Thread: How much honing?

At this point there is a visible bevel that is straight and even all across, both sides. Before this honing experience there was no bevel at all.

On a thumbnail I do get a sensation of biting in -- though I don't know how severe it should feel -- I get more or less a slight sensation of increasing drag in the motion without feeling any sort of "uh-oh I'd better stop before I hurt myself."

Sounds like you're overhoning.
Try; 3/3, 5/5, 10/5, 5/5, 3/5, 1/3,1/3,1/3 with less pressure on the 4K than the 8k side.
Start with 'some' pressure overall and by the time you're at the 1/3's you should be down to very light pressure on the 4k and ultra light on the 8k.
Even all along the edge at all times.
Don't use the thumbnail test on an edge with even so much as a bevel on it. You'll ruin the edge.

X

It sounds like we're in pretty good shape. The razor should bite in pretty good without feeling gritty.

I think you need to do a few more aggressive pyramids at this stage. Use light, even strokes. Do one pyramid and then try the hanging hair test. As you get closer you want to test frequently so you can see your progress.

After one to three more pyramids I think it's time for a shave test.

Josh

Heh heh--opposite advice from X.

Following his advice would be good if you're close to shave ready. Trouble is, we don't really know how close you are. If you're still a ways off, though, it'll take forever to get there that way.

Since you took the bevel off originally and nothing's happening on the HHT, I'm inclined to think you're not that close yet.

Does it shave arm hair without any pressure? That's one test that tells me when I'm getting close. I very lightly shave my arm. If it shaves the hairs there then it's getting ready to do a light pyramid like X described. I shoot for shaving arm hair off the 4K.

Josh

Originally Posted by JoshEarl

Does it shave arm hair without any pressure? That's one test that tells me when I'm getting close. I very lightly shave my arm. If it shaves the hairs there then it's getting ready to do a light pyramid like X described. I shoot for shaving arm hair off the 4K.

Josh

I only use leg hair these days. At a certain moment my left arm was covered with bald patches. Now I have bald patches on my legs, but at least people don't see that.

Come summer I'll have to think of something else though

Originally Posted by Merovian

On a thumbnail I do get a sensation of biting in -- though I don't know how severe it should feel -- I get more or less a slight sensation of increasing drag in the motion without feeling any sort of "uh-oh I'd better stop before I hurt myself."

I do the TNT without pressure. i.e. only the weight of the razor, or even less if it is a wedge. I am satisfied if the razor bites in a way that makes me think that I'd cut through the nail if I'd apply more pressure.

Thanks for all the info!

At this point, I'm leaning more toward JoshEarl's diagnosis -- not honed enough, rather than overhoned.

I cannot get it to cut arm hairs without using some pressure, so clearly there is a long way off. I tried stropping it a while and give myself one pass with the thing this morning before finishing up with the usual materials (Merkur Classic DE) and it felt like shaving with barbed wire. Pretty hardcore, truly -- but also pretty unpleasant.

Should I at any point be doing the little circle pattern that is shown on Lynn's DVD? Or is that way too much?

Also, Josh -- by "aggressive pyramids" do you mean starting at 20 as I have been? (20/20, 15/15, 10/10, 5/5, 3/3, 1/3, 1/5) or something more or less aggressive than that?

Thanks again!

PS Bruno- - I'll have to remember that leg hair trick -- sounds like a good idea.

I try to keep things simple. Also, I subscribe to the "lazy man's approach" to straight razor shaving.
Assuming there's no damage, abuse, or anything adverse about the razor (and, being lazy, I stay away from damaged razors), once the edge passes the thumb nail test, I'm done honing and that's it.
It could take a couple of passes or a hundred (hopefully not), but once it feels right on the thumb nail, it's done.
If it will cut a hair off of the hone, that's good too, but not essential. I'm more concerned with HHT off of the strop.


Scott

For me it has become a combination of the thumb pad test and the HHT. I have very very fine hair, so for the razor to pass the HHT, it has to be very very sharp. Even when I first got it from Tony, it had a hard time passing the HHT. I don't for one moment think that Tony's sharpening skills are in question. Nope, I really think that it is my fine hair. I have it passing the HHT consistently now though. I am not claiming to have mastered honing over the weekend or anything. I really give credit to the pasted paddle I got from Tony. This seems to be a good way for a newby to start out, as you are already familiar with the stropping motion, but it requires a similar touch as a stone, light and even. I think that a pasted paddle or a bench strop is a good way to transition to stones.

I found the most success measuring with the thumb pad test throughout the whole process. The lighter the touch before I felt the razor starting to catch the skin, closer I was getting. Now the razor grabs the skin instantly.

I am sure there is a lot more to learn, but this seems like a good way to start out, at least it was for me. Good Luck.

Matt

So this evening I taped up the spine with electrical tape, and went 40/10, 10/10, 5/5, 3/3, 1/3, 1/5 and found the edge significantly better, though still not great. Then ten passes on the 8k and stropping let me actually catch a hair in HHT, then somehow split the thing legthwise down the middle. A second hair would catch about halfway through but never cut all the way.

I can now shave arm hairs with a little pressure, but it does require pressure to do any cutting..

I suppose now I should just be doing sets of 5-10 on the 8k side only? Any other thoughts?

Thanks for all your input so far!