Thread: Second try at honing...seeking opinions/suggestions...

Having read this thread makes me think razor honers are veritable magicians. Stuff seems overwhelming.

Originally Posted by MrZ

Having read this thread makes me think razor honers are veritable magicians. Stuff seems overwhelming.

It certainly can seem that way, but the concept is very simple.

If you have a decent bevel, or a good edge without chipping or other defects, honing a razor is relatively very easy. Even more so if you use synthetics.

Having chips and other difficulties will definitely give problems and that's where the difficulty lies.

There are different aspects of honing, or categories. There is the touch up, where you simply refine an already made bevel and tune the edge up a little. There is a full hone, where a bevel is reset, but one had already existed. This is done sometimes because of minor issue like the edge has been mildly damage from a light faucet kiss or a rolled edge, or a friend checking out you razor and killing the edge on their thumb nail.
There is also chip removal, where again a bevel exists but the edge needs to be honed back a bit to remove larger chips.
Restoration honing is the big one. You are essentially creating the entire bevel from scratch where no reminants of a bevel exists. This one may also include damage anlong the edge that is visible, or invisible damage where the steel has suffered sub surface damage and chips show up sort of all of the sudden.
This is all to say without any geometry issue being thrown in just for fun. The principles of honing are simple. As long as you are honing a solid blade and working in the first two categories all should be easy to deal with.

Originally Posted by MrZ

Having read this thread makes me think razor honers are veritable magicians. Stuff seems overwhelming.

Honing is one of those things that looks deceptively simple and it is once you have gained enough experience through practice. It is getting to that point that can get frustrating. It is not something that you can do by rote either, there is a lot of art to it. Once you learn a few things it can be good fun to do.

Bob

Bob is correct. Honing can be fun.

One problem on the learning curve is few razors are alike. Learning how to address the vagaries of blade manufacturers and previous often inexpert honings makes the curve seem insurmountable and terribly difficult. Practice is the best way to get to that perfect edge.

Attending meets and spending time with experienced honers is the best way to learn.