Thread: Question about honing with natural stones

That it shaves arm hair, does not mean the bevel is FULLY set.

Look straight down on the edge, with magnification. If you see any shiny spots it is a chip or where the bevels are not meeting.

Here is a post with lots of edge photos of a new honer setting a bevel and running up the progression. Second Chance at Honing.

That was a good read, I wish I had his microscope! I have been looking for bright spots looking down the edge of the blade, I haven't noticed any, but that could be because I'm having trouble getting the pocket microscope to focus. It's the 60x-100x that is regularly recommended on here, do most people remove the clear plastic around the light and lens? Every time i try to look at the edge I have to rest that clear plastic on the edge itself, and i can't help but think that will cause flat spots and confuse whether the bevel is fully set.

I've got that one, but I use my 30x loupe to look down at the edge. Much easier because that doesn't have to come in contact with the blade to get into focus.

So I went back and watched the videos, then went back to the soft arkansas stone again. After a while using the technique shown in the video Euclid posted and the circle technique in one of Lynns videos, I had gotten nowhere. So I washed the stone with soap and a dish pad, and got good progress. Got the bevel set, but I noticed the shave angle was very different depending on which side of the blade I used. I reasoned that this must be because the bevel wasn't centered. Went back to the stone paying attention to the side that required about a 60 degree angle and after a while, finally got the razor to shave with both sides at about the same angle. I confirmed the bevel meeting with the pocket microscope, but no pictures because I don't have four hands. Mid and finishing strokes will be done tonight, time for a break after 2 hours on the soft stone.

Thanks for all the help guys, I really appreciate the direction and information, it's really helped speed up my learning process.