Thread: 5 Years and still struggling

Dear honing enthusiasts,

I am definitely in need of advice. I have been straight razor shaving for 5 years now and have been honing my razors that whole time. For most of that time, I used a Norton 4k and 8k. I keep my stones lapped using glass with 3m wet or dry 400 grit. For a while I finished on strops with various diamond and other pastes, then moved to whatever 12k they sell on classic shaving. Recently I tried the diamond lapping films from Lee Valley, with no luck at all. Today, I tried with my brand new Naniwa 1k and 5k, followed by the norton 8k and the unknown 12k. I have a TI razor and a Hart, and keep up the edges on my brother's TI and my brother in law's Dovo.

My problem is inconsistency. I always sharpen till I get a nice edge on the razors, but the problem is that sometimes I get the nice edge after the first progression through the grits, and sometimes I have to come back to it a few times before it is any good. I haven't given up because I know I can get a great edge, but I am frustrated by how hit or miss it is. I have tried taping the spine, not taping the spine, circles, x strokes, straight strokes and whatever else I see in the videos. Frankly, I feel like I am getting worse at this as I get more experience and equipment.

In watching the videos, it seems to me that the expert gentlemen demonstrating could get a nice edge using just about any combo of strokes and equipment, and not only that, they are chatting away while doing it and not utterly engrossed like me. I can appreciate that they have worked hard to make it look easy, and I am dying to know what I am doing wrong. To me, it looks like I am exactly following the various methods and progressions shown. Is there some common error that I am probably making? I only hone every few months; is there some motion I am likely getting wrong? I have become convinced that I must be spazzing out somehow, because I have great equipment, and am worried that my wife's eyebrows might raise right off her head if any more sharpening stuff shows up on the porch.

I would greatly appreciate your advice.
Thanks,
Justin

I am sure some of the top guys will be by to give more in depth help but for me I found two rules that work best for me.

1. Keep it simple. Ie choose the hones you are going to use and use them till you are getting consistent results. I know you have been doing this so far but really you need to figure out why you aren't getting the results you want every time with your original set up. Adding more stones actually is making it harder for you to figure out where you are going wrong.

2. More is not better on the hones. Many people feel the more strokes they do the better the edge will be this is not true with honing though. The more strokes you do you are likely to build an destroy many good edges in that time. I test my edges often and early when I hone.

One other thing to remember is that not even the best honers get the edge right every time the first time.

Also you asked for help but didn't tell us about your honing routine. Giving that will go along way to getting help?

I would recommend building on the stones and methods you have success with rather than trying to keep varying both.

Once you get consistency under your belt your confidence will increase and and you won't tend to keep at the things causing you the problems. In most cases pressure is key and particularly using minimal pressure from the 8K through finishing. Another thing is to try less strokes vs. more.

Remember that the more you obsess, the more frustrating it is. Learn to walk away from the razor and come back at it the next day.

Build on your successes.

Have fun.

When I teach people how to hone there are 2 common mistakes.

1. The honing stroke is to fast. That leads to lack of control and uneven contact with the hone.
2. 60/40 weight distribution. Frequently guys think the edge is fragile and consequently put more pressure on the spine then they do on the edge. This should be reversed. More pressure on the edge and less on the spine, kinda 60% edge/40% spine.

Slow down and watch the water flow from heel to toe.

Great advice from the best. It took me a while to understand that slower is better.

I personally think this is the most helpful vid I have done, because it isn't me honing, it is me helping to teach a new honer.. Sometimes we make things look to easy, I have the same issue when I watch Vids on Woodworking and Turning, makes me want to punch the guy in the Vid because I swear I do the same thing and my stuff looks nothing like theirs


gssixgun Straight Razor Honing with speedster from SRP - YouTube