Just cleaned up and honed my first razor.

Got given a pretty rough Bengall for free and made it a project. Over the last week or so I got it looking nice, honed it over the last day or so and I just shaved with it now. Pretty smooth. I've only been using an SR for the last month and my norton 4k/8k only arrived 48 hours ago. It may be beginners luck but I'm pretty stoked.

Just thought I'd share

Congratulations on your first SR shave and restoration. We like to look at pictures. Please post a few when you get an opportunity.

Well done!

It is beginners luck but you sound like you have done a good job. Bengalls are one of my favourites (along with almost every other brand too it seems like) so I am glad to hear that another one has been saved.


Another piccies please request, if you can!

Congrats on your achievements. As noted, pics or it didn't happen!!

Congrats! Would love to hear how you went about it.

That's great, congrats.

congrats and some pics plz!

Cheers on ya.

Just noticed that people actually replied to me post which was a surprise as I didn't really expect much interest lol. I'm at work now but I'll put a pic up as soon as I get home. I don't have a "before" pic but given I got it for nothing...I'll leave the condition I got it in to your imagination. In terms of approach, I didn't overthink it as I've found myself getting confused quickly on honing threads and couldn't tell a Jnat from a coticule if my life depended on it. I got my norton 4k/8k, watched as many vids as I could find of people using them and read through as much forum stuff as my brain could take. I then sat down in front of the computer with a vid of Lynn going through a 4k/8k progression and tried to match him stroke for stroke, checking every so often with a loupe. I ended up with a passable shave but it would really need a bit of work to nail an HHT impressively. In terms of restoring the blade and getting it nice and shiny I used a variable speed dremel initially (shock..gasp) but then moved to doing it by hand with 400grit through to 1200 grit wet and dry. I then moved to mothers and a cloth for the final bit. I ended up with a satin/mirror-ish finish that I'm as satisfied as a guy could be with his first go.

Artistic pics attached. still slightly scruffy round the tang and could use a bit more work but not bad for first go

I like it! IMHO I like it to be not quite perfect, to show some signs of the fact that it is old. Shiny is good for sure but for me, you have nailed it with your efforts. I would happily own that razor!

Dangsta4501 said:

I then sat down in front of the computer with a vid of Lynn going through a 4k/8k progression and tried to match him stroke for stroke, checking every so often with a loupe. I ended up with a passable shave but it would really need a bit of work to nail an HHT impressively.

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For HHT, my experience is that you need something finer than the Norton 8K. The only time I got HHT off the Norton was on a wire edge that broke as soon as I started shaving.
The cheap way would be to get some crOx. I used mine as a finish after the 8K by rubbing it on a suede strop and then stropping on it.
That worked fine and I still occasionally use that to boost an edge.
The Norton 8K is 3 microns thin. If you want to continue the progression, you can go to a King 6K, which is 2 microns, and follow that by a Naniwa 12K which is about 1 microns.
The crOx is 1/2 microns.

Thanks that's good to know. I had thought that you had to achieve HHT to have a "properly" honed blade. I don't know what crox is but I'm going to google it right now. I'm also going to invest in a USB microscope so I can look at the edge properly.

totorlekiller said:

For HHT, my experience is that you need something finer than the Norton 8K. The only time I got HHT off the Norton was on a wire edge that broke as soon as I started shaving.
The cheap way would be to get some crOx. I used mine as a finish after the 8K by rubbing it on a suede strop and then stropping on it.
That worked fine and I still occasionally use that to boost an edge.
The Norton 8K is 3 microns thin. If you want to continue the progression, you can go to a King 6K, which is 2 microns, and follow that by a Naniwa 12K which is about 1 microns.
The crOx is 1/2 microns.

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crOx is Chromium Oxide
You can get a pound of it on Amazon for $7
http://www.amazon.com/Woodstock-D29...qid=1409767481&sr=8-1&keywords=chromium+oxide

totorlekiller said:

crOx is Chromium Oxide
You can get a pound of it on Amazon for $7
http://www.amazon.com/Woodstock-D29...qid=1409767481&sr=8-1&keywords=chromium+oxide

Click to expand...

Is this stuff any good? It doesn't say anything about chromium oxide on it.

jamzdean said:

Is this stuff any good? It doesn't say anything about chromium oxide on it.

Click to expand...

The color kind of give it away, but that is not fool proof.
But that is what I use and it has worked for me well.

Dangsta4501 said:

Artistic pics attached. still slightly scruffy round the tang and could use a bit more work but not bad for first go

Click to expand...

Not sure who is in more pain Ariel or the edge resting on her.

Congrats on the success

Very Nice!!

I'd like to think Ariel but the edge did take a bit of a hiding.lol

Doc226 said:

Not sure who is in more pain Ariel or the edge resting on her.

Congrats on the success

Click to expand...

very nice. handsome razor.