Thread: How long does it take you?

I know this is a loaded question and it depends on the razor. But lately I've been thinking I'm reeaallyy slow honing. I only have +/- 50 razors under my belt, so I'm still a beginner. My hone line up is: DMT 325 (in extreme cases with razors with big chips to remove), Choosera 1k, Norton 4k/8k, Naniwa SS 12k.

Now most of the blades I do are complete blade restorations of razors from the wild or ebay. So I'm not talking touch ups here. Because I'm new-ish I take my time and check the edge often with my loupe. If there are small chips in the blade, I really take my time to keep the shape of the edge proper. But it's not uncommon for me to spend 1-1.5 hrs just setting the bevel. From there things speed up with each stone.

So, how long does it take you?

I have less than 50 straights,,, it all depends on the razor,,, I know you didn't want to here that, but ,,,
Each razor is an individual,,, I study it briefly , then decide which hones to use on it. If I predict a difficult bevel set, really tough old wedge,,, I'll reach for a fast cutting bevel setting hone, like a Carborundum or maybe even my DMT 1200.
Having a wide choice in hones for the job,,, takes a lot of time off the task,,,,, though I never sit down to hone with anything else pressing on my agenda.

Maybe it's taking a long time to set the bevel cause your using such a rough stone to start like that dmt 325. At the 1k it's taking some time to get rid of those scratches ,, but I really don't know , it just seems like that most guys use a 1 k to work on the blade. Tc

Hard to answer this one. I've taken 30mins bevel to shave test on a few blades, others have taken several days/sessions to set a decent bevel. For me AFTER the bevel is set it probably takes about 20mins or so. I've done 200-300 blades so I might be a bit faster than some

It really depends on the starting point. If there is a frown anywhere along the edge, then that needs to be removed first. If there are chips, then they too need to be removed before really starting the actual bevel set. Either of these conditions would be corrected with honing with the spine held off of the hone.

Once the edge is corrected, then the bevel set begins. It can be a 2 minute cake walk or a frustrating tantrum invoking mess with 90 percent of the blade being just fine and that last 10 percent refusing to play nice. That can take 5, 10, 30 minutes, or whatever. It can vary according to whether you use a diamond plate, or a lower grit hone, or stick with a 1k.

Originally Posted by 57vert

Now most of the blades I do are complete blade restorations of razors from the wild or ebay. So I'm not talking touch ups here. Because I'm new-ish I take my time and check the edge often with my loupe. If there are small chips in the blade, I really take my time to keep the shape of the edge proper. But it's not uncommon for me to spend 1-1.5 hrs just setting the bevel. From there things speed up with each stone.

So, how long does it take you?

No Corrective Criticism Here!

It's not uncommon for me to work on a Wonky Blade for the bevel setting at least that long. With that said, no it's not normal, but as you have said you are working on FleaBay Razors and or others that need a lot of work.

I think that the best advice I can give you is that 'If It Ain't Working, Stop Working'! If a blade isn't being 'helpful' and I get anywhere near 'frustrated' I wash the blade make sure it's good and dry, then oil it, put it away until another time. If it's a blade that's been sent to me, I'm honest and tell the owner that his blade is giving me fits and I'll get it back to him ASAP. I've never had anyone complain.

Remember, It's Not A Race! Honing is something that I like to Enjoy and I tell those that I hone for that there are 'Certain Conditions' that I Will Not Hone Under. And those are;

If I'm Stress, Tired or Frustrated.

If I'm in any of the above Three Conditions, it prevents me from enjoying my honing/note that I didn't say 'work' as I said I like to enjoy honing and if it were to become a 'task' then it wouldn't be enjoyable/just another task to do.

Take as much time as you like or need and enjoy the ride!

As stated before it depends on the blade. the ones I've done if they have a small chip out of the edge In the beginning I would use 220 wet dry on a granite counter top to remove the chip then 1K to set the bevel. now since I have the 400K nanwia I use it to remove the chip. then I go to the 1-3-5-8-12K naniwa honing then finish with the 20K suehiro. the time depends on how long it takes to remove any chip. anywhere from 2 Hours to 3-4 depending on the blade and the wife and honey do this and honey do that. I really like looking for those diamonds in the rough you know the ones with small chips out of the edge. there're fun to work with.

Originally Posted by tcrideshd

Maybe it's taking a long time to set the bevel cause your using such a rough stone to start like that dmt 325. At the 1k it's taking some time to get rid of those scratches ,, but I really don't know , it just seems like that most guys use a 1 k to work on the blade. Tc

The DMT is not part of my usual routine. I only break it out if there is a chip out of the edge, or perhaps if there is a big frown to remove.

four days, two to the pro, two days back

I personally won't hesitate to take chips or even really stubborn bevel sets to the DMT 325. Those scratches don't take very long to clear up on the Chosera 1k. If there's a chip that I can see without magnification I use the DMT. I know some guys don't like to use them for small repairs but I'd rather use less pressure on a really aggressive hone then more pressure on the 1k.