a huge difference.


🤣🤣 welcome to B&B!
thank you, everything you said is spot on
 
Ok, I'm done, It's clear now why there is warnings about honing discussions pinned to all the topics.
I'm not a perfectionist, I have nothing to prove here and though I was going to try to learn here, I recoil from perfectionism.

We're talking about making a working razor sharp edge on a piece of metal. I am 100 percent results driven.. meaning whatever method used to achieve the results it's the results that matter.

I resist rigid process and did that all my working life, What I have right now is a good enough process to get a great shave --

Thank you all I know you all have the best intentions and please don't be offended by my remarks.
No worries. If you are getting shaves that make you happy, that's great. I too learned honing and shaving at the same time, and it was fun to watch both get better as I progressed.
 
Ok if that is your best edge, there is a lot of room for improvement.

It will be easier to hone a well ground razor, not the Jung and not the Gold Dollar.

The Leymiga is a razor shaped object and likely not properly heat treated.

What else do you have to learn on?

I know you say your are getting good shave, but there are light years from your edges and what is possible.

Are you saying you “lapped” the stones with a slurry stone?



Here is an enlargement of the heel of the GD, the toe is worst.

QD X2.jpg
 
Ok if that is your best edge, there is a lot of room for improvement.
Of course I've been doing this 18 days.

I don't want you to invest any more of your time with me here. I've bailed on the learning attempt here because I'm just not compatible with the method. Thank you for your time.

It will be easier to hone a well ground razor, not the Jung and not the Gold Dollar.

The Leymiga is a razor shaped object and likely not properly heat treated.
Makes me happy I get such a good shave from it.

What else do you have to learn on?
Over time I'll hone my honing process with all my razors

I know you say your are getting good shave, but there are light years from your edges and what is possible.
And yet it is not nescessary to travel those light years. My edges are good enough, this is part of why I'm not compatible with this effort. Over time my edges will get better.

Are you saying you “lapped” the stones with a slurry stone?
no certainly not.

Here is an enlargement of the heel of the GD, the toe is worst.

View attachment 1542800
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
18 shaves in? Self honing? Good edge? Good shaves? Well, then. You are not spoiled yet! Lucky you!

In truth, it is all about satisfying yourself. But eventually you will almost certainly get the bug to start optimizing your honing game and chasing the dragon. It happens to most of us, anyway. For now, if you are a happy shaver, no need to change anything just yet, if you don't want to. Your face, your razors.

I will say this, though... most of the advice given here will help, some more so than other, and all was given in the hope of improving your shave even more.

When I first started to catch on to honing, and finally got that horrible Dovo Best to shave without feeling like a medieval torture device, I was delighted. My shaves were now GREAT, (relatively speaking) after years of terrible. I thought that's all there was. This was before Al Gore invented the internet. Then after that, I learned that the big giant slab of rock I picked up in a hardware store in Mexico was not the state of the art for making razors sharp, and I learned to use the Naniwa SuperStone progression. WOW... NOW my edges were even better, I could hone a razor found in the wild in an hour instead of a month, and I thought I had reached the upper limits of sharpness. But, gradually I learned to use those stones more effectively, and to be more meticulous and nuanced. NOW I got it, right? Then, there was lapping film. At first, yeah, nice. But gradually I adapted to the new medium and improved my film honing technique. Most of these improvements were suggested by others in the straight shaving community. Then I started hearing about pasted balsa for finishing. After finishing in that medium for several years now, I think I have reached the physical limits of sharpness in steel. Or have I? Probably so, but from past experience, I know that there is probably some little improvement I can make, to eke out just a teeny weeny bit more cutting power and smoothness. And nearly everything was learned, from someone else, offering advice or suggestion. Some of those well intended bits of advice didn't work for me. Some did. Some formed the basis for my own experimenting and further improvement. By the time I found this forum, I had pretty much come to realize that there is a lot of knowledge out there that I would do well to incorporate into my skill set.

You are just starting out, and getting satisfying results, and getting bombarded with information. It is a reasonable plan, just going at it as you are, without subscribing to any more experienced shaver/honer's style. Just realize that there IS improvement to be had, when and if you are ever ready to absorb it into your repertoire.

The dragon has stopped, and waits for you in yon grove of trees, swishing his tail around, toasting mushmellows in little belches of his flaming breath and eating them, grinning, leering, teasing you. Your willpower is solid as a rock, but the dragon beguiles the most cold and soulless of us all, eventually. You will give in, and then you will be glad that you did.
 
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