Sharpening is a funny thing. Not just for razors for any blade. It's tell tail signals lay just on the edge of our vision and just on the edge of our sense of touch. Perception of these signs are hard to exchange in words. Maybe the language required is lacking. Sounds like many an art to me. At that scale it's just not as easy as between 3 and 4 inches tall or harder than pine but softer than oak. Science is just so much more concise.

That said -- After the bevel is set I hone away starting with a little slurry and a little pressure, working to no pressure and clean water. All the while I'm feeling for the work to stop requiring less effort. I check for evenness. When the work is even and I feel no more reduction in drag and the steel floats evenly across the top of the hone I move to the next finer hone. When there are no more hones within reach I strop it up on just an old but unadulterated piece of leather and give it a shot. After a stropping I've shaved off my 6k king, I've shaved off my Japanese finishing hone I know nothing about and should probably try to get identified, I've shaved off my 10k Naniwa, I've shaved off my no name barbers hone. If arm hair is all you're after I've shaved off lot courser than that with a chisel or plane blade. What I'm looking for in a hone besides being able to produce a keen edge is how well I can feel that edge come into being. That is maybe even the most important aspect of a hone and of the act of honing.

The bottom line is you're done when it feels right on your face which probably means it also slides pretty effortless across the top of your hone too.

I have had issues where I've been less than impressed with my results, walked away for a few minutes, came back and given it a few super light passes and found a sweet spot to stop at that I can only explain as magic or I was just plain holding the razor to tight with my tired hand to really feel what I was doing. This same explanation could be used to explain a few of my shave too.


As an interesting aside, does anyone else tend to put the stones flat on your hand instead of laying it flat on the table? I've taken to doing this for my last few strokes at least. I feel it improves the feedback I can get from the stone and allows me to hold the razor in a more natural way. I doubt I would use this technique with my kitchen or pocket knives but it seems to work really well to top things off.


Man... I talk toooo much sometimes.