Touch Up Routines

[mjclark]

I'm very interested in when people choose to touch up their edges (with CrOx etc) as part of the maintenance routine.
I've got six shaveable straights which I'm rotating and it's very tempting to just touch each one up before every shave, but I guess this is unnecessary wear and won't allow any of the edges to settle in.
Or is it better to just keep using the blade with no maintenance other than normal stropping until it becomes duller and then touch it up only when required?
How do others play this?

 

[gumbo]

20-30 extremely light strokes on a Thuri or 50-100 passes on a transluscent arkansas.
But there are dozens of effective ways to touch up. You just have to find the one that works for you. That sounds easy but in reality it can be quite complex. Some people choose based on effect, some people choose based on enjoyment, others choose just to try new things, and still some choose because of come combinations of those three.

I use a thuri because they are like honing on velvet and because the edges are fool proof. But I also use the ark because it's new to me and I love the look of it and the keenness it provides.

If you are using a finisher (8K and above), you don't really need to worry about wear, unless you plan on living to 1000.
If you strop well you won't need to touch up every shave - while beard toughness and other variables will factor in, generally you can get 5-10 shaves off of the stone just with stropping. But if you're like me and I'm sure many other stone-addicts, you will touch that razor to the hone at unnecessary times just to scratch the itch.

 

[Marco]

Every 4/5 shaves I touch up my razors on my Coticule. I do about 50 light X strokes on water, followed by about 50 super light X strokes under running water. After that 60/60 Linen/Leather.

 

[Steve56]

My routine is very similar to Marco's, but I'm using Japanese naturals. So about 50 light strokes/ellipses with slurry diluted to maybe 25% of "normal" followed by about 50 very light with slurry diluted to the point it's hard to tell it isn't clear water. Depending on the stone (if it is not really hard), maybe another 20 with clear water. Then linen and leather.

This may sound like a lot, but with highly diluted slurry and very light pressure, it isn't that much.

Cheers, Steve

 

[Chaloney]

It's possible for some to go weeks to months with just stropping. When I just had one razor is go 3-4 weeks of daily shaving. Now I have 4-5 razors so I've lost track of how many shaves. Between touch ups on the hone

 

[jpcwon]

But if you're like me and I'm sure many other stone-addicts, you will touch that razor to the hone at unnecessary times just to scratch the itch.

+1!! I often find myself unnecessarily touching up razors as I just enjoy using my stones.

For a touchup routine, I usually always use slurry. Whether it's with a Tomo on JNAT, or coticule or Escher, I always start with a misty slurry and do 30-40 x strokes. (with JNAT I wait till the slurry breaks down).... I usually will then dilute down to slurry-tinged water and do another 30-40 strokes. I then strop 30/60 linen/leather...

 

[alpster]

I use all synthetic stones and one of the reasons I bought a super high grit finisher (20K Suiehero) is so I can give my blades a few light strokes before stropping and it satisfies my need to hone without wearing out my blades. LOL

 

[TheLegalRazor]

I've tried various touch up routines over the last 3 years. I have a very tough beard. Right now I'm giving one razor 15 laps on CrOx/felt after ever shave to see how many shaves it goes before I have to go to a Naniwa SS 12k touch up. I strop 30/60 on linen/leather before every shave. There are no absolute rules on this. Read what others do to get ideas. Try various ways and develop whatever routine works for you.

 

[Gamma]

If I want to touch up an edge - I generally start on Mejiro slurry and then progress forward.
I don't always do that, but it's what I would choose to do more often than not.

 

[Alum of Potash]

Lately, I've been doing 3 laps on crox followed by 5 on linen with white paste followed by 60 on Walkin' Horse horsebutt. This has kept my l'il Shumate's Barber going for almost two months now. For a step-down from this, I'll move to a hand-held Dan's 4" x 2" true hard Ark with oil, followed by a hanging strop with ferox.

 

[shakin_jake]

I'm very interested in when people choose to touch up their edges (with CrOx etc) as part of the maintenance routine.
I've got six shaveable straights which I'm rotating and it's very tempting to just touch each one up before every shave, but I guess this is unnecessary wear and won't allow any of the edges to settle in.

~~~~ummm...I dunno...no real rules here, depends on a few variables

Or is it better to just keep using the blade with no maintenance other than normal stropping until it becomes duller and then touch it up only when required?

~~~I've always admired Slash for being out spoken and speaking quite frequently about this topic, and how he does his touch ups, which is after every shave. Slash hones using lapping film and does his touch ups on a pasted strop, in a progression IIRC, or maybe he has one pasted strop he uses. None the less, he touches up after every shave so the edge doesn't fall off

How do others play this?

~~~Since I hone primarily using coticules I use my coticules for touching up the edges, and how often depends on the blade and how I like to keep it. My last two shaves I have been using this vintage Bismarck

I did the touch up two shaves ago so have been shaving on this touch up twice and using the coticule bout in the photo, a la petit blanche. the way I prepare the hone for the touch up, using this particular hone, I'll wet both the bout ad the slurry stone, rub the two together for an extremely light amount of slurry, a very light misty slurry, and the only reason I'll slurry this stone for a touch up, I find this particular stone likes just a touch of slurry to get the razor to bite or cut some

That said, I've done touch ups using this hone and razor w/o slurry using oinly straight water on the surface, and it will cut, but putting just a tiny bit of slurry will really get the stone cutting, due to the increased garnet content. Some will tell you, and they're right, that any time you have slurry on a coticule, you will wear the edge and spine more than if you hone w/o any slurry, and I agree completely. My tests and observations have borne this out. Still, I like to start most touch ups with a bit of cutting action though I'll keep the garnet amount down to a point where the slurry starts the touch up but quickly fades away through dilution (adding water)

With a small hand held stone like this one I like to do an x stroke of sorts but they will sway. I've also been doing semi elliptical circles and find that works quite well. it's tough to give a number of circles or x laps. Completion is determined by feel

How often I'll do this, between touch ups, it really depends on the steel, how the prior honing was done. I have a couple of blades I just got back from Gary Haywood, both Solingens, one of which is another vintage Bismarck, this one-

I've shaved with it 6 X's and the edge is just as sharp as the first with it. I've been stropping before shaving then I check HHT before every shave as I want to see how long this edge will last. Every time I check which has been every shave, I'm seeing HHT4 all up and down the edge, so no need for a touch up

Having said that, I don't check HHT before each shave on razors I hone for myself. More often than not I check HHT when I think I'm done honing to see what I have, and that's the last time I check HHT, unless it goes through a full honing again and never checking HHT on a touch up

I have a couple of Sheffield blades that seem to hold the edge longer than most Solingens I shave with but I don't see touching up any of my blades as a chore. I'm into the shaves as an enjoyment and keeping the edge tuned is most enjoyable for me. keeping the edge touched up goes hand in hand for my shaving enjoyment



Best,


Jake
Reddick Fla.

 

[Steve56]

There seems to be a pattern emerging for those that touch up on stones. Compared to a honing sequence, touching up (or I might suggest final finishing) seems to involve a larger number of light to very light strokes, with thin to very thin slurry.

Works for me.

Cheers, Steve

 

[mikeadams]

For me, when the razor starts tugging a bit, I do about 10 strokes on a lathered barber hone, then strop as usual.

 

[SliceOfLife]

I've only "touched up" a handful of times. I usually refinish my razors to try a different finish on them long before they require a touch up.

The handful of times I did touch up, I usually just did a few passes on thin slurry (on the finisher that I had used before) followed by a few passes on water.

 

[Bayamontate]

As recommended to me by Gamma, I now start at Tsushima toishi with Tsushima nagura followed by whatever particular finisher I'm in the mood for with Mejiro, Koma and Tomo. This works very well.

 

[Steve56]

Just for info, in a conversation with Jarrod Connerty at TSS, he said that he maintains his razors with a coticule and water. I assume he means clear water and no slurry.

Cheers, Steve

 

[Doc226]

I used to kill the edge on glass and hone on tomo slurry, dilute once and finish on a hint of slurry or water alone.

Laterly I have been doing something similar but instead of dulling on glass I have been "joining" the edge as per Alex's method and then finish as I just stated.

Simple, very quick, works great as the entire edge is brought up on just tomo slurry. Takes about 5 minutes.

 

[mjclark]

I used to kill the edge on glass and hone on tomo slurry, dilute once and finish on a hint of slurry or water alone.

Laterly I have been doing something similar but instead of dulling on glass I have been "joining" the edge as per Alex's method and then finish as I just stated.

Simple, very quick, works great as the entire edge is brought up on just tomo slurry. Takes about 5 minutes.

Great replies!
Why do many dull the edge first on glass etc?
And what is the "joining the edges" method?

 

[Doc226]

Dulling it and bringing back just means that the new edge is one you just created.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...d-look-at-the-Iwasaki-honing-guide?highlight=

 

[mjclark]

Dulling it and bringing back just means that the new edge is one you just created.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...d-look-at-the-Iwasaki-honing-guide?highlight=

Ok that makes sense and thanks for the link

So what about wedges then? I'm a bit confused about them.
If they've been honed with the spine taped, presumably the touch up will only be effective if the spine is retaped but that seems like hassle, and also you may not know how much tape was used if you didn't set the bevel yourself.
And do you keep the tape on for a balsa strop but remove it for a hanging strop? Surely you don't have to retape every time you strop a wedge :what: