A Lapse in Discipline, but Unexpected 1st-Time Success!

Well, as today was the last official day of my spring break as a teacher, I knew I wouldn't be able to wait on my Dovo 5/8" to come back from SRD/Lynn as my "reference razor" before starting honing.

So, with freshly-lapped new Nortons, I got started this morning with my Fili DT 12 and Improved Eagle, both of which had gone a tad beyond touching up on the Swaty and CrOx. After trying several approaches on the 8k to see if I could bring them back, I seemed to be getting nowhere fast-in fact, they seemed to be getting duller fast in my unsure newbie hands. :gaah:Switching to the 1k to set the bevel, I still didn't seem to be making any progress despite some careful back-and-forth strokes, and some other strokes I've seen demonstrated on that stone. The magic marker technique did help me watch my bevel creation and edge contact, though!

Then I took some deep breaths, poured some fresh coffee, watched some honing vids and reread the wiki. I decided to put on some training wheels (a layer of electrical tape) and start fresh. 3rd time seemed to be the charm. I gradually settled into a rhythm of light 2-handed, curving x-strokes (especially on my smiling, slightly uneven Eagle, which even Sham had some trouble with!), watching the water wave and being careful to keep it even across the edge, and checking the bevel often visually, with TPT and popping leg hairs. And quickly, unbelievably, it (the bevel) started to come together. So then I kept at it, getting lighter with each set of 5 strokes or so, rotating the stone after every set, and occasionally, ever-so-gently "rocking" the edge to bring the stubborn heel and toe to hair-popping sharp. When I though I had done all I could do at 1k, it was time to switch.

I then started working my way through pyramids on the 4 and 8k, starting with some very light even pressure, then lightening up as I got nearer the end. By the last few whisper-soft strokes on the 8k, the Fili was "digging in" on the TPT, popping hairs at a touch, passing HHT, and just seemed as wcked-sharp as my newbie skills could take it, so I quit while I was ahead! The pyramid really works! The Eagle is more of a challenging blade, so I settled for getting it to what I figure was 85-90% of its potential; Sham (Hi_Bud_gl) says the steel on this one will break down if you push it too much.

As I REALLY want to follow the expert advice and see how much I can get out of the 8k before getting a finisher, I didn't "cheat" with my barber hone or CrOx, but just stropped up thoroughly about 40/100 linen and latigo to smooth out the honing, and got both to HHT.

So on to the only test that matters, THE SHAVE! I prepped with a hot bath, steam towel (and a nice beer!), then lathered up with some Godrej Menthol Mist, whose lanolin freeze I know will provide me with a great shave if I do my part. I tested both blades on various parts of my face over a couple days of stubble, doing my usual 3 passes. I finally finished a couple of rough areas with the Fili, as it seemed to be the best of the 2 (for now!) The result-complete BBS!! I sealed the deal with some witch-hazel and AV Ice Blue, and celebrated with another beer after stropping off the crud!

All is right with the world...Now all I have to do is get some e-bay junkers with some real issues to practice on, as I'm sure this was just beginner's luck. I have no doubt that my Lynn-honed Dovo will get me back to humble when it gets here, and give me something to shoot for!

I'm sorry for the long post, and thanks for indulging me. If I may reiterate a few fundamentals that I think helped this honing newbie get through his first couple of razors, here goes:

READ every relevant post on honing, repeatedly. WATCH every video over and over, while you're honing if necessary.

Lap your new Nortons carefully, per the instructions you see here, until they are silky smooth and FLAT, then chamfer/bevel the edges.

Newbie Scripture:It really is all about the bevel: Thou shalt not move off the 1k until the bevel is set all the way across. :angel:The visual inspection, magic marker, TPT, arm hairs, all were a tremendous help here!

For whatever reason, the tape helped me stop worrying about hone wear grinding down my spine, settle down my strokes, and (at least by the end of the 2nd razor) get into a confident, repeatable stroke. YMMV

Listen to the hones and watch your edge as it tracks across to make sure you're getting "the wave" all the way across. Let your developing edge tell you where to put a tiny bit of extra pressure as it all comes together.

And finally, again, the pyramid works! Thanks again to everyone who talked me through this (even if you didn't know I was obsessing over every detail in your posts and videos!). I now have a new obsession, and can feel the HAD fever starting. Aaron

Congrats on your success. Just started honing some myself, and while I too had early success, it is getting better. I have an SRD Dovo as my benchmark blade, and let me just tell you it is humbling! I think one of my honing jobs is really sharp, but then I run the dovo over some arm hairs that I could cut well with my honing blade, and the dovo just kills them. The good news is that I can still comfortably shave with the blades I've honed. I'm glad I have the benchmark. Something to shoot for as skills progress.