Thread: My 1K/4K challenge

Originally Posted by JellyJar

How do you deal with this

By not owning any heavy grind razors.

Unfortunately, I've been afflicted with an enjoyment of the heavy silent whisker killers.

Test shave report on the wedge...and...FAIL. Didn't even finish one cheek, it was better (not great mind you) before I started. Actually left stubble behind.

I'm going to bail on the wedge honing for a while and focus my efforts on the hollow. I'll come back to them after some studying.

The secret is knowing when the bevel has formed a full and complete apex.
If you set a time for each razor in a given honing session and then stop when you get there, it removes frustration and mindless honing. It was suggested when I was fairly new and it is fairly effective at keeping your mind sharp in the game. Thirty minutes and it’s done for tonight, one way or another. It goes back into the line up for the next time I’m honing. Next session bring it out, inspect it with a loupe and decide on what is the best next step. So,etimes that best next step is to take pictures and ask a friend, other times you may come up with a fresh approach or affirmation that you are on the correct path and just need more time.
:-)
I think it’s Glen that says honing is easy until it isn’t.

OT again-After Rolodave bum-shamed me, I tossed that shop outfit in the trash. My wife thanks you. That ancient U2 tour shirt is now in the rag-bag.

Back on topic-JJ, you're like the Don Quixote of honing. I thought I was bad starting out with all the wonky, curved Sheffields 10 years ago, but I believe you've got me beat lol. As others have said, know when to quit on some razors (or at least put them back until you bring new skills to the table-I've done that numerous times). That said, I admire your can-do attitude in the face of danger.

I'm making a tactical retreat until I learn some more about wedge honing. I think part of my problem is getting the tape even on both sides, but there's probably more than that going on.

As far as the can-do, I've always been like that. If I want something I'll just keep grinding. It took me a couple decades to learn to back off and come at things from another angle. Long ago I would have ground at that Wosty till it was a 2/8 and forced me to quit on it. I'm still going to use it for educational purposes.

I'll post my progress with the 4K and my hollow. That one worked better than I thought it would on the 1K, so I'm optimistic.

Another thing I learned years ago from playing guitar. Say I was trying to learn a complex run and couldn't quite nail it, or a new finger-picking pattern that I would get fumble-fingered on. I would put it away in disgust, do other things for a few weeks, pick it back up, and bam, there it was under my fingers, with no practice at all in the interim.

I read somewhere that the brain "thinks" about things over time that we're not even aware of consciously, and that it can work out issues we're not even aware of if we just step away and let it process things a bit. I'm not even sure brain scientists understand it very well, but the idea fascinates me. I wish I knew where I read that!

But I think it applies to honing too, as I've experienced exactly the same thing a few times. Hit a wall, frustration, cursing, etc. Come back to the same edge weeks later with no conscious thought at all about it, and nail it easily.

I know what you mean. I've experienced it many times. Sometimes I almost know I'm still working on the problem. My brain is still chewing on possible solutions. Much of my career is based around problem solving. Sometimes it's a couple of days, sometimes weeks, or months. I know something will pop up. If what pops up fails, it's information to continue the problem solving. Basically the scientific method. Observation, theory, testing...In the meantime, I've got high hopes for the hollow. I'm on the stropping and it looks/feels good.

I finished the hollow on the 4K. While I usually don't shave on back to back days while on vacation time, I just had to try it. I feel like it was a success, not really much closer than the 1K, but it did feel more comfortable.

Overall I'm glad I did this. I feel like I've taken a good sized step up in my razor honing and learned quite a bit (including what else I need to learn/practice).

I'm not going to put a wedge to a stone until I've got all my hollows running well at 8K . I also need to figure out my ark. When I do get back to the wedges that worn out Wosty is going to get a beating

Thanks again for all your advice and input, it's been very helpful.

From personal experience, none in Arkansas stone world but coticules, keep your naturals as paperweights until you can nail down razors on a synthetic first. I have spent many hours banging my head against a stone when the culprits were technique and really seeing when an edge is done, not the number of laps or the slurry amount. Not to mention my stropping was pretty ineffective for longer than I would care to admit.

A little story from an old friend, that competed in speedskating and was almost at the olympics when an injury took him out. Most Olympians (at least american speed skaters) take it super easy and some step away completely from their sport a few weeks/months before the Olympics. This way they can relax and put their mind at ease as much as possible. A good mindset helps in everything and taking too many breaks is rarely a fault of the ambitious.