I'm sure it's worse because it's new to me, but after I hone a razor, which can take me up to two hours, I feel like I've put in a full day at work. Not physically mind you, but mentally fatigued.
Does anyone else ever feel like this?
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I'm sure it's worse because it's new to me, but after I hone a razor, which can take me up to two hours, I feel like I've put in a full day at work. Not physically mind you, but mentally fatigued.
Does anyone else ever feel like this?
mentally i find it relaxing it's physically that gets me because my table is to low to do it comfortably. I plan on making a little stand for the hone to raise it to the right hight though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BlacknTan
It is like anything that requires your full attention at first.
Just hone with light pressure and limit your time to
less than an hour.
No one razor touch up "should" take too long
so budget your time and eventually you will
begin to smooth out.
Honing is like any other "Art" in that it takes concentration and a calm mind. As you get fatigued be it physically or mentally the concentration becomes more erradic, causing erradic results, that you put more effort into controling, thus causing more fatigue and the downward spiral continues.
When you start feeling frustrated or tired, take a break. Do something else for a while or put the stones away for the day. Asyour edges and skills build you will find it takes ALOT less time to hone than it used to. Walking away from the stones now and again also clears the mind a bit and you can pick it up later, with fewer slip up that take up more time to fix.
So never try to force your way threw a blade, it will be more taxing that way, and take allot longer to finish.
Just my thoughts on it :p
At the Western NY Meet yesterday we all agreed that, in fact, honing is sort of a hypnotic, tranquilizing activity. Cheaper and more effective than a shrink. It almost made me forget that everyone was staring at me.
All you need is a repeatable stroke. Once that is well practiced and understood all the mental challenge disappears. At that point it's more like watching a machine do the work for you.
I agree! i don't mind coming home after a grueling day and spending some times on the hones. I find it quite relaxing. Some good tunes playing quietly, a couple a drinks of rum... Not saying nothin' to no one... just being the hone. *kidding* It is surely zen like though.Quote:
Originally Posted by stimpy52
What's up with that? Do we really hypnotize ourselves? Is it possible to enter a trance state while honing? The concept's a little meta-physical for me, but my curiosity is piqued. Wonder if it would work to quit smoking? Hone instead!
well think about monks they just repeat the same chant to meditate as far as I now at least. So If this is true any repetitive action could be zen like. Think of all the times people drive home from work get in there driveway and think how did I get here.
It was that way at first for me, too. Now, it's among the most relaxing things I do. The minute that I get fatigued or distracted, I put down everything down and do something else for a while. It's been a long time since I have felt mentally drained though.
I found it to be reminiscent of Zen because when I used to meditate I counted exhalations. Now I count strokes. Like others have mentioned if I find it frustrating or grow tired I put it away.
Sone of my honing is stop and go. Hone for awhile, look at the forum for awhile. Sometimes I go straight through and sometimes I don't. I try to keep it enjoyable. I have run into razors that wore me out. Particularly early on.
BlacknTan,
Like shaving with a straight, I find honing most relaxing; the time just seems to fly by :)
I can quite understand that if you are concentrating very, very hard, then it will tire you out !
Have fun !
Best regards
Russ
I find it very relaxing. But if I get a razor that I just cant get right, it can get a bit frustrating..! In that instance, I put the blade down and either work on another or come back to it later.
It is kinda like riding a bicycle, when you first tried it all your concentration was on not doing anything wrong. After a few runs like that then you began to actually enjoy the ride.
Develop your honing stroke so that the water flows in front of the edge from heel to toe. They your good to go.:)
Love that analogy Randy. My two favorite pastimes in the world. I'm too old for my former favorite. :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by randydance062449
I'm fairly new at honing too, and I know what you mean about getting mentally fatigued. I have a couple of razors that I've been slowly picking away at that are just driving me bat$#!+. Those fatigue me because every time I think I've got my skills down, they taunt me! I'll put those away and pick up another one that hones up beautifully in less than an hour and feel like king of the hones.
Goog
I find it relaxing too. A bit like being on the firing range just concentrating on the front sight.
During honing I just count my hone strokes and listen to the sounds of the steel meeting the hone, or to music.
That is why I switched to a "shavette "
Don't know what this says of me but for the past few days I've been honing 3 blades after work. I have not been sleeping for the past few months, just a few hours a day. I just noticed that after a couple hours on the hones I sleep like a rock for at least 6 hours... It's great :)
Wonder if I can use that as an excuse for my RAD/JHAD...???
My experiences are similar to what JimmyHAD described -- some days I find it so mentally relaxing and zen like that I don't want to stop... others I begin to visually focus a little too hard and my eyes tire a bit... and still other I find my self getting frustrated or overly obsessive with my results and have to set everything aside for a while.
All in all though, the more I do it, the more I learn, the more I want to do it.
Its pure relaxation, once you figure out how to correct problem blades it will be nothing but joy for you as well!
Yes, when learning, I found honing to be absolutely mentally draining, and frustrating. I thought, "How could I be focusing this intently on something, and not getting results?"
Then, I got my first razor shaving sharp, and it was on. My next goal was "How sharp can I get this thing, really?" Once I passed the mental "sound barrier" of knowing I could do it once, I knew I could do it again.
I was a happy camper for a while, getting razors sharper and sharper, then ego started to intrude. If I got stuck, I was beside myself.
Now, I have simply accepted that I go in cycles, and let it go. I hone all the time, because I love it and it relaxes me. It's completely addicting. When I'm in a down cycle, nothing is sharp enough. But when I'm on, I can run through finishing 3 or 4 razors in 30 minutes to a level a sharpness that I'm very, very happy with. I will likely never be a honemeister, because of my inconsistency in my feel for the steel. But I enjoy it every time.
Smiling razors are the hardest for me, but the easiest for me to get into a trace state with. Watching the water roll along the length of the edge as I hone, back and forth. No change, no change, no change, then WHAM! Stupid sharp! I love that surprise, every time. Yep.
This is EXACTLY what I'm going through. I had a batch that went fabulously a little while ago. Then a razor came along that God put on this Earth just to keep me humble. I'm in a slump right now. Nothing seems to be clicking. I've decided I need to take a break for at least a week.Quote:
Originally Posted by FatboySlim
Goog
Are those easy to hone? :pQuote:
Originally Posted by MARKHOLLADAY
Goog
I find it to be very relaxing. So much so that tends to make me sleepy.
I have been working a relatively stressful job for the past 19 years. I didn't get weekends off and taking any sort of vacation required 3-4 weeks of shutting things down and another few weeks to get things going again. I worked long hours and often have really looked forward to getting home late at night to sit at a table and hone. I find it to be incredibly relaxing. I don't know it it's because I was autistic when I was a kid but I find the repetitive motions of honing to be extremely calming.
My lab is in the process of being shut down and the moving trucks are coming on Monday. The only thing I am looking forward to at this point is the opportunity to have more time for restoring and honing several hundred razors that have been sitting around waiting for some free time.
Aside from the pathetic venting, my point is as others have stated. Once you have established the basic muscle memory, honing transitions from being stressful to being extremely relaxing. Your first few times riding a bike were probably terrifying, but once you rewired a few neural pathways and got the hang of it, bike riding became second nature. Honing is the same way. It just takes practice, persistence, and patience.