Thread: What's a good razor to learn honing one?

Great info guys I will do all this

Originally Posted by jes007

I'm goin to attempt to hone and was wondering what are some
good cheap razors to learn on first before I attempt the real deal on my dovo?
Thank you

Depends on your definition of honing but an alternative is to start with an already honed razor & learn to maintain it with a finisher. You won't do too much damage with a 12 k or higher & 5 or 6 light strokes.

Jes, I would suggest that learning to hone does not favor the ebay or antique store blades. Sometimes you get lucky, but more often, there are wear issues that require restorative grinding before honing may be accomplished. Once you can reliably get a nice shaving edge from a sound blade, then the ones that are needing more attention will further the learning. I think Onimaru's input is good here. The finishing strokes on the high-grit stones will take some time to learn. 'No Pressure' is MUCH easier said than done. I loved Lynn's comment in an earlier post about someone learning: "while he learns what no pressure really means" - it can take some time. If you need to immerse yourself in going through the whole progression, I would suggest starting w/ a sound - even if ugly blade. A beater that has a known true bevel, where the spine wear has been ground parallel w/ the bevel, is at least 1/2 or more hollow, a straight edge (no smile). The idea is to first get the feel in your hands as to how a stone and a blade are supposed to feel - so you can tell when something isn't quite right and needs correction. After that feel is established - by all means - try ebay, antique stores, wedges, smiling blades - all of it. Starting w/ a blade that has issues (known or unknown) will handicap your learning. Maybe the biggest savings is on your head. A blade w/ issues won't respond to a stone normally - leaving you wondering what you're doing wrong. No one needs that kind of heartburn.