Thread: Norton troubles

I had a similar experience just recently - my honing clearly went up a rung, judging by the arm hair test (really popping!), but I was still getting shaves just like you describe.

Today I got another good edge off the hones, and tried it without stropping at all - and it was a sharper and more comfortable shave than any I've had off my own edges. So the good news is that my honing is better than I thought. The bad news is that my stropping is dulling my edges.

Might not be the same in your case, but worth considering?

Now you're getting it! Well done.

Originally Posted by str8razr

The edge isn't as sharp as it could be but this means the problem is definitely in my honing rather than the blade.

No, the blade still has a problem but not in the steel. It's already been said the geometry is wrong but to put it bluntly the razor is quite worn & would benefit from some work you probably shouldn't attempt at this point.

Based on this, can someone recommend additional things to try on norton to get the same edge as I was able to get with iron oxide and chromium oxide?

I have 2 suggestions but not necessarily solutions to your question..
1st, get an extra razor with no geometry issues to practice on. You want one where the whole belly can sit on the hone without stabiliser contact.
2nd, don't hone over the stabilisers. It will lift the heel off the stones not allowing it sharpen.

Jimbo asked a while back in this thread, and I didn't see an answer about it. Anyways, I'll share a little bit and see if you entertain my train of thought. I couldn't successfully hone for a very long time. Many, many months. I tried Nortons, sold them. Tried coticules...many, many coticules. Still couldn't do it. A good man named Sirstropalot sent me HIS nortons to use. HIS Nortons worked. I was stumped. I had to return them ofc. So I bought another set of Nortons. I gave them a cursory lapping. I could remember how Howard's Nortons felt, and mine weren't the same. I thought maybe this is just a "wear" issue. I drove on. My new Nortons didn't work. They didn't work for another month of trying. I finally got out the DMT, and forced myself to lap them for what I considered a ridiculous amount of time. Then I lapped them some more...Then some more. After 35-60 minutes, I had a different surface on my Nortons. They haven't failed me once since that time. While it's easy to consider that the problem may lie with the honer, having a properly lapped stone is paramount. I dare say even Lynn Abrams or Gssixgun couldn't hone a razor on an inadequately lapped Norton waterstone.