Thread: a not to sharp question

Well, I can't just say we're going off topic and be nice, because I have to have 10 characters to make a stinking post. So I'll ask.... but keep in mind I'm not really asking.... I just need 10 characters but;

How does angling the hone change the amount of time it took you to learn?

The hardest thing for me to learn was keeping the pressure really really light on those last dozen laps. Angling the hone "solved" that problem for me in the early days and enabled me to get a shaving edge much earlier in the learning process. Now that technique is just gravy, but in the early days it was a critical success factor.

Excellent! The big moments that occured in my learning curve, and then theoretically altered the amount of time it took to learn were:

Lapping the damn hone
Learning a good stroke technique
Assessing an edge correctly
Buying a microscope
Being patient when honing
Seeing the value in thinner hones
Learning the value in slower hones
Learning the differences between stainless and carbon
Learning how to hone a singing razor
Learning that every hone is different beyond just the grit
Understanding that grits have a natural speed
Learning when to use pressure and when not to
Learning that stropping was a part of honing
Learning that scale position is important
Learning that less pressure is more about anti overhoning than edge lift
Learning when to stop honing
Figuring out how to judge minor overhoning
Developing a new set of ideas behind the "finishing" process

But then again, these didn't change the time it took to learn.