Any idea what I could be doing wrong?

[Amenrab]

I bought a set of 4 razors off ebay for a very reasonable price. Almost all of the razors have a mirror finish, and one razor which is marked as "Indian steel" has some black marks and a small nick in the edge.

I've also got a norton 4k/8k which I've lapped by following the guide(1). I drew the grid onto the 400git sandpaper and did both sides 4 times. Then I did the 800 grit for 2 grids.

When I attempted to hone the razors, I them up and down with the circle method (2). 40 circles with firm pressure. 40 circles with light pressure. 10 strokes with no pressure. After that, it couldn't cut arm hair, which I heard it was supposed to.
After that, I did the pyramid method (3), and by the end of it, I could actually run my finger down the edge of the blade and not get cut.

1 Hone Lapping 101 - Straight Razor Place Library
2

[RoyalCake]

Have you done the magic marker test? That seems to be helpful to see if you are getting to the edge along the length of the blade.
Depending on the condition of the edge, I would think it could take a lot more than the circles/strokes you're describing on a 4k. I've had ebay edges that take a lot more than that on a 1k. Just depends. Do you have any pictures? Maybe the experienced honers will chime in.

Shane

[Proinsias]

Putting a fresh bevel on an ebay blade with a Norton 4K may take a little time. I'd forget about pyramids etc for the moment and just work with the 4K until you got a nice functional bevel. Could takes hours, just keep an eye on the edge & work on a smooth even stroke.

[Amenrab]

Those are all different razors.

[HaiKarate]

Here is a vid of gssixgun and speedster honing a razor. I've watched it 3 times and and a whole new world opened up. Gssixgun stresses the importance of technique and careful inspection of the bevel and edge as you progress. He watches speedster's work like a hawk and catches everything haha. Keep working methodically on your edges but most importantly don't give up. You'll probably be shaving with one sooner than you think. Oh ya its on speedsters new 4/8k.

gssixgun Straight Razor Honing with speedster from SRP - YouTube

[Cangooner]

Try to forget about the numbers - they are guides only. What matters is setting a good bevel. Without that, nothing else will get a good edge.

A useful test is the 'magic marker' test. Take a permanent black marker and mark the edge. Then do a couple of passes on your bevel setting hone (4K if you're using the 4/8k) and examine the edge closely - under magnification if possible. If there is still marker showing at the very edge, your bevel is not set. There are other tests you can do (thumbpad, thumbnail tests work well for me) but this one is quick and should give an idea of what's actually happening at the edge.

So don't worry about doing X-number of passes, strokes, or circles and focus on the bevel itself.

[Amenrab]

Putting a fresh bevel on an ebay blade with a Norton 4K may take a little time. I'd forget about pyramids etc for the moment and just work with the 4K until you got a nice functional bevel. Could takes hours, just keep an eye on the edge & work on a smooth even stroke.

Hours? I was reading another guide that only recommended 10passes or so to set a bevel, otherwise there's the danger of over-honing. Does that only apply to razors that have never been honed, like dovos?

[earcutter]

I don't know about your blades... but I do know that just about everything I bought off the Bay has needed a bevel setting. Bevel setting with a 4K is work - for me at least.

Once I started buying Bay - I bought a 1K... and then a 325. Bevels are huge.

Well that's what I think anyway.

[Utopian]

Hours? I was reading another guide that only recommended 10passes or so to set a bevel, otherwise there's the danger of over-honing. Does that only apply to razors that have never been honed, like dovos?

No, it does not. It takes usually takes much more than that to set a bevel. Do you recall the location of that other guide?

[Amenrab]

No, it does not. It takes usually takes much more than that to set a bevel. Do you recall the location of that other guide?

http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Creat..._Initial_Bevel

Typically this is about all that is needed for a new razor--5 front and back strokes on the 4K side of a Norton, HOWEVER it is not uncommon at all to need more. If the razors spine and blade feel completely flat on the hone, this should be all that is needed. The best way to tell if the razor is properly honed at this stage unfortunately is to move onto the next stage--polishing/establishing the initial shaving sharp edge, and testing the shaving sharp edge. Personally, I try to shave a little bit of hair on my arm, or back of my hand and based on how easy, or difficult it is to pop the hairs off, I can gauge how much more time on the 4K the edge needed. Sometimes I end up over honing on this stage, which means the microscopic "fin" I had created with the hone had broken off, or folded and I have to back hone. Back honing is quite simple - it is basically doing the opposite motion on the hone, so you are dragging the razor spine first on the hone, but remember you still want to roll the razor on the spine, NOT the edge to switch directions. Again, this is where honing can become difficult/tricky -- and it takes experience to know when a razor is ready to move onto the next stage, or when you have over honed, so make sure to ask questions on the forum in the honing section, but armed with the above, you'll be able to take experienced members advice/suggestions and put them to good use!

Actually, I'm starting to see that I may have misinterpreted it. I saw 5 strokes, then that he sometimes overhones, then thought that he saw saying going (significantly) over 5 strokes has the danger of over-honing.