Honing Tips from a Newbie
Like the title says, I'm a newbie to SR shaving/Honing, but, with my experience in my profession, I'm fairly accomplished & the only reason I offer that tidbit is with my experience/training, etc. in my profession, I have to remember that new personnel often don't grasp the all-important points fundamentals that a guy with my time in service assume everyone knows...it's second nature to me...like many of the accomplished members at this site.
Having a focused interest in honing and the satisfaction of developing an old razor's edge or maintaining a newly acquired beauty...it was quite awhile before I actually touched a razor to a hone...searching the topic as best I could with what is offered here, which, in my unqualified opinion is all the information anyone here needs to bring a new razor or an old razor's problemed edge to a shave-ready state.
As I stated above, I read a lot before tocuhing the hone and in that reading, reviewed the questions and comments of a number of new guys/maybe/gals too, with questions/issues they'd experienced in unsuccessful attempts at honing...so, I paid attention to those issues as well as the tutorials and found they assisted me in one thing...following the information provided to the "T". Again, an unqualified opinion, it is my own that if you/I, as new inexperienced people are honing and it isn't happening...wev'e either done some wrong or we didn't complete a step before moving ahead to the next finer grit stone and when we get to the 8000 or maybe 12000, we're frustrated...so here is how I approached it...and I will say, just one more time...all I know is how much I don't know and the only value in that is assuring those in the same position of the following:
Wherever you start, (setting a new bevel, begining somewhere in a moderate or refine pyramid with a razor in ok shape or doing a touch-up w/light pyarmid or a 12000), and assuming you chosen hone/hones are reasonable lapped/soaked/spritzed...it is all about
1. Executing the stroke properly!
2. Following the instructions until you see the results the tutorials provide that tell the honer that he is doing things correctly and the edge is developed sufficiently to move to the next progression of the process.
The first time I set a new bevel, during the process, I wasn't seeing the water on the face of the hone react as I'd read, (taking it off the stone behind the razor stroke and pushing the water up onto the face of the blade), so I thought that I was doing something wrong, stroke was bad, maybe I was lifting the spine off the hone...I had to be doing something wrong. So, thinking I was focused on my stroke, I focused harder and couldn't detect that I was doing anything wrong, but, I didn't know enough to know if I was right or wrong - right! Without knowing what I was doing, for some unknown reason, I continued to do what it said to do and within a short period of time, an amazing thing happened, the blade was cleaning the water off the hone and pushing the water onto the blade just like the tutorials said...WOW! Lesson learned...my prep was right and within my ability, I was doing everything to keep my stroke correct, (blade flat, elbow up, smooth X-stroke), but, I hadn't done it to the point of completion...in other words, I was assuming that surely the bevel should be set by now...the only problem was...it wasn't and the only solution was...continue until it was and...in short order, it was!
As I progressed to the 4000/8000...ditto...wasn't seeing the results and as a new insecure honer, fell back into doubting the process/my tecnique...but...again, guess what...as I approached whatever stroke on the pyramid...an improving progression of water reaction...first on part of the blade and eventually, the whole face of the blade was removing the surface water from the hone surface and pushing it onto the full face of the blade. So, I proudly realized that I had developed a new method for honing razors which I will call: Follow the Old Method for Honing Razors to the "T" Until Seeing the Results Proscribed Method.
I apologize for such a long post, but, after reading several of my fellow new-guy posts with problems and the responses of the veterans, it occurred to me that as new honers, (so to speak), a person doesn't know when to expect what and being in unknown territory, might either quit, make an incorrect assumption and progress onto the next finer grit before they should, unnecessarily go back to step one...feel they need to buy new XYZ hone because the one they are using must be screwed up...whatever...all that entered my mind, but, as said, luckily and that is all it was, I made certain that I was prepped right...did everything I could do to execute the stroke correctly and continued on the bevel until it came...and as I progressed into the pyramid...as stated, it happened despite my thoughts, uncertainties and theories...just like they said it would. The best part....they say the best test is the shave...so, with great fear of nicks, razor burn, etc., I shaved and guess what, my shave with that blade was outstanding...my first attempt...following their information and my razor didn't hold it against me that I hadn't sharpened 200 razors yet...it responded beautifully!
Good luck to the new guys and thanks to the pros.
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Scott