Thread: 4 Hours of Honing = No Effect! Still metal strips

So I made it a goal to devote an evening to learn honing. I lapped the 4/8K with the D8C using the pencil, honed, saw no results from razors and ended up with weird stripes. I lapped the 4/8K again and honed again only I partitioned the pyramid to 30 on the 4k 30 on 8k, still the same results . I used all my razors except for the smiley W&B and they all produced the same metal stripes and no shave ready edge (This is a point where I feel like giving up) I've learned to use two hands which helped keep the razor flat on the stone at minimal pressure, But I still can't get a shave ready edge and I don't have the time to give my razors and wait 3-6 weeks for honing from the masters.





Even when I rotated the hone I still ended up with strips, the 4K didn't have the middle one though. They were lapped twice tonight and I can't have ALL my razors warped, so it's either the stone or my hone technique, either way I'm feeling very discouraged and tired

It looks like you're going straight across the hone and not using an X-pattern. Is that right?

Here is a good video to watch showing the x pattern.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/video...razor-dvd.html

I have felt the same frustration. It takes some doing to learn to hone a razor. Hang in there and review the videos again. Check your bevel under magnification. As HeavyDutySquare points out, most razors that come to him that the sender couldn't get sharp didn't have a proper bevel set. Did you mark the edge with a magic marker to be sure it is in proper contact with the hone ? It would also help if you had a razor honed by a honemiester to have something to compare to.

I have Lynn's DVD and watched it twice (great video). As per my discussion in a previous thread about the inefficiency of the X pattern on a 3" stone, I only use X strokes on stones less than 3".

Originally Posted by ProfessorShak

I have Lynn's DVD and watched it twice (great video). As per my discussion in a previous thread about the inefficiency of the X pattern on a 3" stone, I only use X strokes on stones less than 3".

Why don't you try an X-pattern to see if it makes a difference?

Try putting the razor on the hone at an angle, so that the entire blade is on the hone, but you still get the same effect as though using an X pattern.

I'm not a mathematical person so I can't tell you the correct term for the razor angle to the hone thing, that I am trying to explain.

1st you need to inspect the bevel: are there any burrs, is it even? If not you have to set a bevel with the 4K or even a coarser hone depending on the state of the cutting edge. You can use the marker test to check if all parts of the bevel on either side of the blade make good contact with the hone and get metal shifted. Always do X-patterns as explained before.

As soon as this is the case you can move up to the 8K, do 20 laps and see what happens. If no better, go back to the 4K, do say 5-10 laps and go back to the 8K and so on. Evenutally you will find the edge gets no sharper. At this stage you can progress to pyramids to see if you can further improve the edge. Pyramids are explained in the help files. When you come to the point where the edge gets no sharper: strop and shave.

I have put a shave ready edge on about 10 razors now and every one of them took slightly different strokes on my norton. Also, I am setting the bevel on a 1K which is a little faster. I found that I have to be willing to adjust my honing stroke to the razor.

hope this helps,

-Rob

Originally Posted by sicboater

I have put a shave ready edge on about 10 razors now and every one of them took slightly different strokes on my norton. Also, I am setting the bevel on a 1K which is a little faster. I found that I have to be willing to adjust my honing stroke to the razor.

hope this helps,

-Rob

I too use a 1k for setting bevels, it is so much better.