Thread: Not Another Honing Post!!

Just chiming back in to say thanks for the replies thus far.

I wanted to let you know that I am watching my post eagerly and really enjoying the advice. I haven't returned to the hone yet, but did 100 round trips on the linen just for fun tonight and grabbed a few strokes down one cheek. Slightly better than the other night, but nowhere near what I used to have. A friend thought maybe I just needed to finish off the teeth a little.

Tomorrow I may try to just practice the X stroke slowly, and on the 8k for a good while. We'll see what I learn from that experiment. I'm trying to be patient, but my wife is sick of the scruffy nerf-herder look!!

Keep replying, folks, I love the advice and analogies. It does help me as I like to understand the mechanics of things, not just the "how?".

- Mitchell

Thanks for saving me the time to write the post. I am watching your thread also. Like you, I want a good edge and not screw up a good razor.

Martin

Well I went ahead last Sunday and tried my own experiment. I did 5 round trips on the 4k, no pressure, 2 handed X stroke. Then I went to the 8k and completed 30 trips, checking every 10 for a wire. Then I finished it off with 60 trips on the linen and 30 on the leather.

Again, I've not felt enough blades to know the "thumb pad test" and what to feel. And yes, I'll be honest, I'm not comfortable with running my thumb on the blade. Sure, I'll drag it across my face, but my thumb, are you crazy?! http://straightrazorpalace.com/images/smilies/smile.gif


For me, the proof is in the pudding. At least until I can feel with my thumb what condition the blade is in. So I put steel to skin and was pleasantly surprised. I'd honed the blade into "working" condition. It is definitely sharper than a few weeks back when I decided to learn honing. Is it as sharp as an LA honing? I'm not sure. Like I said, I think I can work with it now and play around a little more safely, knowing I have at least one method that works.

As for the pyramids (10-10, 8-8, 5-5, 1-3, etc.) I'm not sure how they are going to build a better edge. Perhaps that's for blades that need a lot of work. My blade was purchased new and has been maintained by me, so maybe that's why it required 1 round on the 4k. I don't know.

I'm figuring no one else is going to post much anymore here, but I'll try to keep notes and make updates.

Morpheus,

The pyramid, in my understanding, has at least two benefits:
-It allows a newbie to eventually get a good edge without being able to evaluate the edge as it develops. This evaluation process is the hard part of learning to hone in my book. The mechanics are simple; knowing when to apply different techniques comes with experience. The pyramid is something of a brute force approach.
-It also helps prevent a wire edge from forming. I'm not sure how it works exactly; my theory is that the 8K pushes the edge thinner, while the 4K strips off the metal that's too weak (beginning of a wire edge). If you just go with the 4K and then the 8K, you're more likely to end up with an overhoned edge.

This isn't to say that a simple progression from the 4K to the 8K won't work; I hone a lot of blades that way. But if I get stuck on an edge, the pyramids will often set it right.

Anyway, it sounds like you're off to a good start. Keep practicing!

Josh