4 hours on 3k, and still not enough

Hi everyone

I really hope to get some help with my honing.
I bought a brand new razor (Puma from Solingen) and a Japanese water stone grit 3000/8000 (apparently you cannot buy grit 4000/8000 here in Denmark).
I've watched several videos on youtube about honing, and read the guides here on SRP. I've spent 4 evenings on the 3k (almost 4 hours in total), but I still can't get that bevel made.
Sometimes part of the edge has seemed ready for the next step, but then after some more honing the whole edge is dull again. I try not to put any pressure on the blade while honing.

Has anyone got a suggestion about what to do, cause I'm getting at bit desperate?

Kindly, Emil

Hi Emil,

A brand new razor with factory edge usually don't need a lot of work to shave well, it sounds to me like you might have a case of overhoning and most likely the edge needs to be fully reset to get shave ready.

I've never tried setting a bevel on the 3K, it should be possible, but it will take some time.

My best recommendation for you at this point is to send it to someone for honing.

Thank you for answering

If it is overhoned, shouldn't I be able to feel it then? I've read that it would feel rough, and that is not the case. I think I get some parts of the blade sharp enough. And that is what confuses me. You are meant to continue until all of the blade is sharp without putting more pressure on some part of the blade, right?

I wouldn't possibly know who to contact to get it honed. I've never heard of anyone other than me shaving with a straight razor in Denmark, and I found only one internet shop in the whole country that sold straight razors. Even my the one I have now with DE blades I bought i Brazil. That's unfortunately not a good option for me.

Hi Bemil

First off can we get a little bit of background? how long have you been shaving for with straights etc?

Just so we can get a little context then we can be begin figuring out whats happened with that edge.

Any honers out there in the same vicinity as bemil?

Cheers

Simon

I've been shaving for about 4 months with a straight razor (once or twice a week). I have no experience with honing razors, but I can manage to hone knives (on grits i reckon are about 200 - 400), and I have honed wood chisels a lot of times, but that is completely different.

I don't know if I just need to continue on the 3k, maybe with a slightly more pressure.

No, i think you should take a step back for now. increasing pressure will deflect the blade more, shallow out the honing angle and you will just end up taking metal off the bevel "shoulder" without actually contacting the edge.

how many razors do you have, and how many of them are shave ready (professionally honed)

I didn't know they still make Puma. I thought they're all vintage.

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Originally Posted by tekbow

No, i think you should take a step back for now. increasing pressure will deflect the blade more, shallow out the honing angle and you will just end up taking metal off the bevel "shoulder" without actually contacting the edge.

how many razors do you have, and how many of them are shave ready (professionally honed)

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What do you mean by taking a step back? I am still at the first grit (3k). Unless I need to buy a 1k. I thought it would be possible to set the bevel with the one that I have.

I put nearly no pressure on it now, so be slightly more pressure I mean just a little.

I have only on other razor, but it uses DE blades, which I throw away after 3/4 times of shaving. I have never tried a real straight razor yet.

Well, thank you very much for taking your time to answer. I'll be off to bed now, at nearly 1 am here, but I'll be looking forward to reading your answer later.

Gnolis, there is a company producing the puma brand now, not sure what the quality is like compared to vintage ones.

Bemil, sorry, figure of speech, i meant stop doing anything to it for now because you could do more damage to it.

Ok so thats good info you've provided, tells a lot. First of all the first thing i think you should do is go to the classifieds and buy a shave ready straight razor from there.

At this point you have no context, no idea what shave ready "sharp" feels like and therefore can't adequately judge the quality of the edge you've got right now on the razor. It's ok, we were all there and we've all had a first honing attempt but, importantly, if you haven't used an atcual straight then you haven't done any stropping, the technique of which is a foundation of honing strokes.

My honest opinion here is you've damaged that edge and it's going to need a proper honing from a froum member etc. As you said yourself, honing a straight is nothing like honing knives etc and they're an infinitely more delicate instrument. there's actually too many variables to consider at the moment if you know what i mean, could be one or a combination of any number of things

It's ok, don't worry, this is a huge learning curve and all of us have made mistakes at the start.

Put that razor aside and go to the classifieds.

Cheers

Simon

+1 on Simon's advice. I had a similar experience with my first Dovo razor a few years ago - just couldn't get that bevel set properly, and made things worse by stripping way too much steel off the blade. Lynn Abrams of this forum kindly fixed it for me. In your case, you might consider contacting Puma in Germany directly, looks like they offer sharpening and repair service. Info here: Frequently asked questions of Puma knives Solingen Germany

A second shave-ready razor is definitely good to have. Also, if you can find an older razor of lower value, that might be a good blade on which to practice your honing and bevel-setting skills. To set a bevel, I have found it easier to use a 1k stone. Also, make sure to lap all your stones properly -- if you're seeing uneven wear on the blade, the stones may not be quite flat (I know that mine were not at first)...

All the best!

Great advices here!

I also recently tried to hone for the first time. It is not a simple thing to do, especially if you have never dealt with a real straight. As tekbow said, getting the stropping action right helps alot when you decided to hone.

If I were you, I'd probably call puma as Hamburg0 suggested than try to fix it up which might end up destroying it to the point of no return. I'd also get that second shave ready razor, classified is a good place to start. I got my first shave ready razor from Larry at whippeddog.com, he's a good guy to deal with and it won't break your bank, highly recommended for an alternative.

Sy

PS: Without bevel, we have nothing!

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Ok so thats good info you've provided, tells a lot. First of all the first thing i think you should do is go to the classifieds and buy a shave ready straight razor from there.

At this point you have no context, no idea what shave ready "sharp" feels like and therefore can't adequately judge the quality of the edge you've got right now on the razor. It's ok, we were all there and we've all had a first honing attempt but, importantly, if you haven't used an atcual straight then you haven't done any stropping, the technique of which is a foundation of honing strokes.

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I may have expressed my self in an unfortunate manner due to linguistic difficulties. The DE blades that I use, I break in two and use them one at a time in a holder/clip like I would use a real straight razor. Therefore I reckon that I have an basic understanding about what a shave ready sharp feels like... Right?
Anyway, that is not my problem at the time being. What I need now is to get the bevel set. Unfortunately I don't think a sharp razor will help me do that. I'm just too far from the goal still.
You might have a point on the stropping technique. I'm just afraid, that even if I get someone to hone my razor for me, I would mess it up on the strop. That's why I thought I would learn the honing first. Am I totally wrong?

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My honest opinion here is you've damaged that edge and it's going to need a proper honing from a froum member etc. As you said yourself, honing a straight is nothing like honing knives etc and they're an infinitely more delicate instrument. there's actually too many variables to consider at the moment if you know what i mean, could be one or a combination of any number of things

Simon

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I actually got contacted by a kind Norwegian from this site, who offered to hone it for me, if I send it to him. I just don't see a point in it, if it leaves me with the same problem in 2 months. Maybe I should reconsider.

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I had a similar experience with my first Dovo razor a few years ago - just couldn't get that bevel set properly, and made things worse by stripping way too much steel off the blade. Lynn Abrams of this forum kindly fixed it for me. In your case, you might consider contacting Puma in Germany directly, looks like they offer sharpening and repair service.

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How much damage can I make? If you are right, then what will an experienced honer do?

(quotes from two different posts)

When you say 3/8 we are assuming that this is a naniwa hone ????

I am also assuming that from your posts that no matter what anyone says you are going full steam ahead with the honing ???

So that being said,

Put a piece of plastic electrical tape on the spine, most of us use 3m but whatever is available, then make a slurry on the 3k use your lapping stone...


Now starting at one end of the hone using a fair bit of pressure start doing circles and go to the other end of the hone, stop, flip the razor and do the circles back should be 20-40 circles on each side, do this until one of these things happens

a.The razor feels sharp and can either cut arm hair, or pass a TNT
b. The tape wears out and you have to change it, then continue on with this until a. or c.
c. You realize that you really have no idea what you are doing and you send it to one of the guys over in Norway or I remember who it is in Denmark that hones

Google "gssixgun, honing, straight razor" if you have no idea what any of these terms mean, and watch the Norton 4k/8 vids and use one of them to learn what I am talking about and get a good idea of pressure and what is meant by directed pressure...

You will either succeed in honing the razor or wrecking it... but good luck either way

You might be putting a wire edge on it from so much honing.. Try stropping right after honing and then test the sharpness.

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Originally Posted by bemil

I may have expressed my self in an unfortunate manner due to linguistic difficulties. The DE blades that I use, I break in two and use them one at a time in a holder/clip like I would use a real straight razor. Therefore I reckon that I have an basic understanding about what a shave ready sharp feels like... Right?
Anyway, that is not my problem at the time being. What I need now is to get the bevel set. Unfortunately I don't think a sharp razor will help me do that. I'm just too far from the goal still.
You might have a point on the stropping technique. I'm just afraid, that even if I get someone to hone my razor for me, I would mess it up on the strop. That's why I thought I would learn the honing first. Am I totally wrong?

How much damage can I make? If you are right, then what will an experienced honer do?

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No no, you expressed yourself quite clearly, i understand exactly what you mean because my local hot shave barber uses these kind of "shavettes". So basically no, there is a vast difference in sharpness in a real straight and a DE blade use in a shavette holder. Some of these include a shavette being sharper and less smooth, made of entirely different materials, they have coatings on them which wear away and when they do the sharpness goes too.

What having a shave ready razor would do is allow you to compare the razor your attempting to sharpen as you sharpen it, to see the goal as it were. A shavette can't be compared because everything about it is different. Also, I should have mentioned earlier but why were you trying to set the bevel? you already had one, a factory sharp razor just needs refinement. You may not have even needed to go as low as a 3k to begin with.

I think i understand where you're coming from. You're thinking "but how will i learn to do this, if i don't ever actually do this?" This is true, but there's a point when you're ready for it. This isn't that point. Do you have a strop? A properly stropped razor should last way more than 2 months, and you won't have the same problem in 2 months because you should never need to go back to a 3k stone to refresh a blade anyway. A pasted strop can maintain your edge indefinitely.

You're confusing a few points here, which are, 1) maintaining a shave ready edge, 2) tuning up a factory sharp edge to shave ready, and 3) completely resetting the edge on a damaged razor. By attempting to do (2) without the knowledge of how to do it, you're going to end up having to get (3) done, when the whole time, all someone starting out with a real straight should every have to do is (1). Most of us learn the skills to do 2 & 3 by getting (1) right, be it thru pasted strops, or touching up on a finishing stone (C12k, naniwa 12k etc).

when you learn to read, you don't go straight to shakespeare right? you learn what letters are, then put them together into words etc. This is, believe it or not, like that. Honing razors was a major part of barber school curriculums back when barbers used "real" straight razors. So they obviously thought it was a skilled enough task that time had to be devoted to learning it.

As to how much damage you can do, well, if you keep going the way you're going, there will be well used 100 year old vintage razors in better condition than your new one. You could end up frowning the blade, wearing it unevenly, at an angle. all sorts of things which could be difficult to rectify.

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

When you say 3/8 we are assuming that this is a naniwa hone ????

I am also assuming that from your posts that no matter what anyone says you are going full steam ahead with the honing ???

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The brand of stone I am using is KASUMI. Actually I'm not sure about what to do. If all of you experienced honers say that I am sure to mess it up even further, there might be something to it. Still I do absolutely not think that another sharp razor will help me set the bevel on the one that I have now, which is the problem I am facing for now. Thus for now I am trying to figure out what i should do.

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Originally Posted by tekbow

Also, I should have mentioned earlier but why were you trying to set the bevel? you already had one, a factory sharp razor just needs refinement. You may not have even needed to go as low as a 3k to begin with.

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That was what I got out of different videos on the internet before I discovered this website. If only I could go back in time...

And I am still confused, 'cause some advice me to buy a 1k, whereas other advice me to stop trying, and focusing on the fine grits and stropping with another razor (or with this one honed by an experienced honer)

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

Now starting at one end of the hone using a fair bit of pressure start doing circles and go to the other end of the hone, stop, flip the razor and do the circles back should be 20-40 circles on each side, do this until one of these things happens

a.The razor feels sharp and can either cut arm hair, or pass a TNT
b. The tape wears out and you have to change it, then continue on with this until a. or c.
c. You realize that you really have no idea what you are doing and you send it to one of the guys over in Norway or I remember who it is in Denmark that hones

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I can get it to cut arm hair with parts of the blade, and cut in to my finger yesterday (ouch!!!). Isn't that at least something, or is it just me wanting to believe that I didn't made a fool of my self?

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Originally Posted by bemil

I can get it to cut arm hair with parts of the blade, and cut in to my finger yesterday (ouch!!!). Isn't that at least something, or is it just me wanting to believe that I didn't made a fool of my self?

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Wow, I am in that exact same situation. I did slice my finger (not badly) and I can also cut some arm hair with parts of the blade...I've been reading this very closely.

I suspect, and correct me if I'm wrong, that because we are not using a true bevel setting stone (3k for you, 4k for me) that it takes a lot of honing to get to where we need. Where an experienced person might be able to set a bevel on a proper stone in maybe 20 minutes, we may need hours. I would say that the razor I'm working on has about an hour's worth of honing to it in total.

Maybe you could try stepping up to the 8k and seeing how it shaves? Might be worth it just to see what it feels like on your face...

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Originally Posted by bemil

The brand of stone I am using is KASUMI. Actually I'm not sure about what to do. If all of you experienced honers say that I am sure to mess it up even further, there might be something to it. Still I do absolutely not think that another sharp razor will help me set the bevel on the one that I have now, which is the problem I am facing for now. Thus for now I am trying to figure out what i should do.



That was what I got out of different videos on the internet before I discovered this website. If only I could go back in time...

And I am still confused, 'cause some advice me to buy a 1k, whereas other advice me to stop trying, and focusing on the fine grits and stropping with another razor (or with this one honed by an experienced honer)

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Hi Bemil

Yep, can get a bit hard and fast in here but your confusion over the 1k stone would probably be my fault as i told you to take a step back. This wasn't meant literally so my apologies.

In summary, what i think the prevailing opinion would be on the thread is that should should leave this razor alone and take up our norwegian members kind offer to hone it for you. And also purchase a second razor which is shave ready.

You will then have 2 razors. One you will use regularly and the other to be used a a benchmark razor. As you learn to strop the regular razor, you will begin to see when it's starting to dull and stropping will not bring it back by comparing it to the benchmark razor. At this point you will have had quite a few months of stropping practice and will be ready to move onto a touch-up hone such as some form of 12k. This will help you develop your honing strokes etc.

Once you're getting good consistent touch up results, then look at learning to set bevels on something cheapo and already destroyed from ebay.

I understand your confusion and frustration. My own personal experience of it is documented on these threads. Please note it was something like 6 or 7 weeks before i was able to get a good edge on my blade. and a large part of that was going away and leaving the blade for 3 weeks before coming back to it. Please also note that on many occasions i thought i had a good edge, but didn't because i didn't have the experience to know.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...-myself-3.html
http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...-happened.html

For a beginner like me, I find having a shave ready razor does few things for me
1. I now know how it feels shaving with a shave ready razor. And it is very different shaving with a shavette / disposable, I tried that too. Shaving with a disposable does make shaving with a straight somewhat easier, but that is not the point. The point is how the it feels when shaving.

2. I now know to some degree how a shave ready razor should be. I can do at least 2 tests with it: Thumb Pad Test, Shave Test. I won't even go to HHT. :p I can do these tests on the shave ready razor to 'know' what it should be. This put a goalpost somewhere in my mind when I hone. It also serves as a point of reference, you can always come back to it to compare.

Buying a second shave ready razor will not fix your problem. However, it will give you a 'feel' to how things ought to be. And I find having a goalpost / point of reference helps alot.

Trying to hone a straight without knowing how it feels shaving with one seems lacking in precedence, it's like trying to tune up a car without knowing how it drives. Hope I use a good analogy there. Using this analogy, if one who doesn't know how the car drives and has never tune one up before trying to tune up a brand new car, it is very easy to ruin it. So 'how much damage can you do?', I'd say quite alot, you could have a brand new razor and turn it into an aging honed out toe razor, now you don't want that do you.

What tekbow said above 'leaving the blade for 3 weeks before coming back to it' is a really good advise. It gives you time and opportunity to know real straight razor shaving, and heck, you could find out during that time that you can't be bothered with stropping, or you don't like it at all. He's not trying to discourage you from honing, just to delay it a little bit.

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Originally Posted by bemil

I can get it to cut arm hair with parts of the blade, and cut in to my finger yesterday (ouch!!!). Isn't that at least something, or is it just me wanting to believe that I didn't made a fool of my self?

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PS: You have to keep the blade spine and edge flat on the hone to get an even bevel, and btw, did you flatten the hone first?

Hope this helps but I'm not counting on it.

Sy

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Originally Posted by bemil

And I am still confused, 'cause some advice me to buy a 1k, whereas other advice me to stop trying, and focusing on the fine grits and stropping with another razor (or with this one honed by an experienced honer)

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The point here is that the best thing to do, based on several peoples experience, is to either a) Get the razor you already got honed to a true shave ready state or b) Get a second truly shave ready razor. Either which you choose you will be sure to have a razor that will work as a benchmark when you practice honing, and you will get to know how a "real" straight should be like.
This way you can focus on stropping and "light honing" i.e. keeping the edge shave ready on a high grit stone.

If you on the other hand is determined to keep trying to hone it yourself (and I don't say you won't get it to shave eventually, but there is a risk of ruin the blade), a 1K stone is to reccomend to ease up the bevel setting process.

Anyway you choose, as long as you are going to hone a razor, whether it be just maintaining the edge or a full progression, lapping the hones and making sure they are completely flat is of great importance, if they're not you will get bad results.

it really does sound like it might be a case of over honing based on what everyone has said here, I just wanted to state my thoughts, I am not a big person on honing right now but am trying to learn as I go along....hope you figure it out...keep us posted

You might want to consider lapping your stone flat before doing anyting else. Personally - I wouldn't want to set a bevel on a 3k SS, especially if the steel is very hard. But - that's just me. I suppose it can be done - but I would choose a more coarse stone for that work.
Post a photo of the blade please, both sides. Without seeing the blade there is no way to give adivice or offer suggestions.
What I do think is that the 3k isn't coarse enough for what you are trying to do, the stone might not be flat, and you're not using enough pressure to get the bevel cut right. Pressure - I don't mean pressing the blade hard into the stone. I mean just enough to get the stone to cut the steel.
Also - its possible your stone is glazed over - I have only seen that on a 12k a few times but I think its possible on any SS... a good lapping will correct that.

Are you cutting steel? Is there swarf on the stone? Have you done a MM test to see if the existing bevel is making contact with the hone? How wet is the stone when you're honing? Did you soak it a little bit or use it splash-go style? Are the edge of the stone chamfered?

Sorry to ask a lot of questons but if you can answer some/all of them plus post photos someone might be able to offer help.

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Originally Posted by U2Bono269

Maybe you could try stepping up to the 8k and seeing how it shaves? Might be worth it just to see what it feels like on your face...

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I like this idea. I would do 20 on the 8k and test it out. You have your other razor to back you up if it doesn't work. Use the feedback from your face. Stop right away if it doesn't feel right! :-] Go back to 20 on the 3k and then 20 on the 8k. Test again and see what happens. Repeat. Similar to the pyramid system but stop and test between every step don't do it all at once.

I see a lot of good advice here but I haven't seen the magic marker test mentioned. If you have done your research you know what i mean. From what I gather you are getting inconsistent results = inconsistent strokes.

Play with it. Your first attempt is going to be junk when you are done. My first attempt is used as a knife on my work bench!:rofl2:

I had a recent experience that put it into perspective for me. I did the best i could do with a blade. I went to a person who could judge it. He gave me a few ideas to try. I tried them. It was a little better. I then said lets see how you could improve it. he couldn't.
No disrespect to him but I was chasing something that wasn't there. The point that I am trying to make here is that you can say that one blade is shave ready. But is yours the same thing? Don't compare a Macintosh to a Fireside. {Apples to Apples.}

Tim

Emil. A couple of things I know from experience.
1. The one new Puma I honed was warped in the spine. Quality is not like the vintage Pumas. This may account for you having some areas sharp & others blunt. You will need to adapt your stroke to make contact with the whole edge use the magic marker test to assess contact .

Bevel-setting in theory and practice - Straight Razor Place Wiki

2. Kasumi stones are verrry soft & need lapping frequently. They are made for stainless knives not razors. They also cut very fast & work best on light pressure which you say you are using. As fast as they are a 3k does not replace a 1k if it is needed.
The other VIP thing is that the 3/8k's I have seen &/or used are mis-labeled. The white side is 3k & the yellow is 8k. If you are using the yellow side thinking it is 3k it is no wonder you are getting nowhere. :) Hope this helps.

Hi everyone,

Thank you very much for your advice. Right now I don't feel like keep trying to set the bevel. I am very tempted to say yes to the offer, Zephyr gave me, and send it to him.

Let me try to answer some of the questions. I did flatten the hone, but maybe not enough. I am cutting steel, yes. And I do see the stone get another color, which I can remove with water, so that must be swarf.
I have not made the magic marker test, as I do not have a loupe, and without that it is just to small to see. The stone is pretty wet when i use it, but most of the water obviously fall off, when I start to hone.
I can tell that there has been metal removed from both the spine and the edge, so I suppose that the stone is not mislabeled, but I have done a little honing on the 8k, so I couldn't tell for sure.

Again, thank you everyone for the advice. I feel kind of discouraged at the moment, so I think that I will spend the weekend without thinking on my razor problem, and then make a decision in the next week.

Kindly, Emil.

I just found out that the notifications of the grits on the case of my 3k/8k water stone are the opposite of what was printed on the stone.
Anyone else having a problem getting a bevel set on a 8k ???

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Originally Posted by bemil

I just found out that the notifications of the grits on the case of my 3k/8k water stone are the opposite of what was printed on the stone.
Anyone else having a problem getting a bevel set on a 8k ???

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You can't set a bevel on an 8k.

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Originally Posted by U2Bono269

You can't set a bevel on an 8k.

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That's my point. It could be my problem, that what I thought was a 3k, really is a 8k.

When a new person asks for honing advice, the advice given is usually to send it out for honing. That, by itself, won't help you learn to set bevels but it will ease your overall straight razor learning process.
You can just learn to hone, but it takes a lot of practice, discussion, and perseverance to do it. And eventually you will feel the need to compare and validate your work. Comparing and validating means testing other blades and having yours tested out by others.
Anyone who learns to hone risks damaging a razor. Here you have to consider the cost of the razor and decide if it's too risky. You are only gambling the cost of the blade. Get a 10 dollar razor of eBay and practice with that.
If you have to set a bevel, then it can be done on 4k. Just takes a little time. You need to use pressures w your circles to do that. You must learn the marker test, whether or not you have a loupe. Get a 3 dollar loupe off amazon.

Getting your razor honed and learning touch ups/stropping will get you started. If you are easily discouraged that may be for you.

Michael

yep, if you were accidentally trying to set the bevel off the 8000k you will be honing for months. I'm fairly new to honing with a few str8's under my belt as well. If you truly want to hone it yourself, make sure your hones are properly lapped, and you use the 3000k side of the stone, with some patience and time you will be able to set the bevel.
The magic marker test is a great tool to use and has helped me considerably. A loupe or magnifying glass is helpful too.

Everyone has given great advice. My suggestion if you want to continue honing yourself, is go to youtube and watch gssixguns video's. He has great reviews on his honing work and I've watched his video's and they are very helpful. If you get frustrated put it down and think about it and then come back to it. Each blade is a little different and experience is key. These guys make it look easy because they do it so much.

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Originally Posted by bemil

I just found out that the notifications of the grits on the case of my 3k/8k water stone are the opposite of what was printed on the stone.
Anyone else having a problem getting a bevel set on a 8k ???

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I gave you both a like and a thanks on this post!

Thank you for saying OOOPs. I had the wrong side. that shows me you are willing to take advice and admit what happened. then go on.

I like it because it shows how we learn from each other. I like to use this process when I am stumped at work. Things just aren't going right and if you admit that to another they can look at it from a different angle and see what the problem is. Onimaru55 has obviously seen this before and he brought up something that I have not experienced and therefore didn't think of. I will remember now!

Your learning is far from over and I am sure you will have many more questions. You have been given some good advice in this thread and do searches for other questions. If you can't find the answers Onimaru55 or others can point you in the right direction.

Tim

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Originally Posted by onimaru55

Emil. A couple of things I know from experience.
....
Hope this helps.

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A prime example why sometimes real experience is all it takes to provide the correct help.

Emil, I'm going to address a couple of your assumptions.
(1) Honing isn't particularly hard, many people think it's just a bunch of even uniform strokes and that's probably the easiest part to master. The hard part is learning to 'read' the current status of the edge and then knowing what to do next. It's not rocket science, but just takes time and experience.
(2) Honing a razor from setting a bevel is therefore vastly more difficult than just maintaining an already properly honed razor sharp. In the later case you only need one good hone and few strokes every now and then.
So, if your objective is to learn to set proper bevels and progress through the grits to shaving edge, that's one thing and there are no shortcuts, but it's certainly not necessary for long term shaving with a straight razor.
(3) The only thing that can speed up your learning is if you have somebody help you with some reference points along the way. I.e. if you can see what the edge should look and feel like at the various stages in the progression that will help you a lot.

As a curiosity illustrating point (1) a number of years ago two members JoshEarl and heavidutysg135 ran an experiment - they put a proper bevel on razors and sent them to beginners to do the final steps with pyramids on norton 4k/8k. All beginners who had problems honing those razors previously, had no problem getting a nice shaving edge. That just illustrates that the real challenge for most people is not knowing when to switch hones. So they do too few or too many strokes in both cases getting bad results. Too few strokes doesn't sharpen the razor enough, too many ensures that there'll be enough uneven ones to mess the edge up.