Thread: how do you know when you're done with the 8k and/or 12k before you move to strop

let's assume I have a bevel because it's passing the hanging hair test the entire length of blade. How many strokes on 8k before I can move to strop?

Originally Posted by gfro

let's assume I have a bevel because it's passing the hanging hair test the entire length of blade. How many strokes on 8k before I can move to strop?

At that point I'm ready to strop and test shave. If it is good I go on up to 12ki or whatever. If not it is back to 4/8 or the equivalent. An old honemiester once told me that knowing when the razor is 'ready at each stage of the game is the key. Takes a lot of practice to know that without tests we use. Anyway, for a new honer the pyramids are very good because it is a set number of strokes. Not honing and hoping. If the first pyramid doesn't get it you just do another until it is 'there.' IMHO.

Personally, when I think it's ready for a shave I'll do some arm hair shaving and the way it shaves the arm hairs gives me a pretty good idea if I need some more work on the finisher.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Personally, when I think it's ready for a shave I'll do some arm hair shaving and the way it shaves the arm hairs gives me a pretty good idea if I need some more work on the finisher.

Agreed, If it passes the arm hair or HHT, strop & shave test.

Regarding any hair test, be advised that when the hairs are cut, how they react at the moment they are cut is the key to determining how sharp the blade edge is. For my own convenience, I do arm and/or leg hair to check my progress.

If the hairs fly away sideways, this tells me that I am not quite where I need to be as far as sharpness is concerned.

However, if the hairs literally fall straight down and do not fly away sideways, I can reasonably conclude that the edge is very close to perfect. I rely on this observation quite heavily and it has served me well. When the hairs drop straight down when cut at above skin level, that seems to be a benchmark indication that I have achieved a shave ready edge.

At least you are very close to shave ready at that point. Experience will guide you from this point.

As has been mentioned, arm hair test for me but also how it feels on the hone. There are subtle changes that you can see, hear and feel when it gets "there'. Time and experiance will be your guide.

dont forget the visual you get from hone to hone. The bevel will get brighter with each pass you make. You are essentially polishing the bevel at this point. Look for the change in reflection on the bevel as well as many of these tests if they work for you. With experience you will know-

Originally Posted by stonebraker

dont forget the visual you get from hone to hone. The bevel will get brighter with each pass you make. You are essentially polishing the bevel at this point. Look for the change in reflection on the bevel as well as many of these tests if they work for you. With experience you will know-

yea but that's not a two way street with the polish. You can have a bevel and edge that you can see your reflection in and the razor won't shave to save it's life.

After bevel ( cuts arm hair) dull slightly on side of a glass, go to work on the 4k. Tnt and armhair test again. When the whole blade passes go to the 8k.if you get swarf on the 8k go back to the 4k. For me 20 circles 20 laps 20 x strokes is usually enough for the 8. Unless there are lots of scratches left from the 4k. If the 12k is a phig, then 100 laps to start(lol) if naniwa 10-15. Should pass hht at this point, then strop or pasted strop,test shave.

I'm not a honing expert so I'll defer to those that are if I don't represent the process correctly. The question you asked is exactly the same as I had always asked. Ok, so I've got a bevel. What are the 4k, 8k, and 12k grits supposed to accomplish and how do I know when they have done their work? First, get a hand microscope. Take a good look at what the bevel looks like. Look closely at the scratches left behind by the 1k. You will want to clean the bevel by replacing the sides with the next finest grit (the 4k). As you go to the 4k, watch under the microscope to see the different scratches. They will look very similar but less aggressive. The feel of the shave is not that different at this point. And you should try a shave test at this point to see how it feels. Not great, very scratchy. But then again, your blade is very scratchy at this point as well. And thats what youre trying to fix. So be sure you dont give up on the 4k too soon. Be sure that the heavynscratches from the 1k are replaced by 4k scratches that are not as deep. Youll experience the edge feeling sharper and cutting hair a little more efficiently. When youre happy, move to the 8k. Now at the 8k, ypure trying to buff the scratches nearly away. Again, look closely with the microscope to see the progress. And again, dont give up too quickly as there is no set number of strokes that will do it. Use very light pressure on all of these steps once the bevel has been set. Pressure will only serve to cut deeper into the steel and its these cuts that you are trying to refine and remove. At this point the bevel should lookfairly clean and the scratches should look light and shallow. If you hone beyond 8k, youll see them get even lighter and less pronounced. Once the bevel is set, youre following grits are there to clean up the edge and refine the natural serrations caused by the lower grits. I found a 200x microscope very useful for this. It helped me really see the differences as I progressed.