Any Tips for a first hone?

I've read up on everything and have received my nortons (220/1000 and 4k/8k) in the mail today. I have an old razor with a chip in the blade that I am going to practice honing on. First I will try to work out the chip and then just practice honing to get my technique down. Is there anything specific I can do that will help me learn faster.....something to give me feedback to what the honing is actually accomplishing? I plan to spend most of my weekend (while on-call) messing around with the stones/razor. I do not care if I ruin this one as I need something to learn on.

Hi,

well at first my guess would be to skip the 220 and directly start with the 1000 until the chip is gone. As written "everywhere" :) little to no pressure, check for proper technique rather than speed.

After the chip is gone proceed onto the 4k/8k, with the pyramid.

One important thing from my experience: check the edge often (every 10-20 strokes) to get the feel for a change in the edge - by biggest hurdle was (is !) getting the feeling on how the razor reacts to the hone and when to move on...

Aside from this, with a soft hand and patience you should be fine...

Good luck, :)
Axel

I would like to disagree just slightly. While working to remove the nick I'd use just slight pressure, about twice the weight of the blade, then begin using lighter and lighter touches. Constantly using no pressure is great advice until your the one sitting in front of the hone for a week. Purchasing a microscope (Radioshack $10) would help.

Adding lather will help you get a feel for blade suck on the hone towards the end but then leads to it being less of a signature indicating its ready.

This is going to sound a little out of the box because no one has ever mentioned it before, but, I would suggest getting some poster paper or several sheets of paper and draw bold evenly spaced lines on the paper in a sortof checker board pattern. Several horizontal lines intersecting with several vertical lines. Then put the entire affair under the hone so all the lines are at perfectly even 45 degree angles moving each way. So its no longer vertical and horizontal, they all are angled at exactly 45 degrees. Then use the lines as a guide to keeping the angle consistent throughout the stroke in both directions. You can also use the lines as a guide to acquire the exact distance on each stroke (each side must be exactly the same).


I would also practice placing my fingers over the top of the blade without really pushing down on it at all and try to use your fingers to prevent the blade from rising off the hone until your wrist gets the angle and turn move down. Don't let the blade fall on the hone when turning directions either. Go slow, follow the guide sheet under the hone for angle and distance equality on each stroke using an X pattern and you should be good to go. I think a few high quality strokes will be better than 100 bad ones overall. But to learn how to hit the angles up front and not make it happenstance might save you some learning curve (a year or so).

You can just use an angle leading in the beginning to remove nicks. You don't have to use an X pattern if you find that too difficult

These are just ideas, you can remove all this stuff when you get it down.

Think of honing like this:
Removing Nicks
Creating a Bevel
SCULPTURING an edge
(the edge is created with a sense of discipline and sculptured onto the bevel using equal pressure, egual angle, and equal distance on each side of the bevel to create a shaving "masterpiece".

I think of it as "unmodern art" LOL.

I want to reiterate soft hands and do not rush

the razor that I will use at first is def. a 'test' razor and I don't know if I'll be able to even get the chip out...it is prob. two to three millimeters deep...the blade will prob. go from a 5/8 to a 4/8 by the time i'm done. I just want to practice the motion on it and see if I can get a decent edge on it so when I actually do it on a razor that I want to keep I won't jack it up.

I received a razor in the mail with a couple really small nicks that I'd like to get shave ready sometime. I"m not even going to touch it until I know that I can take the extremely small nicks out and get it sharp.

The practice shouldn't take long. Make sure you lap the hone between the practice and the real work. As long as you don't use too much pressure and go slow and keep the blade flat on the hone I don't think its possible to screw it up too bad. You'd be amazed at the stuff I've done to razors on a hone, and they still shave.

Stay away from the 220, it'll likely scratch the blade up a little.
Cover the spine with masking tape before working out the nick.
Circles will cut faster than the standard honing motion.

X

FWIW, here's a differing point of view. When I have a razor with a deep nick, I start on the 220 with the spine taped with masking tape. Yes, the 220 will cause micro-nicks in the edge, but much less deep than the nick you are trying to hone out. When they approach the same depth, move to the 1000 (still with the spine taped). When you have removed all the VERY small nicks left by the 220 with the 1000, then remove the tape and move to the 4K.
Just another data point,
Ed

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ForestryProf

FWIW, here's a differing point of view. When I have a razor with a deep nick, I start on the 220 with the spine taped with masking tape. Yes, the 220 will cause micro-nicks in the edge, but much less deep than the nick you are trying to hone out. When they approach the same depth, move to the 1000 (still with the spine taped). When you have removed all the VERY small nicks left by the 220 with the 1000, then remove the tape and move to the 4K.
Just another data point,
Ed

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That sounds like it makes sense to me.:)

What you ultimately have to remember is that as you gain experience you'll develop your own techniques for various circumstances as is evidenced by all the opinions here.

Personally, I don't own a 1K stone and I've taken some decent sized nicks out of a razor using the Norton 4K and circular honing and applying ALOT of pressure. I guess with a 1K it would have taken less time and pressure but it works for me.

If your just practicing I would initially try what everyone is saying and then incorporate the best of the best into your own special technique.

The Radio Shack Microscope ( $8.00 ) will give you the feedback you are looking for. Try doing your circular pattern with no pressure for five minutes and look at the blade with the scope and it will show little change. Use pressure for one minute and look and you will see some bright fresh steel. I would hate too ruin any razor, but it is better too practice on one that is well worn. I will sometimes lift the spine off of the hone a bit instead of using tape. Not sure why when tape works fine, I just don't like the feel of the tape when honing.

Glen

I'd start with the 220, too. No sense wasting time working out a nick with a finer abrasive than necessary.

Sounds good. i picked up a microscope to help out, need to pick up some batteries. i'll start with the 220, I want to get a feel for how all the different grits react to the razor so when i need to use it on one i really want to keep there won't be any surprises. i'm not too concerned if i ruin this razor, frankly i'd rather ruin it since it already has a huge chip. if i get it to the point that i can shave with it, though, i wouldn't complain. that would be a nice accomplishment.