ShavingUniverse.com

Register a free account now!

If you are registered, you get access to the members only section, can participate in the buy & sell second hand forum and last but not least you can reserve your preferred username before someone else takes it.

Update on my shaving

chefdemarty

Active Member
Hi everyone. It's been a while since I put finger to key board. Thought I would just give an update on my straight razor shaving. Been using a straight every shave since christmas & now I feel quite competent in using a SR. So much do that I now have 5 beauty's. My latest addition is a 1916 wade & butcher. I have been over the moon with the shave I get from thus old girl. It is far better than I have been getting with my Dovo inox. I am still quite nervous about honing & most Likely I haven't honed my other Razors to a level to compare as yet. The SRD strop I got from Gary a while back has helped me improve the edges on all my Razors but I still think I am not getting the best from the others. Any honing/ routines that anyone could advise on would be most thankfully received. To Anyone just starting out on straight razor shaving keep at it & I can assure you it gets better & better the more your confidence builds. I never thought I would get the hang if using a open blade on my face now I even use both hands. All I need to complete the whole circle is to master honing.
I currently have
Dovo envogue 105
Dovo Bismark
Dovo inox 4/8 french point
Wade & butcher special
Wade & Butcher (barbers notch)
Cio for now all
 
Hi Martin,

If you want to learn how to sharpen your razors, you obviously are going to need one (or more) hones. There are many options, of which the use of a Coticule is the best documented on this website. But there are many other options. The actual choice is one of a personal nature.
Do you already own hone(s) at present?

Kind regards,
Bart.
 
Hi Bart. Yes I have a Norton 4000/8000 also a 6000 grit naniwa. I have honed but I font feel I'm getting the require level of sharpness. I know that there's loads of info on Yout tube but you can't beat being shown.
 
I was hoping someone would have chimed in with more experience on the Norton 4K/8K, but it looks like you're stuck with me. And I have only a very brief experience on that hone.

Nonetheless, I am sure that very good results can be obtained from it. A couple of years ago, half or more the US community of straight razor users was shaving with edges honed on the Norton. The key to razor sharpening, is as you probably know, a good bevel. The deal is to take a razor, preferably one with a full hollow grind, dull it by running it edge down over a beer bottle and then work on the 4K till the razor shaves arm hair extremely well. With extremely well, I mean just that: extremely well. Try to really maximize it, by making ultra light strokes once you think you're done. As long as you're not quite sure that the 4K can do no more, stay at it. Of course, one has to stay reasonable, there is no reason why a razor must become smaller to become sharper. Think about it: even on a really dull razor, the most up front part of the edge can eventually be made sharp. It does not need to be honed back. If a razor starts to become smaller during a sharpening job, there is definitely something wrong.
With that said, one the razor shaves arm hair with great ease, it's time for the 8K. I would give it 30 laps. If the 8K glazes a bit, don't look at that as a bad thing. It'll slow down the. hone and therefor make it capable to deliver a finer edge. K have read recommendations to stay honing on it with light laps till the stone has dried till merely a damp state. It's something definitely worth trying.

Don't be afraid of a bit of test shaving. There's always time to go back to the 8K for a more laps, before the next shave.

One final tip: stropping never hurts. I don't know how important it is after the Norton, but it won't harm the edge at all to strop 60 laps on a good linen and 60 on leather.

Kind regards,
Bart
 
Just so you know Bart, Martin is not totally left in the wilderness here, we have corresponded through email, after Martin took up our free honing offer :thumbup:

I dont have a huge amount of experience on the Nortons either, I do know that setting the bevel on the 4K is very time consuming, and that shaving off the 8K is less than fun unless the edge is absolutely spot on, even then I believe the shaves will be ok, and not magical, better results can be got by going onto Diamond sprayed strops (Which Martin has) and doing 5 or 10 maximum laps, or indeed another suitable finishing hone which of course there is a world of choice.

I have had some very nice shaves by first setting the bevel on a 1K, then doing 60 laps on the 4K, 30 on the 8K, and 10 on the Balsa Crox, using increasingly like strokes as I work my way through, then stropping 60/60 on clean cloth and leather.

Best regards
Ralfson (Dr)
 
tat2Ralfy said:
I dont have a huge amount of experience on the Nortons either, I do know that setting the bevel on the 4K is very time consuming
Well 2 guys who don't know the hone that well getting into an argument about it, then. :D :D

The 4K feels unpleasantly gritty to me, but if you use it with its own abrasive slurry, it will match the speed of a faster Coticule. Of course, one has to switch to water and lowest pressure to get the maximum sharpness out of it, but I bet that someone who's willing to figure it out, can do a good job on the Norton 4K.
The 8K is much smoother and nicer than the 4K (no surprise) and again, with the right tactics and tricks, I know for fact that it has the potential to surprise many. Don't forget that most information on the Internet is highly biased by:
1. people who want to sell fancier and more expensive tools.
2. people who bought that stuff and are reaffirming themselves for making "the right choice".
That's how you must read 90% of the information you find on "forums".

I say, that with the determination to do so, many guys can do better with the tools they already own. I'm generally speaking. You don't need a fancy frying pan to bake a perfect steak. Stick with what you have and learn how to use it, will in many cases do more for improving results, than changing the gear, provided of course that the gear is up to the job. But I believe a Norton4K/8K is up to the job for sharpening a razor.

tat2Ralfy said:
shaving off the 8K is less than fun unless the edge is absolutely spot on
That sounds pretty familiar to me... and equally true for the Belgian hones in every way. :D

I'm not saying that Martin won't enjoy to use a Coticule. But I'm not going to tell a guy who has trouble with getting a great shave off a Norton 4K/8K, that buying a Coticule is going to miraculously solve the problem. (Not that I believe you told him that) I can understand how someone might think, "Damn. That Coticule honing sounds like more fun than the hone I bought. Maybe I made the wrong choice when I bought it". But that's not the same as saying that he can't get a very good shave off his Norton, given proper skills and knowledge.

Unfortunately, I'm at a loss providing the exact information, concerning the Norton.
That's why I hoped more Norton experienced guys would have shared their knowledge in this thread.

Kind regards,
Bart.
 
I tried to respond a couple of times last night, but the software kept eating my posts... Ugh

So, I am no Norton 4k/8k expert, but it's the hone I started learning on. Bart is right, you can get delightful edges off of them, but like a coticule, it takes practice and learning how to get the most out of it in order to accomplish that. His advice on how to use it reflects techniques that worked for me. The honing until dry technique worked well too. What I did, when time to finish, was to wet the stone and wipe the excess water off with my finger, and make very light (almost less than the weight of the razor) perfect x strokes until the stone was completely dry (usually 10-15 strokes, if my memory serves me correctly)

If it were me, I'd go read through SRP's threads to find out the best advice on the norton, and I would come here for coticule information. There are no better sources of information at their respective specialties that I have found
 
^^^^^^^

What they both said ;)

I hadnt even considered using slurry on the 4K, and have never managed a delightful shave off the 8K, I would bet Garnets that the 4K on slurry will cut very fast indeed, and that delightful shaves are possible off the 8K too, I do have rather limited experience with the Norton.

And the best bit of advice as I see it is to spend time with the stones you have, it often takes more experience than one would think to get the most out of hones.

Regards
Ralfson (Dr)

P.S. oh apart from the obvious "Arguing" joke hahaha
 
If you cover the shipping costs, Ralfy, you can have a go at this stuff:
[c]
nortons.jpg
[/c]
 
Thank you for the kind offer Sir Robin
However I prefer a much simpler set up ;)

Kind regards
Ralfson (Dr)
 
Thanks for that information Bart. I should have updated this thread. Ralfy had been really helpful with some great advice. I will be sending him my Bismark for honing so I can will be able to use it as a bench Mark. I cant believe how much information & expertise there is on this forum of which I am sincerely grateful. The while honing part of Straight razor shaving worries me somewhat as j really want to be self sufficient but I would hat to mess up a razor through ignorance. Ideally I would love to be able to sit along side an experienced honer & learn properly.
I can't thank everyone enough for freely giving some great advice.

Marty
 
I forgot to ask in my last post. A slurry was mentioned. What slurry stone would be ok for use with the 4000 grit. The only ones I've heard mentioned are Nagura.
Thanks again


Marty
 
You could use that 6000 you have for creating a slurry on the 4000. You'd end up with some kind of mixed slurry, but that won't do harm, it just might be a bit slower than pure 4K slurry. Alternatively, also piece of wet&dry sandpaper will work. (use 300 grit or so).

Kind regards,
Bart.
 
My very first hone was a norton 4k/8k. you can get a good shave of the 8k . i have, not always but the 8k gave me a surprise many of time. your 4k has to lapped untill its smoother in use.the 8k is smooth and nice to work on. have you tryed the pyramid honing? You have to be shave ready at 8k level . the paste will make a nice diffrance if and only if you can get a good shave of 8k. e same wth a coticule after 8k it only works if your 8k level is good.

gary
ps as ralfy is honing you a razor on a coticule. if you want i could hone a razor for you on my 4k/8k to the best i can. then you can compare that to the 4k/8k you are using.
 
all thisx talk of nortons has made me get mine out. I have just shaved with a razor i completed earlier today. It was fine but there are coure differences with approach.

A coticule for me is a one stop shop. Using unicot is easy, dilacot needs more practise. I do not use any additional finishing stone just linen and strop (TI paste is the only abrasive i use)

In the past I have followed various sets of advice including the pyramid method. All work but more attention is required when moving between 4k and 8k. I also did more stropping than i would normally do

However with practise a good shave is obtainable,

The reason i went to coticule was that it was a single stone, i did not have to soak it in water and did not need to change stones

It is all a matter of choice in the end.
 
Hi Gary. I would very much like to see what difference there is with both stones. I will be sending my razor to Ralfy on Tuesday so I would like to take you up on your offer if that's ok. I have a Dovo envogue that can send you fit honing.
Thanks Gary
 
pedalpowersailing said:
all thisx talk of nortons has made me get mine out. I have just shaved with a razor i completed earlier today. It was fine but there are coure differences with approach.

A coticule for me is a one stop shop. Using unicot is easy, dilacot needs more practise. I do not use any additional finishing stone just linen and strop (TI paste is the only abrasive i use)

In the past I have followed various sets of advice including the pyramid method. All work but more attention is required when moving between 4k and 8k. I also did more stropping than i would normally do

However with practise a good shave is obtainable,

The reason i went to coticule was that it was a single stone, i did not have to soak it in water and did not need to change stones

It is all a matter of choice in the end.


Hi Tim .
The coticule advantages are many.
As said you need just one stone.Due to non pores does not keep metal. Uncommonly flattening.You can choose any size and shape.But the top advantage is that it gives the most forgiving ,smooth and friendly edge for the human skin.
Best regards
Emmanuel
 
chefdemarty said:
Hi Gary. I would very much like to see what difference there is with both stones. I will be sending my razor to Ralfy on Tuesday so I would like to take you up on your offer if that's ok. I have a Dovo envogue that can send you fit honing.
Thanks Gary

yes mate post it out to me at the barbers shop,125 sneinton dale,sneinton, nottinghamm,ng2 4lw.

I'll put the best edge i can o your razor using the 4k/8k.

gary
 
Hi Gary.

I will post razor for you tomorrow mate.

Many many thanks

Regards

Martin

Ps will put return postage in the package
 
Back
Top