Making Adjustments For Better Post-Shave From Synthetics

[lightfoot]

If we look at a synthetic progression as a hypothetical model how do some of you feel about various approaches to how and when the scratches from a prior stone are removed?

For example most people might assume that 1.5K is gone at the end of 3K while others might leave a little 1.5K left over on purpose after a more limited use of 3K saving a some work for the next stone (5K).

I’ve noticed differences in the post-shave results (less sting from shave splash) based upon how I might shift around the efforts but this is admittedly subjective.

In short, I’ve experimented with not getting rid of 1.5K until the end of 5K and reserving some of the 5K work for the end of 12k doing a little less work on 3K & 8k in an attempt to not overwork the edge.


Any thoughts ?

 

[JPO]

My goal is to manage my progression to enable me to do a minimum of strokes on the highest grit stones.
On 8k I typically only do 10 to 15 strokes. After this it's even less.
99 % of my edge is done at 5-6k.

 

[duke762]

Likewise JPO. I do a 1.5 to 5k jump and my goal is to get little to no swarf on the 5k. I watch the apex and pay no attention to honing striations unless I've been on a stone lower than 1.5k doing repair work. I use a very limited number of strokes on 8 and 12k synthetics. I also move on from there....

 

[Gamma]

I think most people are fairly delusional when it comes to whether or not the previous stone's striations are gone at whatever given grit they're talking about. People judging bevel polish as though it speaks to apex condition, and it does not.

The more magnification, and the better that magnification, the more striations, new and old, will be seen. Any image showing perfection can probably be re-imaged to show an abundance of flaws. This is why I don't subscribe to "microscope mentality".
Yes, I have a microscope but I don't use it to hone. Never did.

In a general sense, I hone to 'feel'. I would say that the 'feel' in question coming off my bevel set means it (bevel) is as done as I need it to be. Recently I had some weirdo sensation going on near the toe of a full hollow and with a 4x loupe I was able to see where two deep striations had, basically, pierced the apex and left microchips in both spots. when that was cleaned up, all was good to go.

Bevel-set, the theory, continues down to 5k/8k so it's not 'done' at 1.5k. But I don't wait until 5k to get the feedbacks I want at the 'bevel setter' stage; meaning tactile, visual, and audible.

Manner of abrasion?
Usually, for that I refer to the wear mechanism of ploughing. Understanding ploughing, means realizing that striations are just part of the picture.
When I start thinking about stuff like this, I usually stop by reminding myself that there are way more important things I can be doing. It's just sharpening, pretty simple stuff.

 

[lightfoot]

What I’m finding is that spending more time on specific stones and less time on others seems to result in more or less post-shave liabilities depending upon how gaps are addressed.

I consistently find that when I work with the conventional approach of tapering down work as I go higher often results in more splash burn and irritation for some reason.

More work on 1.5K, 5K, and 12K seems to be great for heavy grinds honing more sparingly at 3K & 8k.

Conversely, spending more time at 3K, 8k, & a pasted strop seems to be a good approach for hollow ground razors spending less time at 5K & 12k. I’ve tried something like 15-20 strokes on 5K and maybe 6-7 strokes on 12k to be a good way to approach those gaps on full hollows.

 

[LJS]

Whatever works for you and your preferences is all that matters Sounds like your face might prefer a more slightly rounded and smooth edge over crisp and pink-foam sharp. A pasted strop can get a poor edge smooth quickly from many different steps. They are not very popular sometimes but a super easy way.

 

[SliceOfLife]

If we look at a synthetic progression as a hypothetical model how do some of you feel about various approaches to how and when the scratches from a prior stone are removed?

For example most people might assume that 1.5K is gone at the end of 3K while others might leave a little 1.5K left over on purpose after a more limited use of 3K saving a some work for the next stone (5K).

I’ve noticed differences in the post-shave results (less sting from shave splash) based upon how I might shift around the efforts but this is admittedly subjective.

In short, I’ve experimented with not getting rid of 1.5K until the end of 5K and reserving some of the 5K work for the end of 12k doing a little less work on 3K & 8k in an attempt to not overwork the edge.


Any thoughts ?

When I was trying to get the best shave/results out of a full synth progression... I remember trying the opposite and getting my favorite shaves off them then. I went overkill on every step... especially the finisher; to get what I called a maxxed out edge... I'm talking damn near bullet straight and mirror polish at 1000x+ mag. Several hundred passes on the 12/13/20/etc k grit finisher... well beyond what was probably overkill. Did it improve my shave? Maybe. Maybe it was all in my head.

My suspicion was seeing the laser-looking edge under the scope made me more careful during the shave. And that was probably the main reason the shaves went better. Synth edges can be good with proper respect and technique... but they're not gonna be like a lot of the choice Natural edges. You have to treat them more like a surgical scalpel and less like a safety razor.


Long story short... working on technique during the shave will pay bigger dividends in liking a synth finish than adjusting honing process; in my opinion.

 

[lightfoot]

After thinking about this for a bit I think I need to double down and sort this out with a more straight forward approach without discounting effort at any level.

There’s going to be to many opportunities to draw misguided correlations between effort & outcome without a more graduated approach.