Quote Originally Posted by Disburden View Post
90% of honing is on the 1K stone, that is the most important step, everything else is just smoothing out the sharp edge and adding a tiny bit of extra UMPFH!

Do not go past the 8K level until you can shave WONDERFULLY of it, then use finishing stones...

I only go from the 4K to the 8K when I shave leg hair half length and it cuts through without catching on the hair.
When I go to the 8K if black Swarf builds up on the 8K STOP and go back to the 4K.
Black swarf shouldn't build on the 8K if you did the 4K job.
when on the 8K only make twenty strokes at a time, SUPER LIGHTLY and make sure your elbow is hiked up HIGH or your tip will be duller than the rest of the blade.

strop on leather 100 passes and test shave.
Not good enough? Move to the 8K again and do half the strokes of before.
Strop
Repeat.

After two or three test shaves, if it's not good enough you will need to go back to the 4K or worse the 1K.

If you need help, PM me, I always use the 4/8K Norton, it's priceless.


Once you can do that all the time then take out your 12K hones.

- - - I have a Norton combo 4000/8000 out of the box. Some guys swear by simple straight-forward back and forth and others by small circular motions. The unfortunate thing, and annoying, is that the whole subject is an art and nobody can give definite, provable reasons why their method works. Consequently, it is mostly a trial and error type of thing ie. whatever works for you. To me, this is not very satisfactory and in fact is very frustrating, enough to give it up and return to safety razors.


- - - After viewing the video by the dude in Missouri, I have tried the small circular motions which, if they work, then a pattern of small circular scratches on the blade seems to be the correct thing to work toward. After 2 attempts, starting with the 4k and finishing with the 8K it still does not seem to be cutting satisfactorily, but I shall try several more times before giving up. For the time being, and to limit the variables, I will forget about "stropping".