Thread: Are You A Real Man? Do You Think You Can Hone? Shave Off Of Your 1k Hone

Thank you. I already looked straight down with a lighted loupe and didn't see any sparkle. I will compare the bevels again tomorrow and see if I can see what's different. I might even pull out the microscope.

Gave this another go. Different razor. Still quite a bit of pulling. Just not cutting the whiskers like id want in a shave. Bet it would take 4 or 5 passes to get clean if that. I'll go back to the 1k again next weekend and try again. Guessing from the latest posts im still not maxed out on the 1k.

jerry, when you finally get that aha moment where you finally get that 1k shaving, you will find that your finished edge will be much better. I really couldn't hone well till I did this test when Glen suggested it to me. many failures, even though I had some good shaves by the time I got to the finisher but not consistent. once I learned that the 1k needs just as light a touch on the finishing strokes and then I started using that 1k edge before going up the scale. it really did teach me its all about the bevel set. but after their set I don't get much practice, maybe 1razor a year will go all the way back.

stick with it and you will be more consistent, with smoother edges Tc

What I do is take my loupe set it on the side of the blade and find the bevel. Then I slowly rotate the blade until I get on top of the edge with my loupe, if the bevel is set your edge will disappear. Then all you will see is where the bevel meets the face of the blade from the apex. Plus I have noticed doing things this way I have found spots where I thought the bevel went clear to the edge and it infact did not, basically I have found a double bevel when I did not intend to have one.
Good luck Mrchick!

it don't take much time I have about 1 hour honing this year and my shaves everyday are still smooth ! Tc

Ive looked very closely at the edge and i can see it with my 40x loupe. Its a tiny white line. Very, very thin. Maybe i shouldnt be seeing this. Ill work on that. I will also check another razor that i know is very sharp. This might be a good idea. Thanks for pointing this out @ejmolitor37.

Originally Posted by Gasman

Ive looked very closely at the edge and i can see it with my 40x loupe. Its a tiny white line. Very, very thin. Maybe i shouldnt be seeing this. Ill work on that. I will also check another razor that i know is very sharp. This might be a good idea. Thanks for pointing this out @ejmolitor37.

No, you definitely should not be seeing a white line. However, it is great news that you DO see it because now you know what to look for.

Two points define a line. Two lines define a plane. Where two planes intersect, they meet to form a line. The intersection of the two bevels meet to form the line that is the edge. When the blade is observed from the end, the edge should look like an inverted "V" while a dull edge looks like an inverted "U." When light shines straight down on the U shape, some of the light can reflect back up off of the rounded apex of the U. That is what you saw in the form of the "tiny white line." A geometric line has no width, but of course a razor's edge does have some dimension of width. However, a sharp razor has much less width at the edge in comparison to a dull razor. When light shines down on a sharp V shaped edge, the light is reflected sideways off of the two bevels but virtually none is reflected back up off of the very thin apex of the V of a razor with a fully set bevel. That is why you should not see any light reflected off on an edge with properly meeting bevels.

Keep working on your 1k edge until that white line is gone.

Once the line and perhaps sparkles have all disappeared it is time for some feather light strokes to smooth the edge and remove the coarse or harsh part of the shave. Keep going you are almost there!

Originally Posted by Gasman

Ive looked very closely at the edge and i can see it with my 40x loupe. Its a tiny white line. Very, very thin. Maybe i shouldnt be seeing this. Ill work on that. I will also check another razor that i know is very sharp. This might be a good idea. Thanks for pointing this out @ejmolitor37.

I'm very much guilty of getting to this phase at 1K and thinking to myself, "Good enough. I'll clean it up on the 4K..." I know there shouldn't be any white shiny visible when you're done with the 1K. But I also know that once it's gone the method you used to make it gone is somewhat irrelevant. Maybe for the sake of form I should get out of that habit.

Took the 1k challenge with a honing-practice razor and did a couple WTG strokes with it this morning. Wasn't smooth like a finished blade, but it definitely worked. Have spent several months reading forum honing tips and practicing. Will shave test my edges as I move up the progression.

A question: A while back I found a great thread that had good photos of fellas doing the looking down the long edge for light &/or sparkles. Anyone happen to know the thread link? Can't find it again and want to look at the photos again.