Thread: This sucks...

I'll agree, for the sake of consistency, , to go with a few 1/3. Consider that one reason people have trouble succeeding is that they go too far or they go too short on honing.

What they fail to anticipate is the finishing of the edge (which includes more honing) and the need to strop (which creates greater smoothness).

In order to create a perfected edge, it must be finished. So we have 3 very broad areas of honing.

1. Removing imperfections/Bevel setting: (usually done with circular honing and a little pressure, straight down a wide hone, or with a x pattern)

2. Basic sharpening: (usually done with a pyramid method, straight or x pattern)

3. Finishing: (usually done with a high grit hone, 8k or higher, an ultra light touch, a repetitive perfect stroke, and an x pattern (only)).

And ofcourse, test shave often. Its more important to get a good sharp smooth perfected edge that shaves well, and then do some tests with it, so you know how the tests should feel with a truely well honed blade for proper comparison.

BTW . . . it took me about 4 years to learn how to hone, so you won't get much empathy from me for atleast another year. If I could have achieved a decent shave by stropping on paper as new to honing as you are I would have been marching around my house yelling "Who's the man!?", "Oh Yea, I'm the man!"

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

If I could have achieved a decent shave by stropping on paper as new to honing as you are I would have been marching around my house yelling "Who's the man!?", "Oh Yea, I'm the man!"

Now that you mention it... I do recall professing my manliness to my wife, but she just went back to sleep!!!

I'll let you know now that standing on the bed and proclaiming "THE HONEMIESTER DEMANDS TO BE SERVICED!" ain't such a good idea either.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

I'll let you know now that standing on the bed and proclaiming "THE HONEMIESTER DEMANDS TO BE SERVICED!" ain't such a good idea either.

Unless the honemeister wants to sleep on the couch.

Alan,

This is a great post. Thinking of honing as a three-tiered process has been very useful for me.

It's also helpful to remember that the tests fit nicely within the framework you layed out.

Bevel creation:
Marker test (Is the blade warped? Is the bevel developing evenly? Does it go all the way to the edge?)
Thumbnail test (Is the edge even all along its length? Are there any chips?)

Basic sharpening:
Microscope (Are there any microscopic chips?)
Hanging hair test (Is the edge sharp?)

Finishing:
Thumb pad test (Is the blade keen?)
Shave test (Is the edge smooth?)

Don't get overwhelmed by all these tests. You don't have to use all of them or any of them--although I imagine we all use the shave test now and then.

But if you feel like you're getting stuck at any point, these tests can help you figure out what might be going wrong.

I do think the HHT is often misunderstood. It's a good test for basic sharpness, not necessarily shave-readiness. Once you get the hang of things, you'll probably find that you're able to pass the HHT off the 4K side of the Norton. But you wouldn't want to shave with that edge, because it's not smooth enough. It needs finishing.

Keep at it,
Josh

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

I'll agree, for the sake of consistency, , to go with a few 1/3. Consider that one reason people have trouble succeeding is that they go too far or they go too short on honing.

What they fail to anticipate is the finishing of the edge (which includes more honing) and the need to strop (which creates greater smoothness).

In order to create a perfected edge, it must be finished. So we have 3 very broad areas of honing.

1. Removing imperfections/Bevel setting: (usually done with circular honing and a little pressure, straight down a wide hone, or with a x pattern)

2. Basic sharpening: (usually done with a pyramid method, straight or x pattern)

3. Finishing: (usually done with a high grit hone, 8k or higher, an ultra light touch, a repetitive perfect stroke, and an x pattern (only)).

And ofcourse, test shave often. Its more important to get a good sharp smooth perfected edge that shaves well, and then do some tests with it, so you know how the tests should feel with a truely well honed blade for proper comparison.

BTW . . . it took me about 4 years to learn how to hone, so you won't get much empathy from me for atleast another year. If I could have achieved a decent shave by stropping on paper as new to honing as you are I would have been marching around my house yelling "Who's the man!?", "Oh Yea, I'm the man!"

I can't believe that you are stropping on paper. You NEED a leather strop to get a decent shave.

Originally Posted by Friggin Joe

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.

This is why I have always been an advocate for the thumb nail test as taught in the old barber manuals.

Regardless of what honing method you employ, if your edge passes the "test" it's done, period.


Scott