Swing and a Miss? First Honing Report and Questions

My blade was getting dull so I purchased a naniwa 8k and 12k.

I watched Lynns videos on the world of straight razor shaving DVD, gssxguns honing videos on naniwas, and the razorcon 09 honing videos.

Suffice it to say it did not go as planned.

I started on the 12k, did 20 laps, dropped down to the 8k, did 10 laps, went back up to the 12k and did 20 laps.

Observations - Water displacement was not even on my blades edge, I thought it may be that I was using one hand and not laying the blade flat on the stone (I had elbow up off the table). I must confess that on two passes when I was using 1 hand with elbow up the blade came up off the stone 1/4 of an inch while another side remained on the stone, I immediately stopped the stroke.

As a result I used to hands, but no downward pressure. I was pushing the blade with both hands, making sure that contact at both ends was even. This improved the water displacement but only on some of the passes which tells me it was my technique. I then remembered to heel out which also helped improve water displacement but it was still not perfect. The water just would not always roll up evenly across the edge on every pass.

I noticed that there was a gray line developing on the stone where the shank meets the heel, it looked like someone took a pencil and colored the stone gray on the outermost edge. Is that normal or is it an indication of something I was doing wrong (if so what?). The rest of the stone maintained its color for the most part.

After I was done with the honing I stropped the razor. I immediately noticed a difference, the razor now had much much more draw on the strop whereas before it had almost none. I stropped for a few minutes on the linen side and then for 5 minutes on the leather side. I did notice that as I continued to strop on the leather, it seemed like the draw decreased but it was still more than pre honing.

Then there is the shave.

I could tell that the blade was sharper, it cut through the hair so easily, my shaving actually went faster (quickest shave to date) because the blade was cutting so well.

Now for the problem, I got about 5 nicks, which is not in itself abnormal but these are real bleeders which I have never had before. Usually my nicks just bleed a little a stop on there own, they almost look like a pimple. Not these, they bleed and the styptic pencil had a fight which it won.

Here is the catch though, when I used AS, it did not burn AT ALL which has never happened to date with me shaving.

As a result, I am thoroughly confused if I messed up my blade or not while honing. Could the bleeders be because the blade was so sharp and my technique was just a little off?

When shaving, how would one know if the blade was over honed, under honed, or just plan screwed up?

Thank you for taking the time to read my long post, any feedback would be appreciated.

Sounds like you did a decent job for the first go. You got the desired result of a sharper blade.

The nicks you got could of been any number of things but my guess is that you had started to compensate for the blade dulling and started using a tad more pressure. Which when you got a sharper blade lead to some nicks.

Your use of the stones are a little off. For a touch up all you should of needed was the 12k you should of start with about 5-7 laps stropped and test shaved. If that didn't work another 5-7 laps , then strop and shave. If that didn't work then go down to the 8k for about 20 laps, then 10 laps at 12k then strop and then shave.

Second shave had only a few nicks on the first pass and only one that was a bleeder, no where near as bad as it did yesterday.

After feeling good I went for a second pass and got a few more nicks, again, nothing too bad.

AS burned a little, not too bad though, I blade that one the second pass.

It appears the razor is fine.

Razor does not feel as good as it did yesterday though lol.

Stropping was a little smoother as well.

Thanks for the reply reminding me to mind my technique.

I found the same thing. I had my straight from new & it was shave ready when I got it but it got really dull after a couple of months so I subconsiously changed my technique to account for it. After I grabbed a Norton & touched up the edge the first thing I did was nick myself by applying too much pressure.

I'm still in that very early honing experience where I'm second guessing myself about the sharpness of the edge. It's especially difficult to judge because when it was new & shave ready I had no technique at all, now I've had a few months of experience I can get an okay shave off a partially dull blade. The only thing I'm certain of is a few touch up strokes off a Norton 8K made it sharper but that's all I've had to do so far.