Thread: First successfull honing

I am so excited and proud of my self. I got for xmas a norton 4/8 and have been staring at it daily. So I ordered from SRD a flattening stone and gave it a shot today.

My razor was shaving well but I felt it could be better so I tried a few swipes on the 8k side. It seemed to get worse and the test shave was a bit irritating. So I decided to go for broke and try and reset the bevel on the 4k side which I was not sure would work then do about 40 passes on the 8 k side.
After that I did a arm hair test and it shaved better than before. So I spread some of the crox on the back of the strop and did about 30 passes. Did another arm hair test and the fine little hairs were popping. I did 60 passes on the bare leather side of the SRD prem long IV I had just got in the mail today, and then did a full wet shave. Best shave I have had yet.

I didnt realize honing was so easy. All the videos from you guys really helped and once I got past the fear of really destroying my blade and sat down and relaxed and focused on the wave, every thing went really smooth.

Congratulations mate. The first is a wonderful experience.

Not all blades will be that easy. Trust me.

Well done.

Mykel

Congratulations.
Great job. Now keep it going. you will have sometimes huge mountains to climb but got to have patience.
Enjoy.

Nice job and congratulations. Was your razor professionally honed to begin with?

Congrats! I successfully honed my first razor on the first try. Of course, it took me several days!

Haha . As above. They aren't all that easy but congrats on jumping the first hurdle.
It feels as good everytime , that's why it's addictive

Originally Posted by flyman

Congrats! I successfully honed my first razor on the first try. Of course, it took me several days!

I don't know if it was. I got it from Knifecenter and they say it was by who ever does eagle brand thiers Issard old forgings, but I dont think it was.
I got it and stropped and shaved the first day and although it cut well, it was not as good as what I just managed to do.

Next time it needs to be honed Ill send it out but right now its my only razor and I dont want to go back to my disposables. Im sure a pro can hone it better than what I did, but as it stands I am pretty happy with the results.

I think being a machinist and working with other cutting tools may have given me an unfair advantage over other first time hone experiences that many people may have reported.

Congrats on the hone job. I did my competed my first hone job not long ago which included honing out a few chips in the blade on a 220 and then did the progression plan proffered by Lynn.
It is a great feeling to work on a razor and then shave with it. It gives that bit more of self satisfaction to the shave.

Congrats, it is a good feeling. Being a machinist may very well have contributed to your success. My boss and his brother come from that background and still dabble with it and so do I. Get yourself a good 30x or so eye loupe and some vintage antique shop or ebay razors in good condition and have fun.

Good to hear, congrat's! Always nice to hear a success story...