First Real Honing Success

[dabrock]

So today I received my NOS TI Petit Francais from Fendrihans and was surprised at how small it really was. It's listed as a 1920's razor so around 100 years old, which is kind of nice. The edge wasn't particularly great with several spots that wouldn't bite into a tomato skin so I put it on the 12K and worked it for several pyramid cycles (20, 10, 5 laps per side). I was careful to make sure the edge stayed clean and straight and was finally able to pass the tomato skin test. I then did some work on the Imperia as a finishing stone and finished with a chromium oxide pasted linen strop.

After this, it was able to pass the HHT and I did a quick test shave on a spot on my neck and it was smooth and shaved to a BBS on my neck without much effort.

Overall, I'm very happy I was able to get this up to shave-ready state and not roll the edge or damage the razor. I guess all those hours on the GDs were well worth it.

 

[rbscebu]

Congratulations!

Remember that by stropping on Cr2O3 you now have a convex bevel. If you later decide to refine this edge on diamond pasted balsa stops, you will first need to hone the convexity out of the bevel.

 

[dabrock]

Yeah, I just got my paste yesterday. I think I'll use my Best Quality to start with that. I'll need to refresh the edge first.

 

[Jakebullet]

Brilliant well done. Getting your first great edge is like the first time lighting a fire. It’s a ‘woohoo!’ moment, it’s elemental. Now you’ve learned it you can properly maintain your own shaving kit, it’s a great thing.
Learning to hone at first means you have to fight through months of rubbish shaves and frustrations so we’ll done for persevering. It’s all plain sailing from here.

 

[dabrock]

Brilliant well done. Getting your first great edge is like the first time lighting a fire. It’s a ‘woohoo!’ moment, it’s elemental. Now you’ve learned it you can properly maintain your own shaving kit, it’s a great thing.
Learning to hone at first means you have to fight through months of rubbish shaves and frustrations so we’ll done for persevering. It’s all plain sailing from here.

Thanks! I noticed that as soon as I got that first success it was like the first good shave with an SR, the rest just fell in line. I've now sharped 3 GDs that came in the mail with far from acceptable sharpness up to shave-ready in under an hour for each. Getting that first success showed me that I have the basic technique and now I'm just refining it to get a better edge each time. Definitely a rewarding pursuit!

 

[bluesman 7]

Its hard to imagine a more intimate connection to steel, stones, and leather, than straight shaving.

 

[dabrock]

Its hard to imagine a more intimate connection to steel, stones, and leather, than straight shaving.

Don't forget blood!

 

[Wid]

Congrats, it gets easier from here.

 

[dabrock]

Congrats, it gets easier from here.

It certainly does, I'm eager to start working with my better razors when they start to dull a bit more. I'm thinking of trying a corti edge on one and an ILR edge on another to compare.

 

[Empire straights]

Brilliant well done. Getting your first great edge is like the first time lighting a fire. It’s a ‘woohoo!’ moment, it’s elemental. Now you’ve learned it you can properly maintain your own shaving kit, it’s a great thing.
Learning to hone at first means you have to fight through months of rubbish shaves and frustrations so we’ll done for persevering. It’s all plain sailing from here.

I agree, each of those skills a person strives for and achieves in teaching themselves will give a sense of independence and self sufficiency that's unmatched. Once i decided to stop paying for things i can build or pay people for things i can do my entire life changed. I was raised that way but didn't live that way when i first was on my own, but once i had kids that changed. Now i just bought a house and property to raise livestock, grow a huge garden, build a forge and kiln and im going to practice my leatherworking more until im proficient. Learning to hone razors can be the first step on that road.

 

[Empire straights]

Its hard to imagine a more intimate connection to steel, stones, and leather, than straight shaving.

It's incredible how you get to know the materials on an elemental level. An amazing pursuit if i do say so myself..