Thread: Learning to Hone

Well....i talked to Howard at the perfect edge and I bought quite the haul.

Norton 4k/8k....Yellow coticle....and a DMT. Here is my big question.....what do you recommend i practice with. I do have one Col Conk Dovo....that is brand new that im gonna play with.....but do you recommend any CHEAP type razors to practice with that are close to new that wouldnt need major types of overhaul. I need to learn to sharpen a good blade first.....rather than working on bad stuff.

Im very excited BTW....watched Lynns honing part 4 times in the last few days.

I would pick up something on Eboy in the 25-30 dollar range that not a real dog but you can practice on without worrying and in the end you'll have a razor you can later use. I certainly would not get a razor like a new Dovo or TI or high buck vintage to practice on.

I really dont know how to tell if there is spine wear...so dont wanna be pickin up something that might give me false learning curves. What do you recommend.

I've got one for you Isaac

I went the Ebite route also, ended up with a rather nice razor that just needed some serious stone work.

I ground the edge flat on my DMT and than put a new bevel on it with the DMT as well. Now it's waiting on longer scales, to ones it came with here to short and brok the tip of the blade off a bit. I've been working on some manzanita wood for scales, should be done soon.

Ebite is a good place to get "Project" razors.

Can you describe the difference between honing flat and honing the bevel with the DMT? I am new to the SRP and don't know much about honing.

Thanks,
Jim

I think the esteemed chef was referring to an advanced technique... Newbies cover your ears.

When a razor has a bad frown (a curve in the edge so the middle of the blade isn't as wide as the ends), I will usually grind the edge straight on my DMT hones. To do this, I lift the spine of the razor off the hone, often using a 45-degree angle. This makes it so that only the wider parts of the blade touch the hone, and they get ground down. The edge quickly gets straightened out.

When you're done with this, there is no edge left on the razor--you've ground it off. So you have to start from scratch, almost like you were honing a steel ruler or something. I tape the spine and do normal honing strokes to put the bevel back on.

Since the DMT hones are pieces of diamond embedded in steel, you can get away with some things like this. A softer hone would be prone to gouging if used in this manner.

It usually takes me anywhere from one to two hours to remove a frown, reestablish a bevel and hone the razor. I wouldn't try this until you have some experience under your belt, as you can trash a razor pretty good this way.

Josh

Thank you for the information on the need to create a flat. I am just starting to learn to hone and get an edge for shaving. So far I have not really been able to get a good enough edge across the length of the razor. I have three razors; a TI 5/8, a TI 4/8 and Timor 5/8 by DOVO.

Jim

Some razors are ground unevenly, so getting a univorm edge may be a challenge. But I think it's unlikely that all 3 of yours are like this - maybe you put uneven pressure on the razor in the motions?

Good luck
Ivo

Isaac,
I recommend you learn on some razors that are quality razors you can acquire inexpensively but definitely not on cheap razors. There are so many variables that you want to learn what is actually going on at the edge of the steel. Cheap tools are never a good deal. You've done the smart thing and gotten the best honing equipment. That reduces a lot of problems right at the get-go.