I’ll give the background first: I’m new to honing, but have managed to “maintain” several razors using my Norton 4/8 with 3/5, 1/5, etc. pyramids using the X-pattern. My Norton has been lapped and cleaned with a scotch-brite pad.

Last week, I picked up a ¼ hollow Wacker from ShavingShop.com and forgot to get the honing service from John. I’ve been trying to get this razor up to snuff with no luck so far. Over a couple of sessions, I’ve done a total about 25 1/3, 3/5, 5/5 combos based on the less aggressive pyramid scheme posted in the help files. I’ve been testing on my thumb and leg hair throughout (also test shaved after the first session). The toe 1/3rd of the razor seems to be getting there, but the middle and heel are not.

Under the microscope, the toe looks like a nice clean edge. The middle and heel seem to have a line of what looks kind of like multi-color, reflective “bubbles” along the cutting edge. Does this mean anything in particular?

My questions are: is it “normal” for a new razor to take this many passes before becoming shave-ready or is my technique just that bad? Is there a way to work the middle and heel without over-honing the toe? At what point should I worry about damaging this razor and send it out to a pro? Thanks for the help.


Jordan