Thread: Yep, I dulled it.

I just bought a new barber's hone, an Arkansas white stone, and I seem to have dulled my razor. I'm a newbie and never have honed a razor before. It's an 1865 German Henry Sears 9/16. I used the x stroke using only the weight of the razor but it drags now worse than before. What to do?

My first idea would be to use marker on the edge to see where you are hitting the edge. Go slow, and maybe reread the tutorials. Especially the sections on testing the edge.

if this is razor you used to shave just stop it. don't do it anything to it.
if this is the razor has no meaning to you then go head hone it.
start from 1k and move up.
you can use a little pressure when you are in lower grit stones .Don't use pressure when you go higher and final finishing hone.
gl

Originally Posted by jbtusa

I just bought a new barber's hone, an Arkansas white stone...

Speaking out loud to the group, is an Arkansas white a barbers hone? Isn't it significantly more rough than a barbers hone?

If it is an Arkansas and white it is probably a soft or a hard ark and not really ideal for straight razors AFAIC. It could be a lilly white Washita (arkansas) in which case it is a good bevel setter for knives but not for razors. IMO.

I agree with hi_bud_gl that if you shave with this razor don't go any further. Send it out to a honemeister and focus on shaving technique and stropping for now. If you want to learn to hone razors picking up some practice razors that you don't care too much about and some appropriate waterstones would be your best bet.... again, just IMHO.