Thread: pyramid

Can someone expalain the pyramid method? Is this something that you would use for a very dull razor or just a variation of a more standard way?
Also... I just bought a razor that came with a hone. Its a "Regal" double grit razor hone. It doesnt list the grit, but it says "for best results use water or oil" which is better?

Randy Tuttle wrote up a nice document on pyramid honing. It's located in the files area under honing.

Sorry I can't help you with your hone question.

The pyramid method was devised by Lynn Abrams, the founder of this forum. It is a structured approach to honing. It helps new people avoid the two most common mistakes.
1. Over-honing, getting the edge to thin.
2. A willy nilly, try this, then try that approach and then wonder why its not working or wonder what did work and not be able to duplicate the success.

The approach is principally designed for a new razor or one that has been shaving sharp in the recent past. A dull or damaged razor requires additional work on a coarser hone first to either remove nicks and/or establish a new bevel.

You have not stated what the condition is of your razor so I will not go any further right now.

Regarding the "Regal" hone. It sounds like a classic barber hone. Use it with either/or water or shaving lather. Most of us use water. This hone is not suitable for removing visible nicks unless you want carpal tunnel syndrome. The darker side is probably the coarse side of this hone with a grit of 3000-4000 and the other side, the fine side probably has a grit of 6000-8000. This is using the JIS standard of grit rating (Japanese).


Tell us more about your razor,

Thanks for the info. My razor is brand new. I bought it from David. He honed it before he sent it to me so it is in great shape. I am about to buy a lot of razors on ebay to practice honing.

Davids razor should be just fine.

Perhaps the best way to explain the pyramid method is to tell you what I have just finished doing. I have 4 razors that I have been working on. I shaved with them this morning, I had a 3 day growth, and one of the razors was just about perfect while the other three were not quite as good. For the three that needed some more work I did the following foe each one.

4000/8000 Norton waterstone hone ( using very light pressure)

3/5 three laps on the 4000 grit side followed by 5 laps on the 8000 grit side then
3/5 "
1/5 one "
1/5 "
1/5 "

then 100 laps on the 0.5 micron pasted strop

Now the edge is noticeably sharper, next I will strop each razor 35 laps on a plain leather strop then test shave. If I feel that one of the razors needs more work on the hone then I will repeat the above.

Some people would have used the following
1/5
1/5
3/5
1/5
1/5

This is not as aggressive a pyramid but you can see why it is called a "pyramid"

For your Ebay razors you will have to do a lot more work. You will need a 800, 1000 or1200
grit hone or sandpaper. This will be used to remove any nicks and to create a new, fresh bevel. I would suggest you purchase a 30 or 60 power microscope, Radio Shack has them for $10, so you can examine the edge of the razor as you go along. If the edge has nicks or any other bad spots then use the coarse abrasive until it looks clean and even under the microscope. Only then should you move on to the coarse side of the barber hone.

Since the barber hones cut slower than a Norton you will have to adjust the pyramid.
You might want to try the following
Coarse side of hone / fine side of hone
test edge first to establish a basis for comparison
15/5
15/5
25/5 This would be an aggressive sequence
15/5
15/5
10/5
test the edge and notice the change, compare the feel of the edge with the razor that David sent you. When your edge feels like his then you are ready for a test shave.

Repeat the above several times and notice the rate of change that occurs.
When you feel that the edge may be ready for a test shave then finish with 35 laps on a plain leather strop and shave. You will probably need to repeat the above honing/test shave cycle several times. Please note the the above ratios are not set in stone. On some of my classic hones I have went as high as 50 laps on the coarse side It all depends on the specific razor and the hone.

Hope this helps,

Thanks Randy

Hello again,

Hal brought to my attention an oversight on my part.

The initial sequence should probably be repeated only once. Thereafter remove the most aggressive step for each subsequent iteration.

When you eventually get to the almost there stage the sequence should probably be in the range of
5/15
2/10
2/10

or something on that order. None of these numbers are set in stone. They will vary with the hone and the razor but I think you get the general idea.

I am just trying to give you a path to follow so you don't waste a lot of time trying a willy nilly approach.

Hope this helps,