Thread: Do you ever get discouraged?

I was just wondering if you ever get discouraged and back away from honing razors for a while. I have a LOT of razors and have some that just drive me nuts trying to get honed. It doesn't help, I suppose, that I get some from Lynn and heve a hell of a time coming even close to the edge he sends me. I have some great Wade & Butcher's that I can NOT get honed the way I want. They have never been honed before and have some irregularities that seem to just discourage me from finishing the job. Is it just me or is this common?

your not alone! there have been several times i came "THIS CLOSE"to taking my razors and norton and using them for target practice. I have learned that proper honing is a hard earned skill. just keep at it, it seems to get better.

Not since I lapped my norton and got a good pasted paddle. All my ebay razors have been in pretty good shape though.

yeh,just got to have a break ,I`ve been honing every night for the last week and a half,I dont get feed up ,just need some some R&R
Regads Peter

I have one that has a section that just won't hone properly any way I do it. I'll send it over to Nenad to see if he has more luck with it.

There was another one that I practically gave up on and only honed when honing other razors. It became a pretty good shaver after a while lol.

I know what you mean. The trick for me is not to spend too much time in one sitting on any given razor. I'll spend up to 30 minutes honing and if it's not working I need to walk awy, think about why that may be and try another go 'round in a day or two. Saves a LOT of frustration and actually gives me swifter results.

X

I never give up, I never surrender and stop when the blade ressembles a tooth pick.

I know what you mean, it is frustrating sometimes, just when you think you are close the edge seems to dissappear.

Gary

Yea that happens to us all (well almost all, maybe not lynn) I recently got an Eboy special and my usual routine with these razors which usually works didn't this time so now its back to the drawing board. I usually view it as a problem to be solved. I'll probably be doing some very aggressive honing on the 4K to reestablish the bevel and then go from there. I guess I need to invest in a 1K stone. One of these days I'm going to really need it.

The question should be different for me: is there ever a chance to get honing right the first time ?

For me each blade so far is different, and mostly resists my current abilities/knowledge until I find its special point.

Aside from that its as xman wrote: no more than 30 mins in one session - this leaves time for me to think it over and eventually narrow down my mistakes until in the end everything is fine....

-Axel-

Sure, I get discouraged. It's great to have a benchmark razor from Lynn, but right now I'm wondering if I'll ever get one that sharp! I have a medium/fine and an ultra-fine in barber's hones and work w/ them in a modified pyramid. Mainly that means doubling the round trips! An old Henckels is getting closer, but I thought I almost had it once, and it then it was over honed! Took a two week vacation and didn't take any straights with me, so I had a break. Really not much of a break as we went with our church group to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi for a week to help with the clean up work. Then to Florida and Epcot and the Kennedy Space Center. Best part was driving home through the Smokies. Smoky Mtn Knifeworks was awsome! I used the Lynn sharpened razor the other night, but mainly have been shaving w/ my DEs till I work up enough nerve to start honing again!