Thread: Honing to nothingness :(

I own a 1k, 3k, 8k and 12k Naniwa SS and coarse up to extra extra fine DMT plates (that I use mainly for knives, lapping and sometimes bevel setting or bread knifing to take a chip out of the edge)... I had no major problems with honing straight razors usually, not that I think of myself as a guru of honing but I managed.. that is until so far.

Lately I can't seem to hone a razor,.. it started that I couldn't get an edge on cleaned, damaged blades (so i thought ok, the blade must be unhonable), than I couldn't get a shave ready edge on a blade I honed before with no problems (eg Dovo Flowing)..
This is driving me crazy and I can't seem to figure out where the problem lies. I set the bevel, (at the last try tonight I achieved the hair popping bevel with the DMT coarse, but it just went downwards as I moved up to the finer grits on Naniwas, ending up with a ...well nothing. I thought it might me the pressure, the lack of it, the shortage of time honing... I can clearly set the bevel (even painted the edge) but can't seem to get these razors to shave ready.

I cleanes the stones with nagura stone and washed them with the distilled water if that might help, although there is probably just sth wrong with my technique...

Any ideas what I might be doing wrong, because I am starting to hit a wall here. Is there any chance that the stones might get filled, clogged with something and not eating the steel as they should?

You might wait until the moonphase changes,honing can be effected by many obscure things

Originally Posted by miha

I own a 1k, 3k, 8k and 12k Naniwa SS

I cleanes the stones with nagura stone and washed them with the distilled water if that might help, although there is probably just sth wrong with my technique...

Any ideas what I might be doing wrong, because I am starting to hit a wall here.

Yes quit testing the edges no seriously


I have posted this a few times over the years, the Naniwa SS hones can lose the sharp tests in the middle for some of us,, Do your bevel setting tests, then proceed through the grits and simply watch the scratch pattern changes, and the feel of the bevel across the hones, then strop and test shave... See if that doesn't fix the "Problem"

I re-honed quite a few razors when I first bought the SS hones before I figured this out might be the same problem, give it a try

I'm afraid this isn't as simple as that, I have a bald left hand and was trying it on my leg by now (kind of a trying to find a vein scene almost ) .. the shave ready cuts like a breeze, and the newly honed ones are just dull as a stick (well almost as a stick) I'll call it for today (2 am) and will hit the wall (with my forehead) tomorrow ..

ps. I must be doing something wrong just can't seem to figure out what

The Moon is in Uranus. Do what Glen said. And have a serious talk with your 1k :<0)

Stupid question but when was the last time you lapped your hones?

@JBPilot: yes funny you asked this, because this morning as I was waking up slowly I was hit with this same question,...I did lap them a little yesterday, but haven't give them a real lap in a while, silly I know, I'll give 'em a full treatment today and hope this was it

A while back I was removing some chips on a couple of razors and used a 600 and 1200 DMT to do so and bevel set both edges with the DMT’s. I could not get the edged even with the 1k on both razors the edges kept micro chipping.

I suspect the DMT leaves too deep stria and a ragged week edge that will continue to chip on finer stones.

I jointed the edge on the corner of the 1K about 2-3 strokes then re-set the bevel. It may take you 2 or 3 times to get down to good steel.

Now, if using the DMT to re set a bevel I get the bevel flat and the edges close but leaving a thin sliver of steel before the bevels meet. Then complete the bevels until they meet with the 1K.

gave them a thorough lap and things got much easier (thought I had them flat )

Glad to hear it!