Thread: Is honing really that difficult?

Hello all. So, now that Ive gotten into straights, Im looking into honing. Now, Ive read a lot of people who say that you should leave honing to the pros but Ive watched a bunch of Youtube videos on it and honestly, it doesnt look that difficult.
So, now Im looking into getting a 220/1000 stone, 4000/8000 stone, 12000 stone and a lapping stone. At first, I was only going to get a 4000/8000 stone but then I read that you want the 1000 to set the bevel and want the 12000 for final polishing.
Am I absolutely insane for wanting to learn honing? I mean, it just doesnt look that difficult and it seems kind of silly to send my razors out for honing when I could just do it myself.
Thoughts?

Honing is simple if the blade is perfect.

Good luck finding those.

I would also love to get into honing eventually. Can you elaborate a little on it is easy if the razor is perfect.

Roger

Originally Posted by rolodave

Honing is simple if the blade is perfect.

Good luck finding those.

Originally Posted by k5MOW

I would also love to get into honing eventually. Can you elaborate a little on it is easy if the razor is perfect.

Roger

I believe what he is saying is that its easy if the blade is perfectly straight and doesnt have any nicks in the edge. If you have a straight blade with a good edge and a hone that is flat (which you ensure by taking a lapping stone to the hone after every use), its not that difficult. If the blade has a smile or a frown or has a lot of nicks in the edge, it can be more difficult.
Please, someone correct me if Im wrong or expand upon that but I believe thats what he's saying.

It's not difficult until it is and then things can go down hill very quickly.
Just don't start honing on your only working razor. Use/buy a spare one that you don't care much about and go at it.

Originally Posted by criswilson10

It's not difficult until it is and then things can go down hill very quickly.
Just don't start honing on your only working razor. Use/buy a spare one that you don't care much about and go at it.

Well, Ive got a couple WD sight unseen razors that Im starting out with, so I figure Id try to become a honemeister (LOL) on those and then in a year or two when I buy a really nice Boker or Ralf Aust (because I told myself I have to do straights for at least a year before I buy a really nice one), I'll have more of an idea of what Im doing and if I mess it up at first, I'll do it on an ugly razor.
Im also looking at picking up a couple of cheap razors on Ebay that are ugly and need some TLC to practice one.

I don't want to discourage you.
If you feel you have the funds to spend go for it. And yes, It does look pretty damn easy. Stay away for cheap hones and buy the stuff that is recommended here. The part you cant see the learning how to read the blade. Learning to hear the blade. Learning to feel the blade. Then theirs the pressure that you cant see on the vids. I've been honing now for 7-8 months now. Have a collection of over 60 razors so something always seems to need honing sense I buy a new razor to restore every couple weeks. My honing is still hit and miss. Some razors turn out great on the first try. Other razors I have to start over and over and still don't get them right.

I've got one that has never turned out right. BUT, If your interested in honing by all means jump in and join the group. But remember that a single razor after being properly honed can last months before it need to go back on the stone. I've got one with 20 shaves on it and is still sharp enough for me. Another guy on the forum here has one pushing 100 shaves and still sharp.

One of the things about straight razors that attracted me was the idea that I could be self-sufficient and maintain my gear myself. You certainly can learn to hone and if you stick with it there is a good chance you can become proficient.

I would suggest you do not use a 220 grit hone on razors and I would also suggest you tape the spine with electrical tape. Also, some means of magnification, there are differing opinions on how strong but generally 30x will do fine, so you can see what is happening on the edge. Start with blades you are willing to possibly mess up.

Keep searching past honing threads and asking questions. Good luck!

Originally Posted by Gasman

I don't want to discourage you.
If you feel you have the funds to spend go for it. And yes, It does look pretty damn easy. Stay away for cheap hones and buy the stuff that is recommended here. The part you cant see the learning how to read the blade. Learning to hear the blade. Learning to feel the blade. Then theirs the pressure that you cant see on the vids. I've been honing now for 7-8 months now. Have a collection of over 60 razors so something always seems to need honing sense I buy a new razor to restore every couple weeks. My honing is still hit and miss. Some razors turn out great on the first try. Other razors I have to start over and over and still don't get them right.

I've got one that has never turned out right. BUT, If your interested in honing by all means jump in and join the group. But remember that a single razor after being properly honed can last months before it need to go back on the stone. I've got one with 20 shaves on it and is still sharp enough for me. Another guy on the forum here has one pushing 100 shaves and still sharp.

What Jerry said-It's generally best to start with a straight straight (meaning non-smiling, no wedges with massive spine wear, etc. (though that is what I learned on because I do everything the hard way!)) that has little or no hone wear or geometry issues to work out. Get a Norton 4/8k, or a Naniwa 12k, or even a good vintage barber hone to just practice touching up blades that are just starting to tug a little and no longer respond to good stropping. As Jerry said, it's all about pressure, or more to the point, a LACK of pressure/torque, especially with the higher grit hones or when just touching up. In fact, I would say that for most beginning honers, the eureka moment comes when they learn by feel, sound, visual feedback, and the various edge tests when and how to lighten up on the torque and start really polishing the edge (assuming a truly-set bevel all along the edge, which is probably 95% of getting a great edge, and where most new guys get ahead of themselves).

As I say to my students when demoing a new high-tech app for classroom use, I can do it-how hard can it be? But again, it's a journey best started backward (in other words, that nearly shave-ready edge that just needs a little tweaking), and you will always be learning something new, especially with wonky blades or some new natural stone (best saved for later in the journey, as they are all so quirky and idiosyncratic).

One final thing if I missed someone else saying it: start with at least one known reference edge from a known expert honer that you can compare your progress against. Let us know how it goes! Aaron

Originally Posted by Badgerstate

Hello all. So, now that Ive gotten into straights, Im looking into honing. Now, Ive read a lot of people who say that you should leave honing to the pros but Ive watched a bunch of Youtube videos on it and honestly, it doesnt look that difficult.
So, now Im looking into getting a 220/1000 stone, 4000/8000 stone, 12000 stone and a lapping stone. At first, I was only going to get a 4000/8000 stone but then I read that you want the 1000 to set the bevel and want the 12000 for final polishing.
Am I absolutely insane for wanting to learn honing? I mean, it just doesnt look that difficult and it seems kind of silly to send my razors out for honing when I could just do it myself.
Thoughts?

Insane? Nope.

My standard advice is to wait a year before attempting to learn to hone (I did an I'm glad I waited). As a former meat cutter I'll tell you the difference between honing a razor and sharpening a kife is black and with--day and night.

There are many advantages to having your razor honed by someone who know what they are doing. The biggest is that when the time comes to honing your own you'll have a gauge to judge your work by.

When I was learning I sent razors off to a Pro and asked that he use the same hones that I did and NO Pasted Strops. That was one of the best investments I've made.

Poor stropping can damage an edge and a hone can destroy an edge if you don't know what you're doing. The best case senerio is to find someone local with experience honing. The second best is to not learn to actually 'hone' but to maintain your edge. That's were a 12K comes in or even a decent Barber Hone.

The most important thing to have to learn this age old art is patience. If you absolutely have to start buying hones, start high with a 12K or such and see if you actually improve your edge, if not, well you'll have learned a bit.

There's a member here who I have helped and his question about learning to hone was "It's just sharpening, Right"? He found out there is quite a bit to learn. I still like to kid him about that overly simplified statement.

Enjoy the ride, it's a long strange trip but well worth the journey.