Thread: Having trouble honing

i think you probably have more then one bevel on your razor or you rolled the edge from pressure do the marker trick color the edge of your razor do two or three strokes and look to see where your at you probably have to reset the bevel

I fully agree with Sham here. If you're using lots of pressure you wont get a good edge at the end of the honing. Even if you get the blade sharp it wont be smooth.

It doesnt sound to me like you've overhoned your edge, rather done something in the course of the honing to dull it.

An overhoned edge will usually occur at the end of the honing process because the edge has been honed too thin, or right at the start if you are on a low grit hone, do far too many strokes and the edge collapses. I've only had that happen once when I first started and that was on a 325 grit stone, so its pretty hard to do!

If you're not sure what you're doing its better to send the razor out rather than blasting it to death on the stones. Then you can get a second razor from eBay and practice on that, using your pro-honed razor as a benchmark.

Originally Posted by conan

. . . I do use a lot of pressure when honoing because that's the only way I can keep the blade flat on the stone. I know Iv'e read that pressure is bad, but in my case it works. I will probabaly just have to do a lot less strokes then you recommend, or do the thumbpad test after one ot two strokes, preventing overhoning.

PMFJI (and for teaching my grandmother to suck eggs) --

The edge of a razor is _thin_. If you press on it against the stone, you'll distort it enough to change the bevel angle significantly.

If you lay the blade on the stone, and the edge doesn't touch the stone evenly, there are several possible causes:

1. The stone isn't flat.

2. The edge is warped sideways -- it's not aligned with the spine.

3. The edge isn't straight -- it has either a "frown" or a "Smile", viewed from the side.

or some combination of the above.

If the stone isn't flat, the solution is clear.

A warped edge is un-fixable, as far as I know.

If the edge is "frowning" (the toe and heel sit on the stone, but the center sits above the stone), the cure is to sharpen it _with very little pressure_ until the toe and heel are reduced in length to match the center. It will then be straight, and standard honing (no pressure) will work.

If the edge is "smiling", you must hone it with "rolling strokes", rather than using straight strokes, or trying to force the edge flat on the stone. This is described in the Wiki. There is no reason to straighten a smiling edge, as far as I know, except for ease in honing.

In the "Workshop" (I think), there's a thread that I started about sharpening a frowning blade. The suggestions there were:

. . . Sharpen it (light pressure) until the edge is straight, then hone.

That worked for me.

Charles

What worked for ME, was going to a meeting of the local Str8 shavers, and getting a first hand view, and practical experience in honing. Its the best way to learn. and they can look at how YOU are doing it, and give you tips on improvement.
Maybe you are putting pressure on now because you cant keep the blade flat, but I am SURE you could LEARN how to do it if you get some experiences in.

Originally Posted by conan

The reason I think it is overhoned is because I have overhoned a blade on a 1K and I know the feeling using my thumb and most importantly the razor was just gliding over the hair on my arm, not cutting Like it was doing two to three strokes before. I do use a lot of pressure when honoing because that's the only way I can keep the blade flat on the stone. I know Iv'e read that pressure is bad, but in my case it works. I will probabaly just have to do a lot less strokes then you recommend, or do the thumbpad test after one ot two strokes, preventing overhoning.

Hold the razor, far away from a hone, by the shank. Balance it between the index finger and the thumb. Balanced, the blade does not rise or fall. Then place your pinky curled under the scale so the scale can not dip. Once the scale can not dip down it is impossible for the blade to rise off the hone. Since the scales are connected to the blade they must act together.

If you prevent the scales from ever dipping, the blade will never rise. This is all accomplished with no pressure applied against the blade.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

Hold the razor, far away from a hone, by the shank. Balance it between the index finger and the thumb. Balanced, the blade does not rise or fall. Then place your pinky curled under the scale so the scale can not dip. Once the scale can not dip down it is impossible for the blade to rise off the hone. Since the scales are connected to the blade they must act together.

If you prevent the scales from ever dipping, the blade will never rise. This is all accomplished with no pressure applied against the blade.

This is dead right IME.
What helps me is to visualize an imaginary spindle from the table top through my elbow locking it in place. My elbow is slightly higher than the hone surface and I'm sitting upright with both feet on the floor. During the stroke my lower arm articulates about my elbow which hardly moves either forward or up or down. This for me has now patterned into unconscious competence through repetition. I do also alter my state slightly but lets not go there, whetting a razor is hardly an esoteric thing to master.