Thread: My honing 101 home schooling course

Since you chose to start with the Norton stones, here's a video to help you along (if you haven't it yet):



It's actually in that thread linked by Gssixgun, but this will save you a few page's searching. Still there's a lot of good info in that thread, so it's worth a read through.

This one might help as well, since you've probably got a problem child on your hands:

Once I let it sink in that razors are sharpened by means of abrasion it didn't take long at all!

Started with 40 circles under heavy pressure.
Followed with 20 circles with heavy pressure at the heel
Followed with 20 light circles.
Followed by 5 cross strokes.
All of the above on my 1000 stone.

10 light circles on the 4000 followed by 5 cross strokes on the 4000.
Followed by 5 cross strokes on the 8000.
Followed by stropping with 0.3 micron chromium oxide paddle strop.

It looks pretty good now and it passed the forearm shave test.

I would probably have been pyramiding with no pressure for weeks!

Many thanks to my insightful instructors here on Straight Razor Place!

The bevel right at the heel isn't quite as pronounced as the rest of the edge, but it is clearly visible.
I'll know for sure tomorrow...

I would forget the stroke count and make sure the bevel is set on the 1000 grit. It doesn't take x number of strokes to set a bevel. It takes however long it takes. The pyramid will fail if you fail to set the bevel on the 1k.

My critique of this progression would be to do more work on the 4K and 8K.
On my 4K (and everyone hones slightly differently) I'll probably do 2 sets of 20 circles and 20 x-strokes. On my 8K probably 20 very light circles and up to 30 x-strokes. This is a rough guide and some razors may need more or less... test often!

Originally Posted by howdydave

Once I let it sink in that razors are sharpened by means of abrasion it didn't take long at all!

Started with 40 circles under heavy pressure.
Followed with 20 circles with heavy pressure at the heel
Followed with 20 light circles.
Followed by 5 cross strokes.
All of the above on my 1000 stone.

10 light circles on the 4000 followed by 5 cross strokes on the 4000.
Followed by 5 cross strokes on the 8000.
Followed by stropping with 0.3 micron chromium oxide paddle strop.

It looks pretty good now and it passed the forearm shave test.

I would probably have been pyramiding with no pressure for weeks!

Many thanks to my insightful instructors here on Straight Razor Place!

I'll know for sure tomorrow...

I've got an analytical mindset.

I wasn't going by count...
It was more like:

20 nope, nowhere near enough -- give it 20 more...
Nope, not there yet -- the heel is my problem, lets focus on that for a bit...

Blame it on my math, physics, and accounting background (a bad influence on anybody!)

Yeah, the way you describe is somewhat how I go about it. I'll do a set number, check, then decide if I'm moving on or staying on the same stone. I do agree with Rod, your count on the 4 and 8 looks low. But, if you have a lighter touch than me that could also account for it. I won't relate how many strokes on the 4K it takes me to eat away my 1K stria and be ready for the 8K hone. Let's just say it's a lot.

Originally Posted by rodb

My critique of this progression would be to do more work on the 4K and 8K.
On my 4K (and everyone hones slightly differently) I'll probably do 2 sets of 20 circles and 20 x-strokes. On my 8K probably 20 very light circles and up to 30 x-strokes. This is a rough guide and some razors may need more or less... test often!

Being an absolute newbie, all I had to go on was Lynn's adage: "Fewer is better."

I did notice a bit of rough debris on the 8000 stone...

I thought that I had wiped the razor well, maybe the stone picked something up from the base when it was in contact with it or maybe I picked something up from my wipe-cloth.

Originally Posted by howdydave

Being an absolute newbie, all I had to go on was Lynn's adage: "Fewer is better."

But that is not the case when setting the bevel. The mantra there is more like...

When you think that you've got it right, do 50 more!

Rough debris on the 8000 stone? You mean black shmootz (swarf) or some sort of foreign material? If you felt any sort of hard bump it may well have rolled or chipped the edge, and it doesn't take much of a hard inclusion to do some damage.

You did lap the stones correct? Remember to wash the stone too, before honing on it. I always hit them with running water and brush the surface clean with my fingers to be sure it's free of foreign material.