Thread: What am I doing wrong?

So I recieved my Norton 4/8 a few weeks ago and I have been practicing honing using one of my razors. The razor was shaveable, but I felt like it just needed a touch up as it was very slightly pulling, and I saw it as an opportunity to practice my sharpening. I first tried Lynn's circle method followed by the passes on the stone on both sides. I followed his video to the tee, then followed by my normal stropping routine...this resulted in one of the roughest shaving experiences I've ever had, I guess I only succeed in making the razor duller. I then looked up a video by Glen that he put up for Janorton, and I liked his technique much better, as I did manage to sharpen the razor slightly, but I still couldn't get it to shave ready. I tried over and over, probably 4 honing sessions and all I've got to show is a dull razor with a very nicely polished bevel. What am I doing wrong? My hone was lapped however I can see on the 8k side some patches towards the edges/tips that are rough/not fully lapped, could this be causing me trouble? I'm following the honing videos to the tee yet still can't get a shave ready razor. Any help would be appreciated!

Well first is this a razor you're willing to sacrifice to the honing gods? How far back did you drop initially? Are you using x strokes and making sure all the blade is being honed? What do your results feel and look like? Honing is hard stuff even with all the information available. Are you using tape? Was tape used by the original honer?

Definitely not a razor I'm willing to sacrifice haha. I'm not using X strokes as the hone width is enough the cover the entirety of the blade, thus all of the blade is being honed with normal up/down strokes. Results of the honing look great, as in I'm getting a great looking edge (with the naked eye only), yet it feels very rough with lots of pulling when I go for a shave. I am using tape and tape was used by the original honer.

Pressure? are you using to much, not enough, any? Has the stone been flattened, cleaned? I found with my Norton's I had to take some of the surface off to get to the better grit(smoother stone) not enough water to move the swarf. Most importantly, time. I still find myself sucking at honing. I have sharpened for others(family and friends) but in no way would try to do it as a profession. Take your time and don't try to rush it. If you need a razor to use, buy another to practice with and get this one sharpened buy someone who knows how to. This will give you a benchmark to work to and a razor to shave with.

Until I had some technique figured out I only watched one persons videos. I did watch several before hand but as soon as I started looking at the hone and the tape and the razor, I had to go back and stick with the one person that I felt I was understanding the best, and it was only his videos until I got over that first big hump. I always want to blame the evenness of the stroke first and pressure second. The first can be figured out with a sharpy. The second is a little more tricky. In part because we can't feel that when we watch the videos. There is too much and not enough pressure. In my mind I hardly ever use any pressure, in my hand however... You should keep it very light if all you are doing is touching up and your hone needed to be lapped quite a bit from new.

I think my pressure is fine, maybe. I know I'm getting a lot of streaking/graying on the 8k side so maybe that means I'm pushing down too hard? It doesn't feel like it though. The stone has been lapped/flattened by the person I bought it from who is a respectable member of this forum although there are a few rough patches on the 8k side nearest the corners.

So if there was a milky slurry on the stone you should be using just enough pressure to have the edge slide under the slurry, so if you ease up just a touch on the pressure it should leave some behind. I also agree that if this isn't a razor that is somewhat expendable, perhaps you should rethink the strategy. here are quite a few shave ready razors for not a lot of cash in the classifieds regularly. My logic is that you really should learn to hone on a razor that is free of geometry issues and can take and hold a very nice shaving edge. There are quite a few for $50-75 that are in the classifieds often and periodically even cheaper than that. I think that would be your best avenue. Also if you could sit down with someone that would be the best. A 30X loupe is handy for checking to see if your scratch patterns are even too. It goes really well with the magic marker.

If on the 8k you are getting a decent amount of swarf you jumped up too quickly. Go back to the 4k. Also, I would argue that you need to use some form of the x stroke no matter what. There is no such thing as a perfect razor and the x stroke is what cures those inconsistencies. That's not even counting issues with hone trueness. You first try at honing should be on a razor you're willing to screw up. Odds are you're gonna make ugly before you get the honing right. Maybe you will be lucky with honing, but most of us are not and it takes a lot of metal removal til we get it right.

There obviously are a ton of variables but if you said the edges of the hone look rough, I'd take care of that, then you can eliminate that variable. A rough spot on the edge can make everything go haywire - I know from experience.

Maybe watch your favorite video again or a few more times after that. Definitely use x-strokes. If you are taping, are you ever changing the tape? Before going from the 4k to the 8k, assuming that is all you have, switch to fresh tape and do ten with light pressure and ten more with no pressure. Change the tape again and do only ten laps on the 8k with no pressure.

With this hone pair, the 4k is sharpening and the 8k is polishing. You can overdo the 8k. If the tape is worn away on the 4k, the edge may not be touching the hone--thus the reason for the tape changing strategy.