Thread: Noob honer in need of encouragement/advice

I think one of the best tools for problem razors, as has been mentioned, is the sharpie test. It shows you what's hitting the stone and what isn't. You can quickly tell if your issue is a warp or a frown and quite a few other things. If you have a warp I would suggest a narrow hone, but it can be done on a 3 inch hone riding the edge. Personally, as soon as I see there is some warp I grab my coticule which is relatively narrow and can be used from start to finish. I was just thinking about writing a post praising a narrow coti vs a wide one for this very reason. It can be done on a 3 inch hone, but I find it easier on a narrow hone and you don't need a set of narrow and wide hones if your have a narrow coti to help out a full set of Nani/norton hones. Good luck and keep us posted!

the only thing that I have noticed is missing in this thread is take a break. Put it down for a few days and get back to it when you are not feeling so defeated. It is sometimes best to stop banging your head against the hone, and give it a rest.