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?

One way to practice the thumb-pad test is to buy a DE blade and use a wet thumb-pad to practice on it. Could also dull one side slightly to compare sides.

Can you give us a little more info? What razor, what condition, what stones, what result you're looking for?

Either a pyramid or individual stones will both work equally well when you understand what you're doing. And neither will work if you don't know what you're doing.

Thanks to all of you guys for your replies

Ultimately I'm looking for a shaveready edge. I know it's going to take a while, but thats my long term goal. I have bought a few stones in preparation of my honing adventures: 1k naniva, 4k/8k norton and 12k naniva. I also bought a few razors of ebay, so I guess I'm just going to select one of those and give it a go. All are in good condition, no rust, no chips in the edge and minimal honewear.

My plan was to first learn how to set a bevel correctly. I read about the tomato test, where I would take a cherrytomato and see if I could cut into it; like in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Utfg9VZTVVY

Another test I'l use is the shave-armhair-at-skinlevel-test, and see what I learn from it.
I also read about the "sticky" feeling of a set bevel edge, but again, that depends on how callus my hands is. I will definitly try the wet DE blade method you described sticky.
I guess I'm going to have to give it a shot and see what I learn from it.

The reason I chose the pyramid method is that it seems to be the method with the least amout of guesswork. I always have a hard time learning new things if I dont have a referencepoint, in this case, how the edge should feel, when I'm done with a given stone.

Well I'd stick with shaving arm hair all along the blade, then popping hanging arm hair all along the blade, instead of tomatoes. Not that there's anything wrong with tomatoes. And use the thumb nail test and get a loupe.
If you haven't got one, this is good:
Jewelers Loupe 30x Magnifier 25mm Glass Lens Magnifying Illuminated Lighted LED | eBay
I think the sticky test is probably the craziest test, cause you've got no idea what sticky feels like, and everything kinda feels sticky, until you finally put a good edge on - and it actually is sticky, but by then you know how to hone.