lets have a new razor thread.

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Oh that's just from a razor pinning kit from Maggard - 1/16" brass rod, small washers for the outside, big washers for inside if you need them.
 
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My current razor rotation. Razor on top has custom horn handles, made by me. Both of them have pivot pins instead of rivets. Redrilling the holes was major pain, some drills died, but it was totally worth it. Tightness is easily adjusted and I can take them apart and clean when I want to. Imo this is much better than normal rivets.

I usually finish sharpening on fine nakayama, then 2-3 passes on crox strop to deburr. I have tried shapton glass 30K, 10K naniwa and 12K naniwa. Didnt like any of them. My full sharpening progression: 1K bester, 4K takayuki sakai, okudo suita, nakayama asagi. I use 1K only when I need to set the bevel.

I use combination of linen and leather for stropping. Few pases on linen, 40 passes on leather.
 
Now im looking for a japanese straight razor!

can you guys recommend were to get one? I see many work with replaceable razor...id like to sharpen my blade
 
I see NOS kamisori on the auction site all the time, have a look there. Foltest's kami looks NOS, really nice!
 
Here are my razor strops. Vintage RW Sunasack and a Red Imp. The Sunasack was very dry and I oiled it out of fear that I would loose it if I didn't. I don't think it had many miles on it, it was just old. It keeps getting better. The linen side of it is also getting better as the natural oils have started to burnish and develop a gloss. The Red Imp is a newer to me strop. Very fast and slick. The linen that came with it was married to it some time in the past. It has been treated with something feeling like a varnish. Whoever did it made the hardware for it from a Hills Bros coffee can circa late thirty's early forties as near as I can tell. I end up in the same place with either set. The Imp is kind of stiff and fast with both leather and linen while the other one is supple with a heavy draw.

 
Dude those Red Imp strops are one of my favorites. If I didn't already have a shell strop, I would probably be looking for one of them. NOS ones come up every now and then on the auction site.
 
What is the linen strop like that came with the Imps. Them two sets of mine are just complete opposites of each other in feel. The linen with the Sunasack is very supple. The one that is paired with the Imp is thick, heavy and treated with something making it really slick.
 
I know some linen strops were treated with a type of wax straight from the factory, a "silk finish" as some labeled it. Users might then put their own pastes on it, like green, red and white compound. If the Imp linen is really thick, it might be filled with a cotton liner. Check out this vintage firehose linen strop I'm saving for a rainy day. It's got that liner, and it gives the strop a very substantial and slightly cushioned feel. I haven't used it yet but I assume it's like honing on a cloud. The other linen here is the one I use on the back of my current strop, and it is much more supple with no liner and a tighter weave.

Both of these were soaked many times in almost boiling water with oxiclean, which inadvertently removed the factory wax and some labels :/

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That is a really interesting linen, hadn't seen the liner before. Not sure on the effects of tighter vs coarser weaves either. There may well be one though.

Linen flax suitable for strops seems to be a thing of the past, even the flax canvas water bags are no more. I should probably pick up some of the older fire hose when I come across it.

This company is doing some interesting work with Kangaroo tail strops on knifes, which is kind of odd seeing a hanging strop used with a knife.
 
I have one of SRD strops, kangaroo and linen. these were actually quite cheap when they were available. very good quality imo. i can see no shortcuts taken. SRD also had the real hand american cro-ox 0,5 microns.

If i was to get a new strop i would probably get some dovo, they are cheap and no nonsense and i guess they work very well. since they have been making razors for some time now. so they should know.
 
I have a strop from scripleworks.com 2.5" wide. It is really nice, but since I was learning on it, it got sever cuts on edges until I found technique that works for me. I will keep using it, but will eventually get a wider one (so that full length of a straight razor fits on it). They also offer for a fraction of a full price "seconds" which one can get for learning or for travel. I got one too and gave it to a friend of mine who is like me also a beginner with straight razors.
 
A different question - do you guys have experience with Naniwa SuperStone 5k? I got one with the base (had to order from Japan) as I was told that the one without the base deforms when dry/wet. But I found out that mine does too. I only use it for razors, but it feels like it has different shape every time - very easy to see when I try to flatten it with a 1200 Atoma. Plus the stone loads surprisingly fast. It feels nice when freshly lapped with a little slurry, but that does not last long.

I am now considering to get a 2k, 4k and 8k Shaptons Pro. Th 5k Naniwa is sometimes just too slow if the edge needs a little more work.
 
it might or might not be beneficial to have a full width one. i mean it can warp widthwise. when you use it.
 
Matus said:
A different question - do you guys have experience with Naniwa SuperStone 5k? I got one with the base (had to order from Japan) as I was told that the one without the base deforms when dry/wet. But I found out that mine does too. I only use it for razors, but it feels like it has different shape every time - very easy to see when I try to flatten it with a 1200 Atoma. Plus the stone loads surprisingly fast. It feels nice when freshly lapped with a little slurry, but that does not last long.

I am now considering to get a 2k, 4k and 8k Shaptons Pro. Th 5k Naniwa is sometimes just too slow if the edge needs a little more work.
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all ss stones warp, you have to flatten before each use (these are **** stones). the higher grits are less affected though. i have not seen my 12k warp. but i dont soak it either. its flat as a mirror.

a good combo for pro stones would be 2/5/12k
and for glass 2/6(hc preferably)/10k and NOT the 16k. the 16 k is mixed grit from 2 to 16k but the 10 k is only 10 k powder.

i have most pro and glass stones and i think pro or glass 2k // then 5k pro/6k glass // 12k pro is a good combo. make no mistake the 12k pro is a very fast stone for its grit. and you can even do 1k to 12k with it, no problem.
 
But there is one stone that is better than both the SS12k and pro 12k , or maybe its not better it it gets **** much much sharper. and its the spyderco UF.

all UF stones come slightly warped though, and its not worth it to fix it since you will waste 2-3 dmts on this.

i simply took a white sharpmaker rod and smoothed the surface out heavily handed (the UF has lots of stray particles on the surface) and then its good to go. and you also need to chamfer it of course.

this makes a true mirror finish. unlike the ss12k and the pro12k. this is one whole step up. but since it a sintered stone its non porous and clogs extremely fast. but it gets sharp as hell, you dont a need a strop after this.
 
inferno said:
all ss stones warp, you have to flatten before each use (these are **** stones). the higher grits are less affected though. i have not seen my 12k warp. but i dont soak it either. its flat as a mirror.

a good combo for pro stones would be 2/5/12k
and for glass 2/6(hc preferably)/10k and NOT the 16k. the 16 k is mixed grit from 2 to 16k but the 10 k is only 10 k powder.

i have most pro and glass stones and i think pro or glass 2k // then 5k pro/6k glass // 12k pro is a good combo. make no mistake the 12k pro is a very fast stone for its grit. and you can even do 1k to 12k with it, no problem.
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Didn't someone reach out to Shapton and Hap Stanley they both said that listing saying it's mixed grit is wrong?
 
Glass 16k is not a mixed grit, but it is quite difficult to understand and use. The surface is hard to condition as well.
Dictum put some strange info on this about grit, never knew why on grit and it was never backed up by knivesandtools or by Shapton. But I do understand the idea. If used incorrectly, it will scratch the blade like crazy. I would say similar to other finishers like Yellow Lake.

Those hanging Dovos are really soft and not very likeable. I'm not aware of variations. Could be some.

Shapton Pros don't stay true flat as well. There might not be an improvement over SS regarding this. There is much more to talk about SS, since I had this weird behaviour where the 12k didn't warp at all on me, but it does for so many.
What I like is Hayabusa/Fuji duo or Glass series. Maybe 4 or 6k HC in this instance.

Best experience with electric razors I had with Philips since 2002. Everything else proved bad for me. Might work for others though.
 
Matus said:
Thanks @inferno but I actually do not plan to go past 6k or 8k on synthetics as I switch to natural stone(s) after that.
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then the 6k hc is a good choice (or 8k hc) but you are then already quite mirror and i kinda doubt you will add anything to it with naturals.
 
kayman67 said:
Glass 16k is not a mixed grit, but it is quite difficult to understand and use. The surface is hard to condition as well.
Dictum put some strange info on this about grit, never knew why on grit and it was never backed up by knivesandtools or by Shapton. But I do understand the idea. If used incorrectly, it will scratch the blade like crazy. I would say similar to other finishers like Yellow Lake.

Those hanging Dovos are really soft and not very likeable. I'm not aware of variations. Could be some.

Shapton Pros don't stay true flat as well. There might not be an improvement over SS regarding this. There is much more to talk about SS, since I had this weird behaviour where the 12k didn't warp at all on me, but it does for so many.
What I like is Hayabusa/Fuji duo or Glass series. Maybe 4 or 6k HC in this instance.

Best experience with electric razors I had with Philips since 2002. Everything else proved bad for me. Might work for others though.
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many people are reporting of trouble with the 16k and it being a mixed grit stone pretty much explains all their problems so i'd guess it actually is.

pros maybe not stay true but you dont need to soak them either. probably all stones that go from dry to wet will warp somewhat. i mean why not?

i think the hibiki line is good if you like soakers. i dont think they wear at all, ever. gave both to my father...
 
Thanks for all the info guys. I plan to go with splash and go for razors. My main candidates are Shapton Pro and Glass snd after reading half of Internet I came to the conclusion that I might prefer Pro over Glass. Now you tell me that Pro will warp too. I read that Glass has a very weird feedback.
 
inferno said:
many people are reporting of trouble with the 16k and it being a mixed grit stone pretty much explains all their problems so i'd guess it actually is.
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Because it's not an accurate explanation. If I manage to get my microscope going again, I will show you the differences.

This reminded me just how many people hate another fine stone, the Suehiro 20k, while others love it. That 20k has its own debate about swarf and how to handle the surface.
 
Matus said:
A different question - do you guys have experience with Naniwa SuperStone 5k? I got one with the base (had to order from Japan) as I was told that the one without the base deforms when dry/wet. But I found out that mine does too. I only use it for razors, but it feels like it has different shape every time - very easy to see when I try to flatten it with a 1200 Atoma. Plus the stone loads surprisingly fast. It feels nice when freshly lapped with a little slurry, but that does not last long.

I am now considering to get a 2k, 4k and 8k Shaptons Pro. Th 5k Naniwa is sometimes just too slow if the edge needs a little more work.
Click to expand...

I have a set of the older super stones (Specialty stones; I don't think there is any difference). I have 1k, 5k, 8K and 12K. I haven't noticed any significant warping. Although... I think I had to spend a bit of time flattening them when they were new. I don't soak them - they are splash and go. After using them I wipe them down so that they are only damp (not dripping), let them air dry over night and then store them.

True... they are slow. Before using the stones I flatten them which also refreshes the surface. In the beginning they cut fast but as the swarf breaks down they seem to get finer and (much) slower. Going slow with razors probably isn't a bad thing. The high grits (including the 5k) can produce quite a bright polish. The feed back is smooth. If the surface is overworked and a too much pressure is used it might feel more gummy.

Being a good consumer and doing research is in your best interests but I can suffer "paralysis by analysis". I didn't shop around and to do back to back comparisons - so take my impressions with that in mind. It probably doesn't matter what synthetic you buy so long as the manufacture is reputable, the grit falls where you expect it and you learn to use it.
 
There are people that use only 8k SS and strop after. I've been hunting for a long time for as many different ways as possible, that people use and like, to test them for myself.
They get a bright edge that shaves nicely and it's all they require. But I guess it's a matter of habit, razor, need and so on.
Most stones will work in one context or another. What I've seen is that some are just easier and this makes them better, but in a very different way than most anticipated.
 
@Luftmensch Are your stones the 20mm version or the thin 10mm? The only grief I've gotten is from a thin one. Of course, the thick ones are bound to become thin ones, eventually...

***

From removing a few off their integral bases, I figure the way the glue is applied is part of the issue; most likely if Naniwa spread a layer of glue to bond the entire underside, they couldn't warp in weird, funky ways.
 
Maybe one should do as Shapton did with their glass line - glue the stones to a thick piece of glass, or a floor tile or similar. The plastic base on the SS stones has little chance to withstand the tensions produced in the stone when it changes temperature or absorbs some humidity.

Maybe I will go with the Glass stones after all. They cost the same as Pros and I care little ablution the difference in thickness as I will use them only for razors.
 
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