First attempt at honing.. Easier than I thought.

And results better than I expected.

I took one of the few dozen razors that my father left me, a Meteor Works 4/8 that had no bevel to talk of and worked in on a Norton 4/8 following gsaixguns tutorial on YouTube. Finished it on the Lile Black Ark. Inspecting it via a loupe it looked like there were still a fair amount of scratch marks but the shave test proved it to a worthwhile experience. Shaved better than I expected, based on how it looks. I can see how the quest for a mirror finish on the edge can become addictive.

I'm not sure what my next step is, but I am going to watch the JaNorton vids again and see what tweaks I can pickup.

I will say that though I was watching the honing video's I wasn't able to following exactly and my stroke pattern kind of went out the window. Refining things to follow one of the patterns might help get even better results.

Well done mate. Im currently trying to get my 1st set of hones and its encouraging to see that someone new to honing has found it not as tough as others make it out.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

All things considered I would say it is tough to impossible for some and others can pick it right up. Your ability/dexterity is the first thing that matters. Next would be how well you research and learn before you attempt it. It always helps, once you get going, to be able to observe what you are doing so when you do run into a problem you can figure your way out of it. There is a learning curve for everyone and the inevitable bad days when no matter what you do the stones seem to be warped. :<0) Fear not and walk into the challenge determined.
You can do it !

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Originally Posted by MikekiM

And results better than I expected.

I took one of the few dozen razors that my father left me, a Meteor Works 4/8 that had no bevel to talk of and worked in on a Norton 4/8 following gsaixguns tutorial on YouTube. Finished it on the Lile Black Ark. Inspecting it via a loupe it looked like there were still a fair amount of scratch marks but the shave test proved it to a worthwhile experience. Shaved better than I expected, based on how it looks. I can see how the quest for a mirror finish on the edge can become addictive.

I'm not sure what my next step is, but I am going to watch the JaNorton vids again and see what tweaks I can pickup.

I will say that though I was watching the honing video's I wasn't able to following exactly and my stroke pattern kind of went out the window. Refining things to follow one of the patterns might help get even better results.

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You can pick up a pile of knowledge watching Glens and Lynns videos. I follow Lynn's circle + x-stroke method, but I hold the razor with two hands like Glen does. Congrats on honing your first razor....it took me about 5 times before I got it right. It is cliché to say, but your honing is 90% accomplished at the 1000k level. If you really want to test your honing, dull a blade then bring it back to life.

I think I set myself up for success, so by no means do I feel cocky... I chose a small blade with a good balance in hopes it would help my keep the spin flat on the hone. There was no bevel to talk of, so it took some time to set it using the 4k. I did this on purpose thinking that if I could set the bevel on the 4k, it would be that much easier once I have the 1k in hand. There is no pitting, chips or other nasties to negotiate and the blade is a straight square point, even though most of my razors are smiles.

That said, i took my time..no need to rush. I didn't proceed to the next stage until I was happy with where I was. Today, I went back to the Black Ark for a few more super light strokes to see if I can coax a little finer, smoother edge. Patience pays off. It's a bit messier, but I prefer the Ark with light oil instead of water. I am going to try a dab or two of soap in the water next time.

I still have a long way to go before I declare myself proficient.. so far, there were no speed bumps.

I have gravitated to Glens technique of two handed at first, switching to one hand as the strokes become more delicate, but try as I might, I can't get the turn-over right. I keep flipping blade side down, not spine side down.

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Originally Posted by Wayne1963

You can pick up a pile of knowledge watching Glens and Lynns videos. I follow Lynn's circle + x-stroke method, but I hold the razor with two hands like Glen does. Congrats on honing your first razor....it took me about 5 times before I got it right. It is cliché to say, but your honing is 90% accomplished at the 1000k level. If you really want to test your honing, dull a blade then bring it back to life.

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I did the same, 2 hands... will ensure (for me) that the blade will stay flat. It worked nicely. I couldn't do it with one hand only... blade started to wobble a bit at times.

The way to get over flipping the wrong direction is never take the blade off the stone. The second I lift one I do the same thing. Pretend the stone is a magnet :<0)
It's not really a big deal until the time your almost done and you smack the bevel against the rock and chip it.

I have the same problem. I always lift the blade and turn the wrong way. Feels more comfortable, but does have that risk of ruining all the hard work of sharpening.

You may be right about setting up for success… by bevel setting with the 4K, it forced you to spend more time on the stone. While a 1K is faster and there are some great 1K’s available, most people do not spend enough time on the 1K. As is evident by the problems most new honers have, directly related to not having established a sharp edge at bevel setting, (the two bevels do not meet).

In the end honing is not rocket science…but ironically the more you do, the more you find how little you know about what is really going on at the edge. The goal is to refine the edge not the bevel. True, that you have to hone the bevel to get to the edge, but while a shiny bevel may look cool, it can mean nothing about the edge. And that, is what can be allusive and addicting.

That and your shaving sophistication will grow and you become more discerning about edges and comfort. What you once thought was good or great becomes so so.
We are fortunate to have so many experienced honers willing to share and then put them on video. Just a few years ago that option did not even exist.

By the way, I flip edge down, It is how I learned and really not that important. So far haven’t hit the stone.

Good tools, patients and pressure, those are the keys.

Thanks.. your response could not have better worded or timed.

Here's the update.. You can't judge a book by it's cover. Yesterday afternoon I went back to the Black Ark to see if I could improve and while the edge on my Meteor Works test razor 'looked' really shiny and smooth, the shave was awful. A result, I am sure, of the two pretty bevels meeting at a rounded unprepared edge. Truth told, I am REALLY happy that this happened because it's sending me back to the stones for another try.

I now have the 1k stone as well, so my plan is to kill the edge on the Meteor and start from scratch with the addition of the 1k and this time use tape, just to change things a bit .

Now, the interesting part is that as I understood it, the thumbnail test would be a good indicator of the status of the bevel. And the Meteor did indeed drag on my thumbnail, heel to toe, so I thought I had the bevel set.

I'll stick to my original comments that it isn't as hard as I thought it would be in so much as the process isn't too intimidating as long as one has a razor to play with that you can fail on.

I have a couple of questions...

Can my stones stay soaking for a few days or should I take them out of the water overnight?

What other strategies can I use to test the status of the bevel, other than the thumbnail test?

I use a black marker on the bevel, then use the stone to see if there are any spots that are not quite there yet.

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Originally Posted by Chugach68

I use a black marker on the bevel, then use the stone to see if there are any spots that are not quite there yet.

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Same way one would use a machinists die?

Do you just run the marker along the edge? How do you keep the marker off the the blade above the bevel?

Yes, just the bevel, I use a fine tip. If an area still shows marker, then the bevel needs more work.

" can I leave them in water? "

You can keep your rocks in water all the time. Mine are. Glen says put a cap full of bleach in the water if your going to leave it a long time. I change mine regularly as my cat likes to play and drink out of it.


"What other strategies can I use to test the status of the bevel, other than the thumbnail test?""'

Shave with it. Not your face but your arm. I tree top to test. If it cuts or seriously grabs hanging arm hair your close.

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Originally Posted by 10Pups

You can keep your rocks in water all the time. Mine are. Glen says put a cap full of bleach in the water if your going to leave it a long time. I change mine regularly as my cat likes to play and drink out of it.

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I bet you don't need to give your cat any mineral supplements. lol

Depends on your stones, there have been reports of Naniwa stones cracking from soaking and or drying quickly. I don’t soak, just dunk a few minutes before using and splash with water in a squeeze bottle as needed, Air dry slowly out of sun light.

The thumb nail test can dull an edge, the thumb pad test is less destructive, but takes a while to learn. When pressed to the skin the edge should slightly grab the skin, it is actually cutting the first layer of skin. And you can test the entire edge.

The simplest, least destructive test is to look straight down on the edge with magnification and under strong light. The edge, where the two bevels meet should appear fuzzy, any shinny spots are where the bevels are not meeting and is not sharp.
There is a good You Tube video here.

Painting the edge with marker is useful to see if you are honing all the way to the edge and give you an indication on the straightness of the edge and or your technique. Most vintage razors are not perfectly straight.

Do not dull the edge unless you need to, (micro chipping or uneven edge). You are wasting steel and going backwards. If you use the 4K to bevel set, you just have to put in more time/laps.

If you go to the 1k, once you get the bevels meeting then do some polishing very light pressure laps to begin polishing the edge. This will save you time on the other stones in the progression. Get in the habit of extracting the most from each of your stone with light finishing laps.

Just remember if it is not sharp at bevel set, it will not get sharp higher up the progression unless you spend a lot of time on higher grit stones. Often when we see complaints from novice honers of dull edges, the finishing stone gets the blame. The problem is in the foundation, much like building a home. It’s not the trim that made it crooked.

I see no reason to leave the stones soaking. Just as easy to fill a basin with water and soak them while getting the rest of my stuff readied.

Your explanation is absolutely awesome. And, I will admit to being guilty as charged.. I recall trying to pop off a few hairs unsuccessfully and moving on to the next stone. It was one of those situations where I didn't pay attention to myself. I knew it was early, but moved to the next step anyway.

I will go back to the 1k and start from scratch, but I won't kill the edge entirely.

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Originally Posted by Euclid440

It’s not the trim that made it crooked.

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Pretty much says it all...