Thread: hone ss blade

From the description I assume that the OP did use more than the 12k to bring back the edge, and probably ruined the edge this way. He would have said that he tried to touch up the blade 2-3 times on the 12k, and not 2-3 sharpenings.
I think that the problem the OP has is that he doesn't know how to hone or touch up a blade, and should send it out for a professional to rehone it, and should get a cheap razor for learning purposes. When the professionally honed razor starts to pull, he will have the right technique to do 5-10 nice laps on the nani to bring the edge back. After that it only takes time adn practice when he can get a good edge on a razor himself.

i tryed touch up with 12k not real sharp 2 times went to 1000 with 20 strokes strait and x then 4k 8k 12k same blade rolled over hair put tape on while honing and it is dull city butter knife

come again?

Where are you located? Maybe there is someone close by who is willing to help you learn how to hone.

And if you do not send it out visit the "pyramid method" pages in the WiKi.

Pyramid honing guide - Straight Razor Place Wiki

I would try a pyramid with your 3k/8k hone and shave test.
If it does not snip whiskers I would repeat the 3k/8k pyramid
a couple three maybe four times.

If the razor feels sharp on your shave test I would then give the
razor 10-15 licks on the 12K, strop and shave test.

Stainless tends to be 'tough' and resist wear so be smooth and
as the hone gets finer give the razor some extra "gentle" licks.

Try not to overdo the 12K some steel does not
like to be super sharp so think "finish" and "polish"
on the 12k hone in case your razor is one of those.
My Naniwa 12K is truly a superstone IMO so go for it
and think "finish" and "polish" and you will get
good edges.

to let you no my last strokes on 12k was aggressive no lite strokes but i will try this thanks for all help is ss blade harder to sharpen than carbon steel blades?

Originally Posted by dlp40cal

tis ss blade harder to sharpen than carbon steel blades?

Not harder but can take a bit longer due to ss's resistance to abrasion.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Not harder but can take a bit longer due to ss's resistance to abrasion.

A lot of people confuse "hardness" and "toughness". Like onimaru mentioned, it's not the hardness that's the issue here. Stainless can be a real pain to work because of it's toughness. Some grades of SS can be quite easy to scratch but try to machine the stuff without knowing what you're doing and you end up with burnt drills, dead blunt cutting blades, ruined grinding gear, useless lumps of stainless and a whole new vocabulary of "mystic power words". Cutting small threads into 316 stainless, for exmple, can a profound exercise in either patience or futility depending on how you approach it.

savannah ga.

Personally I have come to the conclusion that the difficulty in honing a SS razor comes from the belief that there is a difficulty in honing a SS razor.


This statement says it all. dlp40cal: "i don't have any other razors " This isn't a SS honing problem it is just a simple honing problem..

Don't worry everyone has them when starting out, you need to learn how to actually hone, it is not the razor it is simply technique...
Start in the Wiki then branch over to the Honing section, and Video sections. do a couple of days of reading and watching before you go back to the stones...
If you rush into this it will get very frustrating,,, If you feel overwhelmed after a few tries send me a PM and I will sort out the problem and start you over again at square one... Shipping is on you, honing is on me, but give it a slow steady honest try first, I bet you get it if you slow down...