Thread: Honing review

Hello guys,


Well today after getting a review about my honing job and being told it was horrible I've decided to never hone again for the people of SRP. I'm not list the name of the person who sent my letter. He touched on things I need to do so that's why I decided to never hone for anyone again on this site until I know what I doing cause something happened somewhere when honing so that's all I've got to say

It does take some time to get decent at honing, especially when doing so for others.
If your honing wasn't up to snuff, then I commend you for making the right call.
That doesn't mean you won't get there with enough experience

It's that darn bevel I can't get the bevel right for some reason I can't figure it out so I completely give up

Honing for one's self is a challenge
Honing for others is a huge challenge
Honing for others and asking for money to do it, is a defining line..

I have said this several times and been shouted down for it, but the fact remains until you ask people to pay for honing you really have no idea if you can hone..

Wait until you hone a razor for $15 and the return shipping is $31 because of International Insurance this puts a whole new spin on "Getting it right everytime"

Anyway that is a ton of pressure, and responsibility to bear, make sure you really want it before you seek it

JHMO and a bit of experience tossed in

If I can just get the bevel done and I use the sharpie method it's where I mark the edge and do so many x stores and circles and when I know it's done I mark it again and do one xstroke and if it's completely gone on both sides I know that the bevel is set

Don't feel too bad. I'm probably a bit too confident with my own. I thought I had it all figured out...Hadn't shaved with a "paid for" edge in probably 3 months. This morning I picked up one Sham did for me, and once again, it put all others to shame. lol. So obviously, I'm not there yet. I only ever hone someone else's razor for free though, and make it very explicit that I think my edges are not the best out there, but good enough for me. Trust me, on more than one occassion I've considered selling off these stones, and just paying someone once a year to do it for me. But I'd like to keep trying. It's a great undertaking in it's own right. And someday, we'll be able to tell some other guy with a little over a years time in, "Just be patient, and practice."

Tyler if I can toss in something from my limited experience...........When the bevel is set as you do it should be a very sharp razor already. The marks can hone off without the two planes of the edge actually meeting.

Good test for this is shaving arm hair. You could also strop up the razor and shave it. It should already be sharp just not necessarily something you want to shave with. The middle grits 4k-6K are where it goes to being scary sharp. When you get to 8k you should be able to live with that edge in total comfort. Anything above 8k is icing on the cake and there are lots of ways to make icing.

There is only one way to make a bevel. Both sides of the edge need to meet evenly and straight to form a cutting edge. The width of where they meet can be as small as .5 microns or smaller.

Hope it is helpful

Originally Posted by jaswarb

Tyler if I can toss in something from my limited experience...........When the bevel is set as you do it should be a very sharp razor already. The marks can hone off without the two planes of the edge actually meeting.

Good test for this is shaving arm hair. You could also strop up the razor and shave it. It should already be sharp just not necessarily something you want to shave with. The middle grits 4k-6K are where it goes to being scary sharp. When you get to 8k you should be able to live with that edge in total comfort. Anything above 8k is icing on the cake and there are lots of ways to make icing.

There is only one way to make a bevel. Both sides of the edge need to meet evenly and straight to form a cutting edge. The width of where they meet can be as small as .5 microns or smaller.

Hope it is helpful

Good point! The Sharpie test helps the honer see where he is removing steel, but it is not diagnostic for a completed bevel. The TNT is a much better test for a complete bevel resulting in a functional edge. The Sharpie test is a guide for honing, but it is not a test for when the bevel is set.

What do I look for in a TNT I wet my nail and drag it across my nail and it grabs well so any suggestions

Honing for others is a real challenge. What is a good honing job is very subjective. I know for a fact that even Lynn gets some bad feedback on what he hones. Me personally, I have never had a razor that was honed by someone else that was exactly the way that I like it. I am just to picky and anal retentive to get past "perfect"......out damn spot! OUT! All I ask when getting a honing job is that the bevel is set. Everything else is like tuning up solid lifters on a sports car.

One of the main things that will kill you when honing for others is that if they don't have enough experience your honing job will be blamed for everything from being to sharp to causing a rash after the recipient rolled an edge while stropping.

Take Care,
Richard