Thread: I've got my sharpening stuff, now it's time to start!

So I got my Arkansas stone and barber's stone and poor man's strop kit from Whipped dog yesterday and today I will start to try putting and edge on my Filharmonica....wish me luck.

Cheers,
Brock

I don't know if you've honed w/ other equipment before. I'm not great, but have used my own edges for 4 months.

You mention working on a Fili. It it's near new, or in great shape, you may wish to consider buying something less valuable to learn/practice on. If it's from whipped dog (I think you mentioned some equip from him), or needs a bevel (likely), you may not have the stone for that. Something at the 1k level is more suited to bevel work. Again, if that blade is vintage with a fair amount of uneven wear, it could be asking for a rough time - not the best way to start working the stones.

If the Fili is already mostly shave ready, the Arkie can do ya proud, but be ready to put in some time. The edges can be pleasing, but it takes a LONG time. Holli4pirating mentioned having better results using oil, rather than water. It was over 200 laps on a vintage transluscent arkie for me.

Take note of the even-ness of the hone wear on the spine and edge. If you alot of variation, it might indicate a blade that's not symetrical, and presents honing challenges best spoken about by guys with greater skill than I. If spine/edge wear are uneven, it's another case where the challenges can work against your learning curve. It's been recommended many times to either take a NOS blade (no uneven hone wear) or one that has been made shave ready by one of the vendors and specifically bought for even or corrected wear as the best intro to riding the rocks.

Hopefully the better rock masters will weigh in soon. Honing is fun, but without knowing a bit about the blade, it's hard to speak to specifics about your intended project. A photo of the blade that shows as much detail about hone wear and bevel width will be helpful for them to speak about.

Best of Luck.

Depends in which condition your phili is.
in case very good condition then better save that blade.
if it is in bad condition go head and train honing.
i don't know if i can hone blade just Arkansas stone. it will be spending a lot time to hone 1 razor.
i do understand you have to start from somewhere but wouldn't be correct start with right tools first?
this will make your job a lot easier and better experience.
try to get norton 4/8k and see what happens.gl

I kinda cringed when I read your post to be honest. When you said, Arkansas, and Fily I was worried...I don't what shape it's in. but you may want to send it out...or get yourself the Norton 4/8k whetstones...Arkies are great, use them with Oil, I have many...but I only use mine for knives..That's my personal preference...They are sloooooow with razors...The fily will need to be evaluated before you take it to the rocks..What shape is it in...Does it need a bevel reset, or does it need a touch up..
Either way, I'd save the Arkie for your pocket knives..My two cents...There are many members in Ontario that can help you out. let me know if you need some direction...
Rich

I don't think any of want to burst your bubble, but we'd all hate to see you get really really frustrated. (I've been there!)

There's a WHOLE lot of variation in arkansas stones. Even the finest aren't going to be above the 4K grit mark...and the "soft" are getting real close to the 500 grit area!

You're going to need something in between it and the barber's hone.

Here's a spreadsheet for grit comparison that I reference quite often. It's not mine, but I can't remember who where it came from.
GritComparisonChart2.pdf