Thread: Remote assistance required - to hone a razor

Sounds like you still need work setting the bevel. Going lighter like you have been might take longer and remove less metal quickly but will make it less likely to stuff something up as well. At 1k you should be able to pretty cleanly shave arm hair without pressure and one at a time just pop them off. From your descriptions you are getting there and just need to spend a little longer. We all make a couple false starts and by the sound wont be long till you have the razor shaving again. Good luck and keep it up.

You have gotten some good advice from the previous posters. I would add that you could use a felt marker and blacken the bevel when you bevel set. It may give you a better indication if you are missing any point along the edge. Any left over marker can be removed with nail polish remover when you're done.

On a lapped hone check to see if you blade lies flat on the hone edge and spine on both sides. If it does not you may have to modify your strokes to accommodate any slight warps/twists in the blade.

One of the biggest things I had to get my head around was how very little pressure is needed in honing a razor even at the 1K bevel set stage. Try not to force the metal to come off the blade by using too much pressure. It will come off in it's own time using very light strokes.

Like the other poster have said you are off to a good start but it does take a while to get on to it. If you get frustrated just walk away for bit and go back to it later.

Relax and have fun doing it.

Bob

Hi All,

Happy to report that I shaved off the 1K bevel after stropping with some 20x paste, 40x linen and about 1 and 1/2 minutes on leather. The shave was fairly comfortable - a lot better then I expected. It was not 100% close and I can feel more growth than I do with DE or properly sharp SRs.

This coming weekend I am planning to take it as far as I can with the 4K, then to shave with that on Saturday and then Sunday to go as far as I can with the 8k.

Kind Regards

You are a braver lad than I shaving off a 1k hone. Oth seems to bode well for your 4K and 8K adventures. Hope it all wotks out.

Bob

So what does the edge look like?

Get some good magnification and bright light and develop a method for determining a fool proof method of setting a bevel.
Until you do, the edge will continue to be hit and miss, if you get lucky, you may get the edge to shave, but not comfortably or reliably.

Here is a quick simple test for a complete bevel set.

Here.

Will post some pics under magnification in the next few days, from the loupe i can see that the edge is scratched evenly from one end to the other and evenly on both sides. Also did the tests from the video you added in and all looked in order. This along with the save from yesterday are good indicators that I am ready to goto 4k on the weekend.

I cracked it ! As you would have seen I shaved off the 1k last weekend and it was ok. Well yesterday I started with the Norton 4k and then went onto the 8k - shaved with it last night and a very good result.

Thinking back, the secrets for me were:

1) read, read and read about pressure, strokes, tests, visual inspections etc on SRP
2) try to set the bevel - use an old razor - as you don't just get this easily
3) try and try again but observe with all your senses - look at the blade, feel the blade, test with shaving your arm
4) very little pressure and stay with the grit until it is smooth before moving up

In the end it is not that difficult to set a bevel and get a decent razor (I am not talking about razors that need restoration) to shave readiness, but it does require time and some dedication.

I am sure that a skilled honemeister would have been able to get my razor to shave ready with much less strokes on the 1, 4 and 8 k stones, but then my next challenge is to achieve superior sharpness with fewer and fewer strokes.

Thank you for all the support.

Glad to hear that you came right Gerhard.

Now that is good news, congrats. Hope you have continued success with honing.

Bob

Congrats on the success it's a great feeling and from here it only gets easier and your edges better