Rehoned my str8s to a new level of smoothness

[alexo]

I bet most of you know this but I finally honed my str8s using the full Livi method:

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXkjXfuNbpg[/YOUTUBE]

I always did it except the step where you run the edge of the blade against the edge of the stone. This time I did it, honed on my films and the the shave was so smooth it was a real joy. I guess I had some tiny dents that had to come off and simply honing the razor didn't make the change.

 

[bradyarz]

i saw this once before. very interesting.

he seems to be very rough on the razors though. i've never seen any other videos quite like it. do you really have to beat the edge into submission like that? the message i've taken away from other honing videos is that it's a delicate process that needs a steady hand and experience to do it right. he seems to be going at it with abandon.

can anyone explain?

edit: and what does running the edge of the blade on the hone like that do? my best guess is perhaps removing some sort of wire edge, but i really have no idea. it seems like you'd be undoing a lot of work, but i'm sure there's a good explanation.

 

[wdwrx]

he really is spanking that strop.

The only explanation I have is that he's made a career out of straight razors, so he can make it look easy, and he can get away with things I never could.
I run into this at my job all the time. After 20 years as a carpenter, there are things I can do that Joe Homeowner never could (or not without 20 years of practice). Do something long enough, and you quickly learn the easiest, most effective way to get a job done.

Now if I could just learn to hone a razor in 2 minutes or less....

 

[alexo]

The following models are exaggerated but should clarify:

The first stage is to flatten the edge. If not done, the edge will be sharp but with teeth.
Once the edge is flat, it can be honed to a smooth edge.

Edit: Look at the video, at 0:22 for the first stage.

 

[richmondesi]

I do this everytime I hone a razor (unless it's just a touch up). Nice illustrations

 

[ouch]

I don't think he's using enough pressure.

 

[professorchaos]

I have two Livis and didn't really care for the original edge on either of them. In no small part because I don't care for CrOx's feel. Took some work, but each is now superb.

 

[bradyarz]

can anyone tell me what stones those are? i don't know enough yet to identify by looks. also, does the dragging-the-edge method necessitate a crox finish, or are those two separate methods that happen to intertwine in this video?

 

[Sparq]

Do I have hallucinations or is the spine way up in the air on those stones?

 

[SliceOfLife]

Is that final stone a Trans Ark or some kind of synth that looks like one?

Interesting method. Definitely faster than what I do. But I'm with Chaos, Chrox edge was never to my taste.

Dragging the edge doesn't require a chrox finish, but what it does require in my experience is a TOTAL rebeveling afterwards, usually with a little pressure on the edge to reclaim the angle there (or a LOT of passes without pressure). I find that dragging the edge does give my finished razor a quick boost in performance on thicker grind razors, where fixing microchips without doing it requires again, a LOT of passes. On full hollow grinds however, I tend to not do it, as they hone so fast that my usual honing is fully capable of removing the microchips without it.


I dont think the spine is up. It's just a huge razor with a very thick spine.

 

[gary haywood]

My livi razor razor was perfect edge. I have ben using barts new method with back and forth strokes all the way untill the end. there is pressure used and then finished with light pressure . it seriously works. Lynn does similar yhing with circles. plus light pressure

 

[Woodash]

Well, he clearly does not subscribe to the 'flip-the-razor-between-thumb-and-forefinger-when-stropping-on-palm' theory.

Interesting, but I found it a little difficult to watch....

 

[Thebigspendur]

Like everything else there are people who use unorthodox methods or even proscribed methods to do things yet get fantastic results. It's a matter of experience and expertise.

 

[Pete_T]

The guy who posted the video says what the stones are-


"MastriLivi:

he uses the japanese stone 300/1000/3000 .
Belga and Arkansas stone
but for a simple and continue honing, you need only a 3000 stone and a strop. "

Id guess the yellow 3000 stone is a naniwa. Don't know who made the orange/blue combo stone.