Thread: Using the pyramid method for honing

Hi fellow shavers
I'm trying to learn how to hone, and have decided to use the pyramid method. As far as I know its the most structured way to get a shaveready edge, since every stroke on every hone is specified.

I have done some reading and found out that the feel of the edge is a good way of learning, when to go from one hone to the next, but...How do I do this if I'm jumping back and forth from the 4k to the 8k? Should I first learn how to get to a good shaveready edge, from the pyramid method, and then fokus on the edge feel later? and what is the best way of learning the feel of an edge?

Practice, practice and more practice.

To be honest, I know next to nothing about honing after only having about 6 months in to it.

My long distance honing mentor (across the country) advised me away from pyramids and lap counting for that matter, to entirely just feel and then observation of the edge under the loop as a guide to when to move to the next hone or when you are finished. Then of course the ultimate feel test after stropping--the shave.

So far, it has worked very well for me and my edges seem to be as good as, or nearly as good as any that I have tried.

Others with knowledge will advise you better.

From personal experience and advice from other senior members the pyramid method is a decent place for beginners to start to get a decent shaving edge. Later on as you do more honing and become more proficient you learn counting strokes, at least for me, is to help you keep the same number of passes on both sides of the edge to keep it even and you rely more on feel (feedback) than counting strokes. This is learned from experience and a lot of honing, not something you pick up over night.

I learned on Lynn's pyramid and still use my own variations on it most of the time. It works. JMHO

i started with the pyramid method and found that for me it was no guarantee of a shave ready edge. have since moved away from it to using the thumb pad test along with a loupe and a usb microscope. i'm still not getting 100% shave ready edges on the first try but am learning more what to look for. There is so much more to it than number of laps. Knowing when to apply pressure and how much is also a big part of it. Start with the pyramid and see where it leads you.JMHO

Getting your bevel set on the 1k should be your primary concern. Nothing else matters until you get it set. I need for my edge to be shaving arm hair across the entire length of the edge at skin level to even think about moving on in my progression. There really is no substitute to finding your own sharpness tests because of how subjective they are. I found that through trial and error and keeping track of each was i able to improve my edges. Finding one or two razors that you don't mind possibly screwing up would be my first step. Just keep reading and watching the honing stuff on this sight and on youtube (Lynn and Glens are the most complete and comprehensive that I found) and things will eventually click.

Just curious but what made you decide the pyramid was the way to go?