Thread: Re-visting the Chinese Hone

So just to give an update, I got the phig (the larger one, as recommended--it is gray with a light grain, like the second hone in the picture a few pages back). Lapped it on 220, then 600, then 1000 grit sandpaper with a little bit of water; didn't spend too long, I'd say 20 to 30 minutes total. When I looked at it at a steep angle with a light it had a mirror-like surface, so I decided to try refreshing the razor. I did 20 passes with my razor on the stone and was able to feel a difference in sharpness with my thumb (before, when I passed a moist thumb across the blade it felt slick, after 20 passes I felt a sort of vibrating and it made a sound something like the sound it makes when shaving *note: the razor is full hollow ground). So I decided to strop it as normal on clean leather and shave with it. MUCH less pulling than the previous shave, though still a very little bit. After one pass my skin felt totally smooth when I rubbed it with the grain, but still a little prickly when I rubbed against the grain (and I'm still not getting as close of a shave under my chin and throat as I am across my face).
Anyway, thanks for the help everyone. It seems I'm on the right track and with some practice and playing around should be able to keep the razor in good shape.
One more small question, I think I had read that it takes a few shaves after a hone (and refresh?) to start getting the best results. Should I give the razor a couple more shaves and see if it improves, or should I try a few more passes on the phig? I am still working on my shaving technique... but I've shaved enough that I'm pretty sure the result today was about the razor, and not me (mostly).