Search:

Immediate focus on the edge seems fairly pointless when you may need to hone off some of the body of the blade itself in order to get contact between the spine, the edge, and the hone when you lay...

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH...

THE SHAVE!

Close to baby bottom smooth after the first pass.
Baby bottom smooth after the second pass.
No nicks, no abrasions (other than the usual slight razor...

I noticed that...

My first go at it had me wondering whether it was stainless steel.
Since I am very new to straight razors and have never encountered a stainless steel, that was just a guess.

Gotta' acknowledge the wisdom of a fellow Rochesterian!

No problems this time with proper rinsing and wiping of everything including the box/restraint.

I bow to the wisdom of the sages...

50 more it is -- of every stroke on every stone!

Now there's a bevel!

I did notice a bit of rough debris on the 8000 stone...

I thought that I had wiped the razor well, maybe the stone picked something up from the base when it was in contact with it or maybe I...

Being an absolute newbie, all I had to go on was Lynn's adage: "Fewer is better."

I've got an analytical mindset.

I wasn't going by count...
It was more like:

20 nope, nowhere near enough -- give it 20 more...
Nope, not there yet -- the heel is my problem, lets focus on...

Once I let it sink in that razors are sharpened by means of abrasion it didn't take long at all!

Started with 40 circles under heavy pressure.
Followed with 20 circles with heavy pressure at the...

I bought it in the first place because I wanted to make all of my initial mistakes on a cheapie.
Never even thought of the possibility that a cheapie would teach me the finer points of honing.

I have a clear view of the abrasion from the stone and it is definitely NOT parallel with the edge!
Don't even need a Sharpie for this.

I have a fairly straight "grind line" BUT...
It is about...

I'm pretty sure that my blade is a bit of a corkscrew, but my primary concern at this point is light, even pressure, a steady stroke, and consistency.

As with the martial arts: First, master your...

I am self teaching honing on my Norton water stones set using a Gold Dollar.

I attempted a pyramid method starting at 50 using my 4000 and 8000 stones with no noticeable effect.

I'm going to...