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  1. #1
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    Default H.A.D. = Honing Anxiety Disorder !!! Help!!!

    Well, I bought a couple of really sweet STr8 Razors on eBay with the express purpose of learning and practicing how to hone and sharpen razors...

    I ordered a Norton 4/8 and it arrived yesterday...

    I watched a couple of the Google/Utube honing videos and the honing videos on this forum how to hone a razor... and started grinding away at my Shumate Tungsten...

    I'd tried a couple of pyramids and was unable to "set" any kind of decent shaving edge....

    Not only that, but after grinding away for a while... what edge I did get was also uneven...so I've decided to stop before I "waste" anymore of a good blade...to scream for help!!!!!

    The Shumate was an un-honed "virgin" when I got it... and it just seems such a waste to "destroy" a nice "working" razor as part of my learning process...

    I'll probably send the Shumate to Lynn or one of the other "honemeisters" on this forum for a rescue honing/sharpening, but I don't DARE do anymore honing on my own until I get some decent instruction....

    I'm really looking for some help, tips and pointers!!!!

    Tony
    Last edited by tgparker; 04-03-2007 at 02:33 PM.

  2. #2
    Electric Razor Aficionado
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    Did you lap your norton before trying to use it?

    Uneven in what way?

  3. #3
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    Ahah... I've heard that term before... and I've ordered the "norton flattening stone", do I have to get someting else? So flattening stone and a lapping stone are different animals? Please explain further....

    I used the norton "prep stone" to creat a slurry...and then I just started honing away after soaking the stone in water for 5-10 minutes...

    Please explain further what a lapping stone is...

    When I say the blade is un-even, I mean that I got a good clean edge started on one face of the blade from heel to point... but on the other side the edge just won't go all the way accross... I've got the edge started going from the heel, but it appears to just taper off as it nears the point of the blade...

    The blade isn't at a point where it looks lop-sided, or geometrically or technically uneven, but I want to diagnose and correct whatever it is that I'm doing wrong to that edge on one face....before I do have a REAL problem...or mangle any more material on the blade...

    I probably have taken more material off than I should... but I haven't totally ruined the blade yet...provided I get the right help NOW, I'm sure that the situation is rescuable..

    I had ordered Lynn's DVD directly a couple of weeks ago...but it still hasn't arrived yet... so I feel really in the dark...

    If any one out there is willing to talk me thorugh this over the phone please PM me your contact info...

    Thanks in advance,

    Tony
    Last edited by tgparker; 04-03-2007 at 01:41 PM.

  4. #4
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    Lapping is flattening the hone. I use a sheet of 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper on a flat surface. Mark a grid on the stone with a pencil, then soak the hone and wet the sandpaper and swirl it around in a figure 8 pattern until the pencil marks are completely gone, then give it another ten swirls for good measure. Do this for both sides, then scrub the stone with a nylon pot scrubber to get any embedded grit out of the stone.

    When I first started I got nowhere but frustrated until I lapped my norton, then I started getting decent results.

    You don't need a slurry for the norton. I'm not sure what the prep stone is, I've never used one.

  5. #5
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    Hmm, thanks for the tip, I"ll try that tonight.....I really hope that was my problem...

    I think I saw a post by Tony Miller where he said he "lapped" his stones with Wet&Dry sandpaper 220/600 on a piece of granite...

    He also mentioned that he "relieves" or bevels the edges to avoid any stress on the stone...

    I was thinking about buying a piece of 1/2" x 1' x 1' granite or marble floor tile from Home Depot or Lowes...

    It is scary when you see the edge going off skewed like that... it's not too late, I haven't done any real damage to the blade yet, but I didn't realize that things could go so wrong so fast...or not not go right from the get go. It was definitely a sign to STOP and not go any further until I get things more organized...

    Are there any other things that I should be checking for...Is there a honing check list anywhere of things I should keep an eye on or have in place for my NEXT honing attempts?

    Also is there a way or method to "correct" an un-even honing?

    I guess I should go a little slower... I was just hoping that I could just start banging away at my blades without ALL this prep!

    Oh well, live and learn. Thanks for the tip!

    All the best,

    Tony
    Last edited by tgparker; 04-03-2007 at 02:37 PM.

  6. #6
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    Could it be that the razor is not straight? I have a similar issue with a polish razor and I have lapped as described. the thing that gets me is that like tgparker there is a nice even bevel on one side, but on the other the bevel is large at the heel and tapers off towards the toe. My guess is that its technique ie: I'm holding it flat to the hone in one direction and messing up on the other pass.

  7. #7
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    Once you've got a flat hone that's often what it means. But if the hone isn't flat you can get odd bevels too.

  8. #8
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    eBay purchases can arrive in all kinds of varying conditions. I like to use a coarser stone to set up the bevel and save my Norton from getting worn down by this activity as well as save myself some time and energy. My Norton arrived in perfect condition for honing.

    Evenness all along the edge is essential!
    Your hand will naturally produce more pressure toward the heel and the toe will be neglected. I use the Rolling Hone method of traveling the main area of contact with the stone slowly and gradually up the blade from heel to tip throughout the honing stroke. I find it's good to get off the heel pretty quickly.
    Your hand will aslo be inclined to add more pressure on one side than the other. Watch how your hand holds the grip in both directions.

    X
    Last edited by xman; 04-04-2007 at 04:03 AM.

  9. #9
    Member AFDavis11's Avatar
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    Well since they say it can take about a decade to get good at honing, I'd say your doing just great!

  10. #10
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    AF, etc, would you say pressing the stone up to a mirror while wet is a good enough indicator it's flattened suitably? (looking for it to stick to the mirror firmly)

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