Thread: My First Honing Success!

I thought about putting this in the Honing forum, but I have nothing really to say about technique, just the fact that I DID IT!!!

So here's the story... I've been using a Dovo "Prima Klang" daily for about nine months now, and I've noticed that it just ain't what it was when I first unwrapped it. I realized it was time to get my first hone.

I found a nice deal on a Norton 4K/8K combo. I watched all the videos and read the wiki but I wasn't ready to put the Dovo to the stone. Fortunately, I've got a Timor "Blue Steel" and a vintage Grant (both of which have been masterfully finished by Lynn). I decided to practice with the Grant.

The Grant is pretty sharp already, so I figured I'd try the "touch-up" pyramid. I ended up with a butter knife!

OK, so, now that I know it's really dull, I'll do the full pyramid, slowly and patiently, followed by a good stropping. Well, I don't have enough stubble this evening to effectively shave-test the blade, so I made a short pass on my forearm. Just barely grazing the skin. Just an inch or so...

To my complete shock and amazement, I found a bald patch on my arm! The honing actually worked. I still find it hard to believe. I mean, I hardly even touched my skin and the hairs were just gone. Vaporized.

Needless to say, I'll give the Grant a try tomorrow morning to see how it performs under real working conditions. I'm not sure I feel confident enough to take the Prima Klang to the stones, but at least I know I've still got the Timor, and that, if I completely screw it up, I can plead with Lynn to fix it for me.

Now, what I really need to do is visit a few antique shops...

....and.....you got it bad now brother.....another antique store pillager is born!!

First, congratulations on the first successful hone! Second, from what I've read, you probably only needed to do 4 to 5 passes on a barber hone (or other finisher) to get your blade back into shaving shape.

Congrats on the success! Do you have a loupe you can use to look at the edge? I've found that it really does make a difference, especially when you'rre just learning, to be able to see the progress as you go.

Great feeling when you finally are successful in honing a razor of your own. If you have to go back to the hone to dial it in further don't be discouraged. When learning to hone I have found that it is sometimes one step forward and then two steps back. Keep at it and it just gets better. The joy, as they say, is in the journey.

Originally Posted by brothers

Congrats on the success! Do you have a loupe you can use to look at the edge? I've found that it really does make a difference, especially when you'rre just learning, to be able to see the progress as you go.

I don't have a loupe, but I do have a stereo microscope! I'll use it when I get up the nerve to hone the Prima Klang.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Great feeling when you finally are successful in honing a razor of your own. If you have to go back to the hone to dial it in further don't be discouraged. When learning to hone I have found that it is sometimes one step forward and then two steps back. Keep at it and it just gets better. The joy, as they say, is in the journey.

In the journey, indeed!

I thought I'd share my experience with my barber today and she thought it was the funniest thing she'd heard. WTF?

Silver, please rescue me from these heathens!

Originally Posted by biffdebris

Needless to say, I'll give the Grant a try tomorrow morning to see how it performs under real working conditions.

Well, it wasn't bad, but not quite up to the standard of a Lynn-finished, full-hollow beauty.

Now, I've got a cheapie Chinese 12K (or maybe 16K)... do you think this might make an improvement?

Originally Posted by biffdebris

Well, it wasn't bad, but not quite up to the standard of a Lynn-finished, full-hollow beauty.

Now, I've got a cheapie Chinese 12K (or maybe 16K)... do you think this might make an improvement?

I got one a while back and it did make an improvement in my case.