Thread: Inconsistent honing.

Hello I recently started restoring SR'S and I had one that I got that honed myself from bevel set on a 3k to finish on 12k. It is extremely sharp from heel to toe and I was very proud of myself.

I felt like a champ and sat down to hone my second. And completely made a mess of it. The toe has like no bevel and the overall sharpness is meh. Enough to shave with minor pulling.

What did I do right the first time that I didn't do the second? The first had a slight smile so does that have anything to do with it? I'll include some pics for reference.

1st good one.

and the second not so good one

Every razor that you decide to hone, must be looked at as an individual. Meaning, not all will be honed the same. Look at each razor, examine it, usually with a loop, decide on a plan of action,,, meaning how much work does it need & what hones(progressions) will get it there. Not all need a bevel set, many will. Not all steels respond the same, especially if you use the exact same process/progression stroke for stroke.

I wish I could look at your photos & provide you with the exact answer, but I don't think anyone can.

Bevel Is Key !! Whether you set it or someone else did. Examine the razor & decide if the bevel should be reset or not,,, how you will progress, with which hones.

Sometimes just taking a razor back 2 steps(progressions) & finishing will produce the results you want.

Each razor is an individual.

Loupe. As in watch what your doing as you do it. Just a wild guess but maybe you didn't get the bevel set properly.

Get a loupe or other magnification and use it. You cannot rely on lap count as an indicator that a stage is finished, especially when bevel setting. Mark the bevel with a sharpie and do one normal lap to see if you are removing steel right up to the edge along the entire edge. This test will tell you immediately if you are there and where any trouble areas are. Once you are honing to the edge and can shave arm hair at skin level, your bevel is set. Take a look at it under magnification for reference and then move on to the next stone. Checking every 10 or so laps, hone until you have removed all the deeper striations from your bevel setter and you have a nice even pattern all the way across both sides. Do the sharpie test to make sure you're still honing to the edge and then examine under magnification again for reference and move up to the next stone and repeat as necessary.

As stated above, bevel set is key. You can check bevel by using a loupe and/or using a sharpie marker on the edge, taking a few laps on the hone and seeing if you are meeting up.

That being said, it doesn't look like you have hone wear issues. Things to check may be slightly warped blade, lap your hones, use of a rolling x stroke.

Best of luck.... this is why not everyone hones their own.

The second razor looks to have a slight frown and some edge damage in the middle, 3rd photo.

Set the razor on a straight/flat edge and check. The edge damage indicates you are not honing to the edge, use the sharpie ink as said.

A 3-12k jump is rather large, can be done with the right stones, but will take some time. Are your stones lapped fully? What brand of stones are you using?

Yes get some magnification….

Originally Posted by Euclid440

The second razor looks to have a slight frown and some edge damage in the middle, 3rd photo.

Set the razor on a straight/flat edge and check. The edge damage indicates you are not honing to the edge, use the sharpie ink as said.

A 3-12k jump is rather large, can be done with the right stones, but will take some time. Are your stones lapped fully? What brand of stones are you using?

Yes get some magnification….

Forgot to put I use a 8k in between and I'll make sure to check the edge. And I do lap them. 12k is a arkansas stone. Don't remember what brand the 3/8k is

An Ark is not 12k and not all stone are good for razors. It is not just about grit size, and if your stone are not razor quality, you are just making your life harder.

Honing razors can be complicated because of the vintage blade issues, using stones of unknown make or naturals, complicate the process.

Only a handful of synthetic stones are proven razor honing stones, set yourself up for success.

Some arks are finishers, but finishing is not your problem. Photos of your stones may help.