Thread: Honing Journey

Figured I'd make a thread about my journey into honing. I just had my Norton 4000/8000 arrive, along with my DMT 325. I lapped both sides, following Glen's video. That went without problems. The actual honing is where I'm having issues, which is to be expected, since I am a beginner...

Let me show you the candidates:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...ml#post1187702

I started with the Wade and Butcher. It's a wedge so of course I knew I shouldn't start with it, but I was eager to shave with it, since it's the "cream of the crop" of my new lot. My dream razor. All I ended up doing was creating an uneven bevel. It was taking forever to cut metal, so I ended up taking it to the DMT for some strokes just to speed up the process. It cut faster, but still uneven. I should mention I was using tape, at first one layer, then two. Finally I set aside the W&B and went to the Dubl Duck. Much easier to work with. I did about 40 circles and 20 strokes on the 4k, then 15 strokes on the 8k. Shaved my arm hair decently, so I went ahead and cleaned up, as my wife was fussing about something called dinner being ready. Shaved with it this morning on my WTG pass, and it was not that great. Finished with my Sheaf Works that was pro-honed by Larry at Whipped Dog. The Dubl Duck cut hair, but just isn't quite where it should be.

I will return to it tonight when I get off work... any advice for a new honer like myself?

Stay with the DD and keep adjusting the process until you have it down pat and repeatable...

Go back through this thread looking for the tricks and tips

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...on-2012-a.html

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Stay with the DD and keep adjusting the process until you have it down pat and repeatable...

Go back through this thread looking for the tricks and tips

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...on-2012-a.html

Awesome, thanks for the fast reply, Glen! I have looked through the thread but it was hard to find good posts where folks actually described their process and what worked for them. I will look harder, though. Thanks again.

Just for clarity, you set the bevel on the 4k, right? Or was it already decently set and ready to go to the 4k for refinement?

Im not an expert. But I would learn the bevel setting stone. Have a shave ready razor to compare to. Stay on the bevel setter until it cuts arm hair through the whole edge. The bevel is all the sharpness, going up in grit is just polishing. Strop it and make a wtg pass on your cheek. . If it cuts all of it, its set. The shave will feel rough but should cut. Then onto your other hones.

Originally Posted by crouton976

Just for clarity, you set the bevel on the 4k, right? Or was it already decently set and ready to go to the 4k for refinement?

I have just the 4k/8k, and set the bevel on the 4k. I definitely need to revisit it, though. I heard you can set bevels on the 4k, so I opted not to get the 1k, at least not right now. Funds were tight, so I got what I felt like I absolutely needed. Plus the Norton 4/8 thread Glen posted proves it can all be done with this one combo stone. I just need more practice.

Originally Posted by bill3152

Im not an expert. But I would learn the bevel setting stone. Have a shave ready razor to compare to. Stay on the bevel setter until it cuts arm hair through the whole edge. The bevel is all the sharpness, going up in grit is just polishing. Strop it and make a wtg pass on your cheek. . If it cuts all of it, its set. The shave will feel rough but should cut. Then onto your other hones.

Okay, cool. Thanks for this advice. I will try doing this tonight!

Can't add more to what has been said but just reinforce to stay with the DD till you get it sorted. It will be easier than working on the wedge. For the wedge you can take a gander at http://www.coticule.be/wedges.html for some ideas as to how to go about honing one. There is an excel document there that will help you determine how much tape to use on the spine and it was a hrlp in that regard to me in honing a wedge.

Bob

Like bill3152 said, you've got to make sure that the bevel is properly set before moving to the next stone. It took me quite a while to finally learn when a bevel was set and when it wasn't. Thanks to a couple of different people, along with Glen and Lynn's honing videos I finally started getting good edges on a regular basis. Here's where I'm going to buck the trend a little, though. If you've gotten used to shaving with pro-honed edges, you're going to have a very difficult time getting an 8k edge into the same ballpark as what you're accustomed to. It's not impossible, but it is a difficult task. For me, even the best 8k edge in the world will tear my face up. If you have some CrOx, you might give your 8k edge a few laps on that and see if it helps.

Patience is key.

Bevel setting is key.

Even pressure is key.

Learning from your successes as well as mistakes is key.

Having fun is key.

Getting a great shave from your first success is priceless!!

Originally Posted by Chreees

I have just the 4k/8k, and set the bevel on the 4k. I definitely need to revisit it, though. I heard you can set bevels on the 4k, so I opted not to get the 1k, at least not right now. Funds were tight, so I got what I felt like I absolutely needed. Plus the Norton 4/8 thread Glen posted proves it can all be done with this one combo stone. I just need more practice.

Yeah, you can definitely set bevels on the 4K, which is what makes the 4/8k combo such a versatile stone. I was just curious if you were refining a bevel that had been set and needed a bit of touch up work or setting it from the get go.

My understanding (and I'm definitely no expert... still learning myself) is that when you're setting the bevel one of many things to look for is if you're getting black marks on the stone while setting the bevel. If so, than it's not set yet.

The good thing about that bright white 4k side is that you can see this reeeeeal easy. I know you said you were using tape on the W&B, but if you were on the DD too, the only thing touching the stone, as far as bare metal, should have been the bevel. If it was still leaving black marks, you definitely have more work to do there.

Again, I'm still a novice, so take what I'm saying with a grain of salt. Any more experienced folks, please correct me if I'm mistaken about something, as I certainly don't want to steer anyone wrong.