Thread: n00b just got his first honing stone!

All right, read the title.

It's some japanese 8k thing.


Any advice?


Never done this before (used to sharpen my swiss army knief in the past though).

All the answers you seek can be located in the wiki. I don't think one 8k will really be enough to get into honing. For bevel setting I know you want something in the 1k range then at least one between 1k and 8k maybe a 5k? And then I think most people use a 12k+ for finishing but you might be able to get by with a pasted strop. I'm sure others with experiance will chime in as I don't hone but I think what I said is right, if I'm wrong please correct me. Welcome to SRP enjoy the great community.

OK, well.... I was watching Lynn's video on honing and followed his advice...

Basically, I wet the stone (it soaks the water up really quickly) and then hauled the razor over it - 4 times for each side of the blade, using virtually no pressure. I also made sure there were no particles on the hone and washed my hand prior to this reckless endeavour. followed by 40ish strokes on my strop.


the bottom line:

sharper than evar!

picture related: it is my hone



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What was the razor like before you started? An 8k hone will do what an 8k hone does, but it's not a bevel setter nor the best finisher you can have - it has a place in a progression. It should give you an edge that yields a very nice shave, though.

Looks like a Suehiro. If so, I have the same one, retired now.
I have a theory about it, though, and think that there are better razor hones out there.

I'm not new to straight razor shaving (@ 3-4 yrs) but I am new to honing properly. I read the "lapping" entry in the SRP Wiki last night and it was VERY helpful. Thanks SRP. I understand that getting the stone lapped before use is pretty important. Seems like it would be. I had always assumed that new stones would arrive flat but I was mistaken. Glad I came here.

The Razor (Dovo Black Steel) is about 3 weeks old. Dovo markets them as shave ready, but honing it has proven that there's more potential to it. Even with my ubern00b honing + shaving skills.

The guy who sold me the stone told me to use the little stone that came along with it to flatten ("lapping" it is called then? OK) it. I did that and IMHO it worked out fine.

Thing is, I reckon Imma need a hone sooner or later. I know that an 8000 grit hone isn't going to resharpen a dull blade. but mine is still sharp enough as it is almost factory new.

either way, i'll watch a few more videos on youtube and ask dumb questions on these forums before proceeding a 2nd time. razor is fine now - as long as it stays that way i don't wanna mess with it.

Originally Posted by shiznix

All right, read the title.

It's some japanese 8k thing.


Any advice?


Never done this before (used to sharpen my swiss army knief in the past though).

If it is about 8K you can use it as a finishing stone
and maintenance hone stone.

When your razor begins to tug and pull and the
strop no longer brings it back you should soak
your hone for ten min.... If and only if it needs it
lightly lap it so it is flat. Then hone the razor
ten to 20 strokes, rinse, dry, strop on canvas
then leather and shave test. Use NO more strokes
than you need to. If your hone takes only six
strokes to restore an edge seven will not improve
the edge.

To hone you place the back of the razor on the
hone first then lay the edge on the hone. At the
end of the hone stroke you rotate the razor leaving
the back on the hone and lifting the sharp edge
so it touches down lightly for the return hone stroke.
See the wiki and search youTube for videos....

If your hone came with a small rubbing stone you can
use it to increase the speed of the hone. By rubbing
up a slurry you can make an 8K cut like a 6K and you
can remove a light glaze if it should form.

Rinse the hone clean to finish. For some folk
a light coat of lather can make an 8K act like a 9K
while honing. So can a light touch.

When done rinse the hone well, drip dry on a dish
drainer or what ever for a bit then put away in
a box to keep if from harm. Do not put a wet
hone out where it can freeze, do not force it dry
either.

If your Dovo was factory new then it probably wasn't as shave ready as it can get. If that's the case, you may have to step back to the 3k-4k to make sure it's nice and sharp before stepping up to the 8k. Having said that, I suppose you're not going to hurt anything using an 8k and seeing how it works for you. Worst case scenario here is that you're out to hunt a 3k stone.