Barber hone expirement

[jj_sharp]

Since late last year, I have given a gold dollar 66 3 laps on the edge, and three on the spine. So far so good. I use lather on the stone. I strop 25 laps on leather after each shave. I shave every day, 2 or 3 passes.

I have a small chip on the edge, I am monitoring to see how long it takes to remove the chip.

I am trying to figure out if I wasted money on the Norton 4/8k....when I already had the barber hone.

If I learn anything, I will try to remember to update this thread. The expirement could take a long time.

 

[Mr Kooby Shemayrew]

Can you post a picture of the chip?
And maybe post updates periodically with updated pictures?
A pic of the barber hone would be nice too.

 

[Legion]

I'm trying to work out what you mean by 3 laps on the edge, and three on the spine.

 

[jj_sharp]

I'm trying to work out what you mean by 3 laps on the edge, and three on the spine.

Currently, I am doing 3 x strokes every Saturday. Then I shave without stropping. I strop after shaving. After 3 months, the chip is still on the edge.

I also grind 3 laps on just the spine of the razor. It is thought that the gold dollar may have a thicker spin than needed. I may stop the spin only work as I don't think it will be effective.

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

Was the Gold Dollar honed when you got it?

So, you do 3 laps a week, on which stone?

Why don’t you strop before and after shaving?

If you are happy with your shaves, rock on…

 

[SliceOfLife]

You are shaving with a large chip in the edge... and without stropping.

Eventually you're going to shave with a sharp razor and what a day that's going to be for you.

Would you be ok if before surgery the surgeon showed you his uncleaned, chipped scalpel and told you he was doing an experiment? Stop torturing your face.

 

[JPO]

What is the goal here?
Why don't you just hone and remove the chip?
It takes a significant amount of time to thin the spine enough even if you use a diamond plate.
At this rate using a barber hone it will take years.

 

[jj_sharp]

I am surprised by the interest in this expirement.

1. I strop after each shave. But I have not been stropping after honing (3 x strokes per week with lather). I may start stropping after honing, as I can feel a small difference.

2. I honed the razor myself, years ago, on the Norton 4/8k.

3. Why do this? I am trying to determine if spending a lot of money on the Norton waterstone was a waste of money. If some years from now, the razor still works properly, then I am going to conclude that for me, the waterstone was not worth the 70 or 80 bucks that I paid for it.

4. The chip is barely visible. It is not large, and I don't notice it when shaving. I am using the chip to understand how much metal is being removed.

5. The hone is marked Zenith Razor Hone.

 

[SliceOfLife]

A chip that is barely visible to the naked eye is quite large when we are talking about a razor edge. If you catch it at the wrong angle, it'll slice your cheak/neck open like someone went at you with a boxcutter.

 

[psfred]

Barbers used those hones for decades back in the day. the advise my brother and I got is to use often with only a few strokes and strop properly -- won't remove much metal on the fine side, it's really only going to keep the edge, not make it.

I inherited a couple Panama hones from my Grandpa (probably via my great Uncle, grandpa didn't use a straight razor) and I may try them someday after I retire. I'm not up to using a straight razor at 5:30 am getting ready for work.

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

So, you are shaving with a Gold Dollar with a chip, honing 3 laps a week on a barber hone, because you want to save Gold Dollar steel, not stropping before shaving, and are happy with your shaves?

And your question is, did you waste money buying a Norton 4/8k stone?

Yea, probably.

 

[SliceOfLife]

I do want to make clear we're not trying to be jerks about this; but if you're not noticing a very sizable difference in shave on shaves you stropped vs ones right off the stones; there's something seriously wrong with your edges.

A razor edge direct off a stone is going to be much duller and more irritating than after a proper stropping. If that's not the case; that indicates your edges even after stropping are that bad; not that your edges pre-stropping are that good (this is a common mistake many new straight shavers make... "My edges are so sharp I don't even have to strop!").

Few things to ensure:

1. Get a finished razor from someone with experience so you know you have something sharp. Guys around here will often volunteer to sharpen a razor for free for new users if you pay shipping both ways and the razor isn't in terrible shape/needing a ton of restoration.
2. Hone the chip out of your razor and then refinish it.
3. Let us know what your strop is. Some cheap "strops" like some "razors" aren't really doing what they're supposed to. Stropping on a pair of jeans or newspaper is better than some of the cheap strops that are sold. Best to know what you've got.

Once you've got a solid, good shaving edge... then experiment away with your barber hone. If you haven't got the perspective of what a sharp razor should feel like, you're not really going to learn much by shaving with a dull one for months/years.

 

[Gamma]

I'm sorta waiting for Rod Serling to step into the frame and say...

"submitted for your approval, the case of the Norton combo vs the barber hone. Is it a fair match? Was the Norton a waste of money? Will the barber hone rise above? He will tempt all fates by shaving with a chipped razor endlessly into the cold, gray dawn of The Twilight Zone."

 

[SliceOfLife]

It's not a shaving instructional video!!!! It's a cooking channel!

 

[jj_sharp]

1.25 years × 52 weeks/year x 3 laps per week
About 200 laps.
The chip is gone

Commentary and more info...
15 or 20 minutes at one sitting would have been smarter.

My Barber hone removes a lot of steel.
I see no need for any other stones.
I get no irritation when shaving.
I did get a few nicks, perhaps from the chip.

It seems for me, 3 laps a week is way more than needed. Stropping was on clean leather.

I did once send razors out for professional honing. I could not tell the difference. I am probably not able to tell the difference between a great edge and my edges.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[LJS]

If it works for you, then it works for you. For most folks, that would not yield the shave they want, but it’s your face. I don’t find 99.9% of barber hones useful for nice shaves regardless and would rather just use the old Norton 4/8 over any of them…..not that I really like that stone combo either, but you certainly could have removed that chip and made a straight shaving edge with it quickly vs the barber hone.

 

[jj_sharp]

I cannot tell differences in edges from one stone to another. I get the feeling I am rare on B&b in that respect.

I used a Norton 8k razor today, and I think it does shave closer, comfort was the same.

 

[Frank Shaves]

The reason for 1k, 4k and 8k stones is to take a dull as a butter knife edge to sharp enough to shave with or better yet to put on a 12k stone in 30 to 60 minutes. If you have nothing else to do, in theory you could just use the barber hone. Depends on how much time you have.

 

[psfred]

I flattened the coarse side of one of my two Panama hones -- at least for now with the texture from the 325 grit DMT plate, it's pretty fast and will restore a dull razor in a reasonable time. Probably slow down a bit as it smooths out, but other than removing chips it looks like it would be a bevel setter stone.

The fine side is much smoother, will see sometime if it will pull a good edge from a razor honed on the coarse side, but I suspect it will. Well known for being quality hones back in the day.