Thread: honing problems

I'm honing up a couple of razors on a Norton 4k/8k hone. Still not getting the close shave I feel I should be. Any advise would be very helpful.

Go to this link right here and your problem will be solved if you do what it says to do.

do you use only norton 4.8k?
if yes you will need a little more then this.
at least have chromium02 and strop.
after you done with 8 k use chr02 20 strokes and strop .if you have sharpened your blade right then it should give a good shave.What i have notice 8 k does give a good edge but not excellent one.it brakes the edge before razor gets really shave ready forum.
hope this helps.

The best will be get microscope and check the edge.30x is cheeap

Should I be able to perform the hht off of the 8k side of the hone?

Originally Posted by bulldog

Should I be able to perform the hht off of the 8k side of the hone?

Some people may be able to but I am not one of them. If I can get it that sharp it will be after stropping following the honing. I rely on the TPT and when I am far enough along popping hair off of the arm or leg by brushing the edge lightly over the hair without touching the skin.

Originally Posted by bulldog

Should I be able to perform the hht off of the 8k side of the hone?

Yes and no....depends on your razor! You really shouldn't use the HHT test for blade sharpness, unless you've really standardized it (i.e. know exactly how different blades react with one type of hair when they are sharp). Some blades pass HHT, others don't. It's not a reliable measure for most, so I wouldn't be using it.

I can get my blades to pass HHT off of the 8k, but only after a good stropping. You should be able to get a good shave off of a 8k, but don't use the HHT as a test. A lot of people here get great shaves off an edge that won't pass.

The main area I'm having trouble getting smooth when I shave is my side burn area. Is it me or the razor? It seems to be uniformly sharp across the blade.

Originally Posted by bulldog

The main area I'm having trouble getting smooth when I shave is my side burn area. Is it me or the razor? It seems to be uniformly sharp across the blade.

Chances are the razor isn't quite sharp enough. The sideburn area should be one of the easiest areas to shave smooth, since it's the most uniformly flat. I would follow Jimmy's advice and follow the 4k/8k pyramid instructions in the link he provided you. Honing can be a pickle sometimes...I know.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Go to this link right here and your problem will be solved if you do what it says to do.

I would not waste my time with the HHT, it is nothing more than a parlor trick and of no use in judging the sharpness of a razor. The TPT is good, but there are subtle graduations to the feel of the razor from being just good enough to being truely sharp. You will only learn these through experience so my advise is:

Hone, TPT test, strop, TPT test, shave

Repeat if the shave is not good enough

Build up some memory as to what a really sharp razor feels like on the TPT both after honing and after stropping

For reference, with proper technique, a well honed and stropped razor will give you a smooth shave and no irritation with a single pass.

This is not rocket science, but there is a learning curve. My curve was very steep, but then I have always been quick to pick up manual skills.

Originally Posted by bulldog

The main area I'm having trouble getting smooth when I shave is my side burn area. Is it me or the razor? It seems to be uniformly sharp across the blade.

Notice in what Randy says in the Wiki tutorial,"It is not unusual for me to take 2-3-4 honing sessions to dial in an edge".

Also, if just getting an already sharp edge smoother is the issue chrom ox on balsa or leather can improve the smoothness or if you have a Chinese 12k, a Shapton glass 16k. Or more stropping can help.

That assumes you have the bevel set correctly and have done what you needed to do with the pyramids. IME if the razor pops hair easily all the way across the edge it is good to shave with following a good stropping.