Thread: Straight Razors Dull Despite Little Use

For me, honing razors was one of those times when the light bulb finally just swithched on. I'm not embarrased to say it took some time and lotsa head scratching. Seems silly now, but actually understanding the critical basics of a set bevel, removing previous scratch patterns, etc. Also learning to actually feel and hear what's happening on the stones and leather. It's still a challenge, sometimes a razor has me buggered, but that's part of the fun.

Yeah, I agree with the previous comments. First, I think you're just doing what is natural. You're trying to figure it out and you're posting your impressions of it. To those to whom it's now old hat they see and hear and will try to steer you in the right way. Each one has their own input they're thinking about but to you it's a deluge. Maybe there is some frustration on the other end that the kernal of wisdom in what they are saying is getting missed. When you're not looking at someone it's a bit more of a challenge to communicate. Maybe you don't quite get what someone is saying yet. It happens and it's not your fault. Some of it is our fault. There is a lot of input to process. That's why I say it would help to have some visual one on one, if not in person over video call. It might help to quiet the room a little.

You've gotten some good input and if you do what you said and study it some, isolate one set of instructions from the other and then process it will come together for you. I think we forget sometimes that what we are saying makes sense to us but you don't quite speak the language fluently yet. My father-in-law was funny. I could always tell when he was on the phone with someone who didn't speak English well because he would yell into the phone. Sometimes maybe we try speaking in loud English trying to get you to understand. My apologies for that.

Second, as Mick said, once it clicks the lightbulb really does just pop on and then it will all start to meld together. That's when you will be able to hear several conversations at once instead of the noise of everyone talking over each other. At least that's how it was for me. You'll get it. We'll help.

Since YouTube came up and we have established that there are a lot of yoyos on the airwaves the next obvious question to me it seems is who is worth listening to and who isn't? One person whose videos I have found to be very good are made by a member here named Joseph aka JOB15. He has a channel and has posted many of his videos here. I find he explains things well and is easy to follow. Here is just one thread.with some videos which you might find helpful:

https://sharprazorpalace.com/honing/...ml#post1893355

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

Each one has their own input they're thinking about but to you it's a deluge.

Well put. This is exactly what I was complaining about, basically. In the normal world one of two things is normally true:

1. You can make a decently accurate guess at how well someone knows what they're talking about by what company they work for, what degree they have, what rank they have, etc.

2. There is some level of consensus on how beginners should approach learning a subject, or some level of consensus on a general approach that works well.

In razor sharpening there is absolutely none of any of that, which makes it almost impossible to parse information as a newcomer. Most of the masters don't really have credentials, and the one well known sharpener who has a degree in metallurgy has disputed methods, there's no working eye test for which sharpeners are good or bad over the internet, no one agrees on what terminology to use for honing techniques, and despite the apparent simplicity of the concept of sharpening a piece of metal, every single step of the process is hotly debated. On top of that, there is some instructors on youtube who unironically don't know what they're doing, and it would be hard to tell which is which without already being a master of the craft.

I do agree with everyone's general sentiment that it's the kind of thing, where if you do it often enough, and try enough techniques, and really sink in some time and effort, eventually you will just develop a feel for the stone, and things will fall into place naturally. That's exactly the approach I plan on taking. It's just a really absurd sounding learning environment. It kind of reminds me of cooking, where there is 800 slightly different ways to cook scrambled eggs, all of them work, and lots of cooks will totally slander other cooks method as total garbage.

If I were teaching this to somebody, I would probably try to frame it as "Sharpening is all about feel, and trial and error, it is essentially not teachable at all except for mistakes you can avoid making." "The reason the terminology sounds so confusing and contradictory is probably because it doesn't matter, they are all going off of feel, it's not a rubik's cube." Trying to describe what your muscles are feeling would be necessary, but is extremely difficult and confusing, so it makes more sense to simply explain that it can't be explained.

I bookmarked that link and I'll take a look shortly, I have lessons with knife guy tomorrow so it will be nice to finally see someone, if not a master, at least who is familiar with sharpening, to show me what he does in person.

By the way, I retract all of my previous slander for Stereo Microscopes.

I just spent an hour playing around with the stereo microscope we have at work, found out that it was being completely misused, and finally got a look at it with correct focus, lenses, magnification, lighting etc. It is GORGEOUS. Easily the most impressive optics I've ever seen in person, you can put your finger underneath it and see all the tiny little nooks and crannies and ridges of your skin in 3D, it's incredible, it may be the coolest machine I've ever used in general after the Scanning Electron Microscope.

I'm not a master honer, compared to a lot of the guys here I'm probably not even a very good honer but i will pass on one thing i was told early on and is about the single most useful thing Ive learned.

Watch the water!

Setting the bevel you will push the water in front of the edge, as you progress up the stones the water will progressively mount the blade instead of just being pushed.

At no time should you notice water going under and leaving lines behind the edge, those would be where the razor is not being honed.

jmho

Originally Posted by STF

I'm not a master honer, compared to a lot of the guys here I'm probably not even a very good honer but i will pass on one thing i was told early on and is about the single most useful thing Ive learned.

Watch the water!

Setting the bevel you will push the water in front of the edge, as you progress up the stones the water will progressively mount the blade instead of just being pushed.

At no time should you notice water going under and leaving lines behind the edge, those would be where the razor is not being honed.

jmho

I look forward to the zen-like state I'm going to get into in the future when I finally have a feel for this.

Originally Posted by STF

I'm not a master honer, compared to a lot of the guys here I'm probably not even a very good honer but i will pass on one thing i was told early on and is about the single most useful thing Ive learned.

Watch the water!

Setting the bevel you will push the water in front of the edge, as you progress up the stones the water will progressively mount the blade instead of just being pushed.

At no time should you notice water going under and leaving lines behind the edge, those would be where the razor is not being honed.

jmho

...which is one reason why having a dead flat stone is helpful.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

...which is one reason why having a dead flat stone is helpful.

Aha I have a King 1k. I have read so many complaints about this stone not remaining flat, but I suspect that this only becomes significant if you sharpen a lot of razors.

If it's a 1k/6k combo don't soak that stone. It will not only make it not flat it will make the 6k side crack/craze