Whisky and hones

[Jakebullet]

I last honed my small (8 razors) rotation several months ago and while everything is still shaving very well, I felt a need to refresh everything to feel brand new edges again.
I have a routine where I hone certain razors on certain stones so I stuck with that today.

I flattened the four stones I would use on a diamond plate.
These were a Welsh slate 15k, a jnat kitta, a small Welsh slate 12k and a coticule.
I poured myself a glass of Talisker 18 year old scotch whisky and got started.
On the 15k Welsh slate I honed my Shuredge 5/8ths (about 30 laps under trickling water until the razor stuck to the stone).
On my jnat I honed Henckels Friodur 17 1/2 and my Thomas Turner 5/8ths. (50 laps each on slurry).
On the 12k Welsh Slate I honed my Gold Dollar and on the Coticule, (about 40 laps under trickling water)
I honed my ELSINE 7/8ths and Bengall near wedge.
All felt good so I just need to strop these guys on linen and leather and try the shave test for each.
I find the honing very relaxing, I enjoy the whiskey and the million year old scent of the slurry

 

[Christian1212]

Haven't been in the whiskey game long. I like Clyde May's rye or makers mark normally. Started making my own old fashions which are nice on occasion.

I am jealous you can go so long without the urge to hone your razors haha, awesome stones.

 

[Jakebullet]

You make your own? I’d love to make my own though I’d probably blind and poison myself.
I had a shave with the 15k slate honed razor this morning and got such a great shave. It had probably done 8-10 shaves since the last touch up but today was such a big improvement, makes me wonder why I’d left it so long between honings.

 

[Empire straights]

You make your own? I’d love to make my own though I’d probably blind and poison myself.
I had a shave with the 15k slate honed razor this morning and got such a great shave. It had probably done 8-10 shaves since the last touch up but today was such a big improvement, makes me wonder why I’d left it so long between honings.

Just dump your first jar out so you aren't drinking methanol.

 

[Mountain Grown]

Four Roses was my bourbon of choice for these two Bokers this weekend. This was touch up with my Naniwa 12K superstone and finished on the Suehiro Gokumyo 30K. Fine drink and sharp edge.

 

[Jakebullet]

Four Roses was my bourbon of choice for these two Bokers this weekend. This was touch up with my Naniwa 12K superstone and finished on the Suehiro Gokumyo 30K. Fine drink and sharp edge.

Whisky, stone and steel just go so well together.

 

[Empire straights]

Whisky, stone and steel just go so well together.

Do none of you gentlemen drink scotch. 18 year old Glen is hard to beat.

 

[zenex]

Whisky, stone and steel just go so well together.

Not always (about stone, a lil' bit later).
I use to pour myself a finger of two of palinka (moonshine) when I start preparing stuff in the kitchen. "Cheers!" once, "Cheers!" twice...until one day I managed to cut my finger while cutting an onion. It can happen to anyone, right? Well, the more you drink, the less control and coordination you have in your hands.

Stropping, sharpening and honing razors need a hand as steady as possible. Alcohol does exactly the opposite. You can sit on your but on the couch half-drunk and eat popcorn and watch TV without much damage. But if you get up and start manoeuvring a sharp thing (a knife or straight razor) things can be tricky, because the brain/mind is more or less foggy.

I'm not some anti-alcohol preacher, far from that. I sometimes enjoy a beer or a glass of wine in the evening. I slurp some palinka/schnapps while I cook. I indulge myself in a finger or two of whisk(e)y when I smoke a cigar.

I wouldn't drink before driving, shaving and honing straight razors.

 

[Jakebullet]

Do none of you gentlemen drink scotch. 18 year old Glen is hard to beat.

Which glen you like best? I like the 18 year glenlivet though my favourite Is probably the glenfiddich, though there are many other glens out there which I haven’t tried.

 

[Empire straights]

Which glen you like best? I like the 18 year glenlivet though my favourite Is probably the glenfiddich, though there are many other glens out there which I haven’t tried.

I usually drink the green bottle glenlevit(like once or twice a year) because it's cheaper but probably the 18.

 

[thp001]

For scotch nothing comes close to Laphroaig imo.

 

[buca3152]

Kentucky straight bourbon for me. If I had to take a long journey and could only bring one brand (not one bottle lol) Old Forester 1920. Honing is too fast an activity for me to need to drink. I can hone a razor in under 10 minutes. But I can drink for hours. Lol.

 

[Empire straights]

Kentucky straight bourbon for me. If I had to take a long journey and could only bring one brand (not one bottle lol) Old Forester 1920. Honing is too fast an activity for me to need to drink. I can hone a razor in under 10 minutes. But I can drink for hours. Lol.

If I had to pick one, it comes in a Mason jar. Outside of that scotch is like apple juice. Bourbon reminds you that your alive and I'll always have a soft spot for well done bourbon. Especially homemade.

 

[buca3152]

If I had to pick one, it comes in a Mason jar. Outside of that scotch is like apple juice. Bourbon reminds you that your alive and I'll always have a soft spot for well done bourbon. Especially homemade.

I've been known to my friends to describe good bourbon as f-ing poundcake. Lol.

 

[Jakebullet]

It’s been about 6 or 7 weeks since I started this thread and last honed my razors. Lately I’ve noticed an ever so slight dulling to the six I’ve been mostly using. There’s nothing like a freshly stoned razor so I decided to pour another scotch and take them all back to the stones, this time with a bottle of Talisker 10 year old for company.

So again the Shuredge went to the large 15k Welsh slate. My method is the same with this stone, to hone under trickling water until the razor sticks. But after 100 laps, no sticking, then after 130 no sticking. Then suddenly from nowhere the razor stuck absolutely fast to the stone and wouldn’t budge. This stone has done this to me several times before so I took it as my cue to stop.
Had a sip of the Talisker, what a beautiful peaty, smoky briny scotch it is.
Next I took my Gold Dollar to the small piece of 12k Welsh slate. This time after just 4 passes the razor began to stick, and after 15 passes and zero pressure the razor wouldn’t budge a millimetre. So again I stopped.
Next the coticule on which I honed first my ELSINE. The coti, though small is normally fast and is usually done by 25 laps under running water but tonight it took closer to 100.
It’s usually the same thing, I see a sudden brightening of the edge then it begins to stick like mad.
My Bengal near wedge however, took around 40 laps before sticking.
Finally my last two razors to my Kitta jnat.

I use the jnat in the conventional way, tomo slurry with a milky consistency. My carbon steel Thomas turner first. After 50 or so laps I felt a smoothness appear so stopped there.
My 7/8ths stainless Friodur was next. This time i made a thinner slurry. After just 30 laps the slurry began to grey a little and arch he same time the smoothness kicked in so I stopped there.
Tomorrow I’ll strop them all 40 on linens and 60 on leather and report back.

 

[Jakebullet]

Well the jnat honed Thomas turner shaved like a dream but the 15k slate edged Shuredge wasn’t too comfortable this morning. It shaved well enough but not at its usual laser beam efficiency. I have to go back to the stone and the Talisker with this one. Ah well, every cloud has a silver lining.

 

[Jakebullet]

today I shaved with the Henckels Friodur with a fresh jnat edge.
I lathered with Trumper shaving cream which came yesterday. It’s got a classy mild scent and makes a great slick lather.
When a razor is good I can tell immediately and as I slid the razor down my face on pass one I was smiling. The razor performed really well and gave me a great shave and the soap stayed right with me to then end giving me a great cushion and slickness for every pass.

 

[Empire straights]

I love smokey single malts and thoroughly stoned razors. To me it seems scotch and razors are always better with 2 rocks.

 

[Jakebullet]

I’d honed these two razors yesterday. A Shuredge 5/7ths and a Turner & Co 5/8ths on a jnat Kitta. I didn’t do the best job, I think I left the slurry a bit thick so had another go tonight.
Every cloud has a silver lining and tonight that lining came in the form of a bottle of Lagavulin 8 year old. I’ve always loved the 16 year old, recently tried a bottle of their 10 year old on a trip to Dubai and so was very pleasantly surprised to see this on the shelf of my supermarket today.
This stuff is really nice.
It’s a lovely peaty, smoky delight and at 48% vol has a lovely fiery kick.
Did I get a better edge on these two tonight? Who cares?