Post your latest progression.

I'd just like to add, Chris, that, given the choice, I would always take the workhorse over the beauty queen.  I don't replate my user grade DE and SE razors but some of them are my absolute favorites for the shaves they offer.  So what if they're not ready for their close-up as long as they give me that close comfortable shave.

Congratulations on persevering and a job well done.

Honestly, this is one of my proudest accomplishments in the world of honing. This blade was beat up when I got it, and I made things worse with a lack of skill and a sloppy effort. To be able to correct obvious bad honing, correct the age-related warping, and achieve what is, to this point, the keenest and cleanest edge I have ever produced is pretty cool. I'm extremely jazzed about this. It shows that I am, indeed, learning the craft, and developing the skills.

Now...I need to drag out my old Taylor Eye Witness and see if I can bring that one back to life. That one suffered greatly at my inexperienced hands, and may never again shave. But...we shall see...

Green chosera 1k, Salmon naniwa 3k,Blushing number 8 coticule bout. Water only on the coticule.
The razor is a vintage Henkel.

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So...feeling pretty confident after my recent success rehabilitating the Simmons near wedge, I decided to give one last effort to the Taylor Eye Witness 5/8 quarter hollow that was pretty close to the first wild straight I ever bought.

This was among the very first razors I put on synthetic stones when I bought my Naniwa set. No matter what I did to it, I could never quite get it where I thought it was supposed to be, and my complete lack of experience made some existing hone wear exponentially worse. In short order, I exacerbated a frown. I thought I ruined it after bread knifing it on an old SiC bench stone, but rather than put it in the trash, I put it in a coffin box in a drawer and tried to put it out of my mind.

Yesterday after work, I took it out along with the Lansky 600 and 1k diamond plates, a 30X loupe, and a Sharpie. I spent about an hour and a half last night resetting the bevel, and reversing the frown. Most of the horrible hone wear was able to be fixed, and at long last I was getting clean contact across the whole blade with a rolling X stroke.

Tonight I ran it on the Lansky soft and hard Arkansas stones, and finished it on the white translucent Arkansas. The shave was excellent. Just one more badly beaten up blade rehabbed and put back to use. I'm really starting to feel pretty good about my abilities on the Arkansas stones and diamond plates...

If anyone is wondering, I use a home-made oil solution on my Arks and diamond plates. It's about 75% mineral oil mixed with about 5% glycerin, 5% dish soap, and 15% water. It works pretty well for me...

Refreshed a pair, a LouPer and a Henckels & Hammesfahr in front of the tv tonight. A couple of hundred of Laps on each with a butterscotch trans ark. Will put in rotation soon.

Finally received my shipment of Asano nagura, after waiting a month for them to arrive. So...my Wostenholm IXL Celebrated 6/8 hollow needed some refreshing. A perfect opportunity.

I had some micro-chipping in the edge, so I went back to a Mutukusuyama Red Aoto, which is about 4K. Great inexpensive midrange stone that made quick work of the microchips and brought the edge back.

Finished up using a Shoubudani 100, with Tenjyou and Mejiro nagura. Final polish was done under running water.

Test shave was really nice. Not the keenest edge, currently, but very nice nonetheless. A little more practice, and I think I will be able to get even better finishes with these nagura.

Comparing the Asano nagura progression with my other process if diluting Tomo slurry: the Asano progression definitely provides a finer edge. With the Tomo, I always followed up with Chromium and Iron oxides to bring about a truly finished edge. I did not use a pasted strop after the Asano progression last night, and the test shave showed that it wasn't necessary. This leads me to believe that I am, in fact, achieving a much keener edge straight off the stone with the Asano than I could with just a Tomo...



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Green chosera 1k,lapped with the Dmt extra coarse plate.
Slurry raised with the Dmt 45 micron card off of the base stone ,also a 9 micron card and threw in a kiita Tomo for a change up.
Base stone is a type100 shobu.

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Further research shows that I didn't get the nagura stones I was expecting. What was received is actually Asano botan and tenjyou, which is evidently a coarser set of stones than what I was expecting. However, I am getting better edges than I have ever gotten using them, so I am not the least bit dissatisfied or disappointed.


Lee Mfg Magnetic 5/8 full hollow
Shoubudani type 100 with Asano botan and tenjyou nagura. Final polish with running water. The test shave was absolutely fantastic!

One day I will get the finer Asano mejiro nagura I thought I was getting in this set, but until then, I am quite happy with this set of stones...

Worcester razor co.
Vintage razor.
Worcester. Mass.u.s.a.

Green chosera 1k.
Salmon naniwa superstone 3k.
1.5 x 7 Belgian select coticule.
Water only,no slurry .

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Nice vid on how Ulrik at Koraat hones his razors. He just uses a worn fine diamond plate and a Naniwa 10k. Get incredible edges

https://youtu.be/r0QMB9DQ6Vk

Green chosera 1k,Salmon Shapton Professional Series 5k,Asagi shoubudani jnat.slurry was raised with the Dmt coarse card.

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