Thread: This sucks...

Originally Posted by adjustme69

I used distilled water as we are on a well and I get much better results with the bottled stuff. It's about $.50 per gallon at all the grocery stores.

Lynn

I stand corrected. Looks like it would be worth a shot then.

Honing really is harder than it looks, but not too hard for you to learn, just be patient. Take your time and don't get flustered. I've very suspicious of such a bad bevel coming right out of the chute. There could be something funny with these razors.

For now focus on being more specific about what your doing when you send us a post. For example, you'll note its actually impossible to apply a razor to a Norton 4/8K. You gotta choose one side or the other.

It sounds to me, based on very little available data, that you honed on the 4K side using pressure and were not able to replicate the same pressure on each side. Remember that the stone must be oriented to ensure your hand will apply equal pressure throughout the entire stroke, in each direction.

These razors need to be sent out for evaluation and to be looked at.

Start fresh with a new razor, lapped Norton, and only work on the 8K side for a bit. Use the slow properties to learn a good, even stroke and see if you can make a new razor shave ready with only the 8K side (or close).

Remember to use equal pressure, a light touch, the razor flat on the stone, and that each stroke must be equal length and angle on each opposing side. The strokes must be equal against the opposing side or your not creating a fin/sharp edge, your honing the edge and pushing the fin from one side to the other unequally, never achieving a razors edge.

If you get the feel of applying equal pressure and turning the blade over and the 8k alone fails to improve, add a stroke or 2 of 4K for good measure and start over again.

Move to learning how to use a light touch to accomplish the stroke.

Think of the 4K as a very good cutter and the 8k as a very good polisher. As much as you may want to use the 4k and start cutting away at the bevel you'll probably do more harm than good. Be judicious with the 4K for now.

Keep in mind the reason so many people use "only the weight of the blade" is because its so brainless to create equality of pressure if the pressure is a set amount that you do not add. You eliminate human error. Or most of it anyway.

I still have a hard time with Nortons, too wide for me for now.
For faster cutting I got a japanese water hone.
I may drop it and come out with a few mininortons.
I thought I had nailed it, and for a couple blades I do fine, but there's still a few razors I just know I'm not progressing with due to really sucking.

The best was a shave-ready razor I used to see what "sharp" feels like on my norton 8k side. It was shave ready for about 2 laps.
I'm ok with a plain blade and a barber hone.

The way I look at it, I got this stuff for life.
Why metal and rocks is so fun, I don't know, but it is. So I don't stay too disheartened when a razor whips me.

I'm always adding this, I know, I know....

But I found putting some magic marker on each side of the edge an enormous visual aid when I first started honing - it let me see, after just one stroke on each side, what was happening when I did certain things.

Just a thought.

James.

Don't feel bad, Ken. You've made noticeable progress in just three hours. That's a good thing. I think the water's primary job is to create surface tension to help the blade along the hone smoothly. Some water may be better than others for this, but I can't really say. our water is pretty soft.

This is your opportunity to go slow and really feel what is happening with the blade at all points along the hone. I hon left to right and back again and consider it very important to keep my forefinger on the underside spine side of the blade and my thumb on the top edge side of the shank. this produces a gently torque to keep the edge gently pressed to the hone. Next is to either use the X motion or Rolling Hone method to gradually and evenly transfer the main point of contact or pressure of the blade on the stone up the edge from heel to tip. Try to keep it even all long.

First things first though. Fix that bevel with about twenty circles on either side of the blade and roll that pressure up and down the edge to get it all even.

X

Thank-you for all your words of encouragement! After reading through a few threads, I was ready to take another kick at the can. So when I got home from work, I started on honing up razor #2 from last night.

1. Completed a full pyramid, using very light pressure (checking the blade periodically)... failed the HHT.

2. Repeated the full pyramid... failed the HHT. I then tested the blade on my arm and was pleased to see the hairs getting cut down.

3. Completed a short pyramid... failed the HHT. (WTF... am I never going to pass this test???)

At this point, I'd had enough honing for one night, but thought I'd do a brief shave test on one side of my face to see/feel what kind of progress I had made. As I have no strop yet... I simply stropped the razor on a piece of paper on a flat piece of glass. (Not the greatest, but I figured it'd work in a pinch.) Did my usual prep, lathered up with some Proraso, and was surprised to discover that the razor was indeed shaving the hair from my face (with some very slight tugging). Completed 2 passes... WTG and XTG. No nicks, cuts, or scrapes.

I may not be there yet... but this little bit of success certainly helps reinforce my desire to use str8's.

Sooooo... ...what's my next step? Should I simply continue doing pyramids until I can pass the HHT?

- Ken -

Ken,

At this point, a full pyramid will set you back a bit. You might try doing just the tip of the pyramid--a couple of 1/3s, then test shave. Try that a couple of times, and if it doesn't work you might need a full pyramid.

It sounds like you're close. A little more practice and you'll be shavin'!

BTW, the HHT doesn't work for everyone. Even if your hair is perfect for it, it'll take some practice to get there. I have nice, thick hair that works great for the test, but it took me two months to get a razor to pass the test.

It's a good indicator of your progress, but it's not a fail-safe test.

Keep at it,
Josh

"X" Pattern. That's it. Wapi's love it.

Yeah, 3 x 1/3 and see how it goes with the HHT and arm hair. Strop and test again. sounds like you're getting close.

X

I been at it on and off for a few months and I just got a blade sharper than thought possible tonight. Patience. If I can do it anyone can, I have terrible manual dexterity.
I couldn't just follow a process and get very far. Reading posts from the likes of AFDavis and LX convinced me to think a bit outside any one set of directions and apply some practical common sense. I'd love to find success with the 4k/8k pyramids route, but I just can't seem to keep a steady hand on that norton.