Thread: Time to begin honing

Ok, I am now the proud owner of 4 Shapton Stones (1K,4K,8K,& 16K)with a DMT8C for lapping. I've been reading for weeks, watched every video I could find and spent a little time this evening conversing with 2Sharp. I believe I'm as ready as I'm gonna be to start honing razors so does anyone have any words of wisdom this newbie?

Go slow and easy.

Watch out for that tree!



Good luck, and don't let it intimidate you. I'm still as fresh as the morning dew when it comes to honing, but it's a darned good feeling to get a good shave off an edge you honed yourself.

Just take it easy, be patient and enjoy. If you ever get frustrated or feel like you're getting nowhere, just take a break. If you have any sort of magnification that'll help greatly to as you'll see the progress of the scratch marks on the edge. The 1k, 4k, 8k, 16k in Shaptons sounds like an excellent progression and set of stones btw. Good luck, you'll be fine.

Start with a cheap & cheerful practice razor.

Originally Posted by Kees

Start with a cheap & cheerful practice razor.

+1 I started with ebay specials. Just try and get full bladed razors with no damage to the scales and no cracks or large chips in the blade. The less hone wear the better but some is acceptable. Micro chips are a given on many of the used blades you'll find. If you have a couple of razors honed professionally you'll have something to compare your results with. Randy told me patience and persistence and that is what it takes.