For reasons I won't get into, I'm going against all the sage advice that I acknowledge is well intentioned, and more than likely correct, and I'm trying to figure out some honing with almost no shaving experience under my belt.

I've watched many videos, several hours worth of videos on honing. But I'm left with two quesitons I hope you'll help me with.

1: None of the videos I've run across have actually been able to show what is being done when a guy runs a blade over his forearm. You can hear pricks/pops of hair, but I can't tell where the blade is at in relation to the skin, if the hair is coarse or fine, if he's slicing in the direction of hair growth or not, and so on. For you experienced guys out there, can you explain what you're doing. And then can you tell me how/why this is any different than a HHT which has less than stellar reputation for determining shave test readiness?

2: I'm working on a recent antique store find, Sterling 6/8 hollow ground razor that I've gotten to grab/pop hairs in one spot about an inch from the toe. This blade does not have a smile (maybe a smirk the last 1/4 inch to the heel) as attested by a straight edge. But the rest of the blade does not freely grab hair (it will cut wetted hair with a shaving like stroke, but I don't think that's what the guys on the honing vids are doing).

Thanks in advance for your patience and support.