Thread: First Attempt at Honing

I had my Filarmonica Doble Temple 7/8 honed by Lynn back in May and have been shaving with it for 5 months now and it has really kept its hone. Just started noticing a slight pulling of my beard when shaving but I could probably have shaved another month with it.

My new Norton 4000/8000 Waterstone arrived the other day and I could not wait to use it. I set out to use the pyramid for the Norton and did 1 pass on the 4k followed by 5 on the 8k and then stropped for 35 passes. When I did the test shave it lost its edge completely. So I went up the pyramid doing (4k:8K:leather) 1:5:35, 3:5:35, 5:5:35 I honed the blade to where it will shave the hair off my arm but only glides over my beard.

Fearing I would damage the blade I resigned to send it off to Lynn again. I noticed some uneven wear on the spine that was not there before and think the hone might not be level. My question is, "Should I go ahead and lap my stone on both sides? or shoud I be able to use it right out of the box?"

Now since this is my first time attempting to hone, it could very well be my technique and I may just need some more practice.

CS

For starters, lap both sides of the hone. Then try going slowly and evenly. Finally don't strop until you're done honing.

The stone might be ready out of the box, but lapping cannot be a bad thing if done with high quality wet/dry sandpaper. I used 1000 grit. I would suspect your technique first. Take Ilija's advice and go very slow watching carefully how the blade progresses along the hone.

Those stropping passes are unnecessary between levels. Just a waste of time.

X

I agree with the masses here. Flatten you hone and then go slowly watching you pressure on the hone or better yet lack of it and ensure the blade gets consistant contact with the hone. If the wear pattern is uneven its possible your honing technique is uneven. Once you lap the hone you will know. My bet is its you.

Another thing since you say the razor is just starting to pull. I've found from experience if you use the same razor day in a day out it deteriorates very slowly and you really don't realize how bad your shaves become until you either rehone it or it really starts to pull.

Norton stones need lapping before use. Check the archives here and read some of the posts on Norton stone prep, it's very important before you start honing.

Three pieces of advice I've taken from this site that have been invaluable:

1. Most beginners tend to overhone. ... Try not to overhone.

2. Hone incrementally, say only 10-20 minutes per day when you're first learning. Don't try to get your razor as sharp as Lynn got it for you in one sit down session: you're almost sure to get frustrated. It may not be ultra-sharp, but if it shaves you, just try to get it slightly better each day.

3. When they say, "use the weight of the blade," they mean it. If you use pressure, you're likely to wreck the edge unless you're an expert and have a reason to apply the pressure.

E

Tape the spine with electrical tape while it's on the 4k. Once you get to the finer grits spine wear isn't really a problem unless you've got some decoration there.

Thanks to all for your helpful comments. I have learned much from them. I think I will have to get a second hand razor to practice honing until I get the knack down and leave my Lynn honed razor just that, a Lynn honed razor.

Originally Posted by xman

The stone might be ready out of the box, but lapping cannot be a bad thing if done with high quality wet/dry sandpaper. I used 1000 grit. I would suspect your technique first. Take Ilija's advice and go very slow watching carefully how the blade progresses along the hone.

Those stropping passes are unnecessary between levels. Just a waste of time.

X

I asked this somewhere before but do not recall [getting] the answer. Can the 1000 grit sandpaper you use be gotten from a Home Depot type store, or is this sandpaper something I can only get from an online razor shop?

Also, I see it should be wet/dry sandpaper. Should the sandpaper be wet or dry when lapping a stone?

Originally Posted by icecow

I asked this somewhere before but do not recall [getting] the answer. Can the 1000 grit sandpaper you use be gotten from a Home Depot type store, or is this sandpaper something I can only get from an online razor shop?

Also, I see it should be wet/dry sandpaper. Should the sandpaper be wet or dry when lapping a stone?

Home Depot is just fine. Try to get 3M sandpaper. Use the sandpaper wet and when you are done place the hone under running water and rub it with either a nylon scrub pad or your hand. The goal is to remove any abrasive particles that have become embedded from the sandpaper.

Hope this helps,