honing easy?

Good Morning everyone :-)

So i just spent a few minutes watching some honing videos on youtube. and they lay flat the blade on the stone. They say that the blade has a natural angle that when you lay flat the blade on the stone it will be the correct angle for honing the blade. This is the proper technique?

Also will it not damage over time the spine of the blade? this is a quote from one of the videos=

"All straight razors have a natural angle. Lay the razor flat on the hone with the spine and the edge touching the surface, that's the natural angle."


Thank you

A lot of the members here who hone razors will use a layer of electrical tape on the spine to protect it, especially if it is a worked spine.

Here is a link to some excellent honing videos by gssixgun that can answer a lot of your honing questions:
gssixgun videos | Watch gssixgun videos | gssixgun online videos | Download gssixgun videos | gssixgun live videos

Yes that is the proper technique. The blade sits flat on the stone, and you don't lift the spine at all. Honing will wear the spine of the blade over time. Some people cover the spine to prevent wear to the spine. No, honing is not easy.

Michael

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mjsorkin

Yes that is the proper technique. The blade sits flat on the stone, and you don't lift the spine at all. Honing will wear the spine of the blade over time. Some people cover the spine to prevent wear to the spine. No, honing is not easy.

Michael

---

Thank you, i mean im sure its not easy but it seems more easy than i was thinking. I was thinking that the blade needed to be at a certain angle but if its flat on its side then its seems easier.

You are correct; the razor is designed such that the spine acts as an angle guide when honing. Honing a razor adequately is simple and rather un-complicated, but can take a little practice to get a feel for doing it. Those who strive for an optimum edge on their razors can make it sound difficult when they describe their methods.

The moving the steel on the stone part is easy, the hard part is learning correct pressure, knowing when to move up a stone (edge evaluation), developing the skill of understanding the feedback the stone and razor give off during honing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Xilbus

Thank you, i mean im sure its not easy but it seems more easy than i was thinking. I was thinking that the blade needed to be at a certain angle but if its flat on its side then its seems easier.

---

I was a tiny bit sarcastic. Sorry. You are right, it would be much harder if you had to set the angle yourself. Every other part of it has been a challenge for me, but I'm doing okay now. It seems much easier with practice.

-----Michael

So my blade is a dovo diamant and i got it from Phil at the classicedge.ca and he honed it before sending me the blade.
Should this be ok to keep it shave ready?
Naniwa Combination Water Stone 3000/8000 Grit
Naniwa Combination Water Stone 3000/8000 grit

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Xilbus

So my blade is a dovo diamant and i got it from Phil at the classicedge.ca and he honed it before sending me the blade.
Should this be ok to keep it shave ready?
Naniwa Combination Water Stone 3000/8000 Grit
Naniwa Combination Water Stone 3000/8000 grit

---

In the short term (3 - 12 months) a good strop should be all that is needed - if you do it correctly.
If you don't then the edge may need honing before the first shave.
Concentrate on stropping and shaving first - then maybe get into honing

Honing is a skill which is not impossible to acquire. It takes practice. It is good to have some steel to destroy while practicing. Eventually you will develop the muscle memory and the knowledge/experience to direct the muscle memory. Naniwa stones would certainly be capable of maintaining a sharp razor.

The best advice for now is concentrate on developing a good stropping technique. It will make learning to hone much easier for many reasons.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jaswarb

The best advice for now is concentrate on developing a good stropping technique. It will make learning to hone much easier for many reasons.

---

Far more important: good stropping will help you maintain a keen edge instead of destroying it by incorrect technique.

Honing is ridiculously easy, getting that wicked sharp edge that wipes off whiskers with that buttery feel.... Well, there in lies the rub.
:rofl2:

As I've said before, honing is an acquired skill which becomes an art form.

If your looking to hone razor's, I'd see if you can find a decent str8 on fleabay and learn to hone on one of those instead of your main razor. More than likely you'll have to set the bevel and hone the razor from start to finish. Then you'll learn how your hones work and how the razor sharpens on your hones.

As for maintaining the egde the 8000k and your strop should be all you need unless the stropping technique has kind of whipped the edge or it develops a chip in it.

Everyone has made valid points. I to wanted to hone my own razors.

The problem you are going to face is with only one razor you will infrequently need to hit the stones and when you do it will/should only be a light touch up. The 8k side of that will be okay for that but personally I would use something a little higher or a coticule. But your technique is going to be slow coming when you have a single razor and are only trying to touch it up every 3-4 months.

For me it was not until I was dong 1-2 razors a week that i started to get consistent edges that I was satisfied with.

I know Phil and Lynn both offer the second honing free on new razors. Take them up on it and wait a bit before buying stones. Add a second razor so that you can send one out for honing and still have your second to use.

:thinking:

Me is wondering why if honing is so easy why there are over 100000 "Un-Archived" posts about Hones and Honing on just this forum let alone the others???

Me thinks Mr. Deadrift done smacked the proverbial nail on da head .... (Post #12)

As a beginner newbie my comments weren't intended to imply that honing is easy but rather honing is a skill the learning of which is best subordinated to learning to strop correctly. It is simple and inexpensive to send a razor to a "honemeister"(ahhh geee Glen or Lynn come to mind) to gain the best result possible and considering the benefits of their vast experience the cost is insignificant. Stropping on the other hand must be done daily which would requires living with someone skillful on the leather. One needs to either develop the skill needed to strop well or investigate the possibility of a domestic arrangement with a "honemeister" er say ahhh Glenn or Lynn. ;-)

Seriously though the thought of learning to hone on one's only good razor doesn't seem prudent. One will likely destroy several practice pieces before getting results worth testing on a face and I suspect there will be much testing on the face before acquiring a good result.

Yep. The Naniwa 3-8K is my workhorse stone. I use a 12K finisher after that but the 8K will give a very servicable edge. Good luck!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Xilbus

So my blade is a dovo diamant and i got it from Phil at the classicedge.ca and he honed it before sending me the blade.
Should this be ok to keep it shave ready?
Naniwa Combination Water Stone 3000/8000 Grit
Naniwa Combination Water Stone 3000/8000 grit

---

Jaswarb, honestly your comment was right in the first place IMHO anyway :)

Glen thank you for all I have learned reading your posts and watching your videos. Your mileage across the stones earns you the right to express most any opinion.

I'm a little late to the thread, but I wanted to add my 2¢. Honing isn't black magic, but it does take patience and practice to get good results when first starting out. It's taken 8 or 10 razors over the course of six weeks for me to consistently get good results. I'd work on a razor for a while, think it was good, and then test shave it only to find out that it was still lacking. Then take it back to the stones for some more work, and then try again. It's only been with the last two razors that I've not had to go back to the hones for more work after the initial test shave.

Sometimes its easy. Often, its freaking voodoo.

yes its easy, if you have the right material and the patience to learn.
Honing is one thing,but honing right is a other thing. I'm sure you can feel the difference, did it like a pro or do by a beginner honer.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Xilbus

Thank you, i mean im sure its not easy but it seems more easy than i was thinking. I was thinking that the blade needed to be at a certain angle but if its flat on its side then its seems easier.

---

It reminds me of when I learned how to stick (arc) weld. It was devilishly hard until I learned it. Then it became easy. Same with riding an off road bicycle, going over obstacles, logovers and such. Once you know how it becomes easy ..... or.... easier. Some razors make it seem easy, others, not so easy. :hmmm:

To tape or not to tape, there are two schools of thought.

One school says Tape! Protect the spine from hone wear. It keeps the razor looking better.

The opposition says, do not tape. As the blade gets narrower from honing the spine also wears down so that bevel angle says correct instead of getting wider over time.

Both ways work.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Crotalus

The opposition says, do not tape. As the blade gets narrower from honing the spine also wears down so that bevel angle says correct instead of getting wider over time.

Both ways work.

---

And herein lies the rub, if you are honing the blade correctly how often will it need honed. I tape to protect your spine, although the razor may need to be honed only once(not counting trips to the barbers hone) how much honing will it take to get the proper edge. In that honing how much wear will be put on the spine?

Taping is easy.

Forum posting is easy. Honing is an acquired skill.

honing IS easy, knowing when to stop can be tricky.

Dave,

Honing isn't particularly hard, but I would say that, as you are just starting out, focus on getting your shaving technique down. Stropping is of utmost importance, as well. Not to mention lathering! There are a lot of variables flying around and, if my personal experience is anything to go by, reducing them a bit is the way to go. I should also mention that I didn't do this, so I now feel qualified to give advice. The whole, "do what I say, not what I did" routine :D

But in all seriousness...sloooooooowwwwwww.

Funny. The first person that showed me how to hone said the same thing.

"Hone the way I tell you, not the way I am doing it now." :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Crotalus

Funny. The first person that showed me how to hone said the same thing.

"Hone the way I tell you, not the way I am doing it now." :)

---

Ah... thats why I suck :(