(12-28-2015, 02:53 AM)Old_Hiker Wrote: I've recently started to use a straight razor. I keep track of how many shaves I put on a DE or SE blade and now, too, on my one and only SR. I've got 29 three pass plus touch ups shaves since I got the razor last month. It still shaves close but I'm beginning to feel a little tugging. I've got some CrOx paste and a Naniwa 12k coming in tomorrow. I want to maintain my edge as long as possible between hones. My questions are: Is it too soon for me to start maintaining the edge? Do I use either the CrOx or the 12k exclusively to start? If so, which one is preferred? Or do I use them in concert with each other? Sorry for the noob questions in this thread, but I saw the above quote and felt the need to reach out.
~~~speaking strictly for myself, you can start learning how to hone a straight razor whenever you feel like it. I've read others advice where they felt you need to learn how to shave using a straight razor, and once you learned how to shave with it, then begin the learning process, required to hone a blade, if that's what you want to do. Again, speaking for myself, I never saw any wisdom in the latter, and that's not to disparage their advice, but to me, saying you have to learn how to shave with a straight razor before learning how to hone it might be akin to saying, you have to listen (and memorize) a guitar song, before you learn how to play the guitar. To me, the two tasks are exclusive, of one another. I met a man once that had a medical condition where he was not able to grow hair anywhere on his body. True story! he worked at a Best Buy in Gainesville Fla. I was in there making a purchase, and noticed that he not only didn't have any hair on his head, he also didn't have any eyebrows, so I asked him about his lack of hair and he was quite forthright in answering me, about his medical condition. Not that he'd ever need to use a straight razor, but if he wanted to learn how to sharpen one, would he first need to learn how to use the straight razor? I think I made my point
As to whether or not use the 12000 grit syn hone before the cr0x pasted strop, or vice versa, most that use pasted strops use them as a touch up aid, in between using hones, to sharpen up the edge, but there are those that will use the 12000 grit hone you mentioned in place of a pasted strop, between a full thorough honing.
As far as preference goes, try experimenting. There are no hard and fast rules unless one wants to get picky about how the edge was crafted in the first place, and if the 12000 grit synthetic hone would benefit the edge, due to what grit the edge saw last...IOW, some might feel if the edge was finished with an 8K syn hone, then going to a 12000 grit hone might be too big of a jump, though very few (I'd imagine) would say that, but some might feel best to go from 8 K to 10 K before jumping to 12000. I would have to defer you to conduct your own trials and errors to find out for yourself
I'm not much of a synthetic stone fan when it comes to straight razor edges, preferring to shave using natural stone edges. That said, I respect those that craft and use synthetic stones, to shave from. Sorry if it sounds like I'm going off into the deep end when I say this but about 7+ years ago I got involved in the hobby of making espresso at home. One of the people I listened to that I respected told me once, "never let anyone tell you how to drink your coffee" I think we can apply that same adage to how to shave and sharpen your razor
Anyways, a fellow natural stone honer sent me an edge, on a razor I sent to him, where he first used a coticule to bring it to HHT4 after stropping. he then took that edge to a 12000 grit hone for 10 very light passes (Naniwa Superstone). that same edge then went to a strop pasted with red Dovo paste (on the rough side of leather, 10 laps), then onto a smooth leather strop pasted with black Dovo paste, again, 10 passes. I still have and shave with this edge...it's (the razor) one of those under $5 shipped to your door Chinese straight razors (Gold Dollar #66). This razor/edge is one of the nicest shaving edges I ever had the pleasure to shave with. FWIW, after I shave with this edge, I strop it on a leather strop I have pasted with black Dovo paste, for maybe 5 to 10 laps, then the next time I go to shave with it, I just strop it on plain leather, about 40 laps to straighten the edge, then I shave with it
Gary sent another blade back to me (one I had sent him with the Gold Dollar) where he honed it on coticule to an HHT4, then it went to the Naniwa 12000 for 10 very light laps, and that was it. That razor also shaves nice, not quite as sharp as Gold Dollar that had that treatment + the red and black Dovo passes, and a third razor with a straight HHT4 coticule edge.
All three shave nice, now it's hard to rate the edges since all three blades are different metal (different manufacturers, with slightly different grinds), but I can discern the edges for what they are, or how they were sharpened, especially knowing which edge was honed in what fashion
Anyways, getting back to your touch up questions, try touching up the edge first (if you haven't already done so) using the Cr0x only. Do 5 passes on Cr0x and shave with it, certainly no more than 10, to start out. Cr0x pasted strops can liven up an otherwise fairly healthy edge in no time flat, and you can get too sharp with Cr0x, if the edge is decent to begin with, now you could try shaving with that edge as is, doing no more Cr0x edge touch ups, and wait until it begins to tug again, then try taking it to your 12000 Naniwa, for no more than say 10 light passes and see what that does. I have a 12K Naniwas Superstone, and admittedly, I don't care to use it. It's not the stone's fault, rather, I think I'm too ham fisted with it=:-) I've tried emulating Gary's edges, going from coticule to Naniwa 12K...he has the feel of the wheel (using the Naniwa), I don't=:-) Good luck! Please let us know how you get on with your touch ups
