Quote Originally Posted by norbertstepien View Post

Hi, What exactly does "maxed out" mean. I'm relatively new to honing and use a microscope and it would be helpful to know what it is you're looking for/at and how that relates to the number of strokes you use. Thanks.
When your pressure is virtually 0 - only what is needed to keep the blade evenly flat on the hone - and you stop seeing improvement, then the stone is effectively maxed out.

Here are a few threads with very good pictures to help you get an idea what to look for:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...questions.html

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...ggestions.html