Thread: Unsuccessful honing

What helped me get started was buying up some rough blades from eBay on the cheap. I used them to practice on. I set a new bevel on them and hone them to the point where they will shave. In some cases, I have destroyed the bevel by “breadknifing” it on a DMT and resetting it from scratch. And that’s the one thing that I’ve learned the most – getting the bevel set is 75% of the battle. Once done, the rest is a little easier. If you haven’t, get a few scrappy blades from eBay and go to work on them. You also get the added benefit of dealing with a few problematic blades along the way. You may encounter some micro chipped blades that need to have them worked out or a few warped blades that don’t hone evenly. If you’re lucky, in the mix of a few razors purchased, you might have a few that can actually be used. In fact if you buy well enough, they all should. Once you have them ready, give them a test and compare the edges to a razor that is professionally honed. Compare not only the shave, but the way it looks under magnification. Look at the sides of the bevel. Do they look as polished as the one you’re using to set the standard? Look at the cutting edge. Is it easier to see than that of the good one? Look up and down the blade. Are the sides of the bevel even? Once you’re done, destroy the edge and start all over. I’m just now THINKING about honing one of my good razors.

I am just now getting decent at honing, the biggest problem I had was you MUST be finished on each grit before moving on to finer grit. Don't get in a hurry and check your edge under magnification.