Alright, so I got 3 straights on Ebay for pretty cheap, $10-$20. No nicks and no rust. They are all Sheffield or Soligen. I watched plenty of videos and read plenty of material. I lapped the Norton 4k/8k stone. Got them sharp enough to somewhat cut some of my arm hair, then moved on to the 8k side. I make sure to go the right way and also not to roll the blade onto its edge. I don't press very firmly if at all sometimes. I also make sure I always have water on the stone. The water is room temperature though (67-71F). I have probably done about 80 or more passes on the 8k side of the stone and I notice it improving, but only slightly at times. This is taking forever. Am I doing something wrong?
First time honing - taking forever
- Thread starter eclipse75
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oh, and they were all pretty dull to begin with. but still, I got them to the point where they would semi cut my arm here and 80 passes on the 8k from there and still not face shave worthy? 
not cool.
not cool.
It is a long, long process from picking up your first stone to getting to even shave ready status.
At least you got them cutting arm hairs. My guess is you need to lighten up on the pressure. Too much pressure and your just breaking off the edge with each stroke. Also, bigger likelihood of creating a wire edge as the number of strokes gets progressively larger. Of course, the likelihood of creating a wire edge is pretty remote to begin with, but with hundreds of laps...
In short...yes. I only do 10-15 laps on the 8k once the 4k is done (on most hollow grounds). But...I've been doing this for a while. YMMV.
At least you got them cutting arm hairs. My guess is you need to lighten up on the pressure. Too much pressure and your just breaking off the edge with each stroke. Also, bigger likelihood of creating a wire edge as the number of strokes gets progressively larger. Of course, the likelihood of creating a wire edge is pretty remote to begin with, but with hundreds of laps...
In short...yes. I only do 10-15 laps on the 8k once the 4k is done (on most hollow grounds). But...I've been doing this for a while. YMMV.
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" Originally Posted by Seraphim
Leighton's the Razor Pimp"
lol sounds about right then.
Leighton's the Razor Pimp"
lol sounds about right then.
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so can you not apply any pressure what so ever? or else the edge gets instantly broke or what?
There are times to apply a *little* bit of pressure, but usually you don't want to, especially at first.
If you want to talk about honing forever, try going from 2000 grit sandpaper to finishing hones.
If you want to talk about honing forever, try going from 2000 grit sandpaper to finishing hones.
well first you should have a look at your razors.
"know your enemy"; that means what damage has been done.
Have these razors been chipped before you got them? Was there uneven wear on the edge (like a recurve?)
are both faces of the blade meeting to a edge already,
or are they blunt as hell?
Depending on the actual condition you will not get anywhere with a 4k norton.
Sometimes Ebay razors can be in a very bad condition.
I just had to throw away a very nice erich ern solingen wald, near wedge,
because it hat such a bad recurve that I could not fix.
So what you want to do is check if the very edge has damage.
Check it under bright light with a loupe.
If you can see light spots on the edge, those are chips.
You have to grind them out.
Next thing would be to apply some waterproof marker on the edge.
This way you see if the stone reaches all the way to the edge.
If not, after some honing laps, you will still see your marker.
Depending on the degree of damage you should at least go down to a nice 1.000 hone.
If the condition is good you could go with a 2k.
When I get old razors I start with a coarse stone
just to reset everything. Then I go to a 1k and set the bevel right.
Then the normal 4k/8k routine
with emphasis on 4k and just a little 8k.
If your razor fails a test at one point it will probably not pass it on a finer hone.
That means, if your razor doesnt cut arm hair on 1k, it won´t on 4k.
If your razor doesn´t pop hair at 4k it won´t on 8k
Edit:
you could in fact replace coarser stones with sandpaper.
Try to find the finest grits and use them like a hone.
I am thinking of 800 to 1.000 Grit paper, maybe even higher.
Those go cheap and can replace actually
"know your enemy"; that means what damage has been done.
Have these razors been chipped before you got them? Was there uneven wear on the edge (like a recurve?)
are both faces of the blade meeting to a edge already,
or are they blunt as hell?
Depending on the actual condition you will not get anywhere with a 4k norton.
Sometimes Ebay razors can be in a very bad condition.
I just had to throw away a very nice erich ern solingen wald, near wedge,
because it hat such a bad recurve that I could not fix.
So what you want to do is check if the very edge has damage.
Check it under bright light with a loupe.
If you can see light spots on the edge, those are chips.
You have to grind them out.
Next thing would be to apply some waterproof marker on the edge.
This way you see if the stone reaches all the way to the edge.
If not, after some honing laps, you will still see your marker.
Depending on the degree of damage you should at least go down to a nice 1.000 hone.
If the condition is good you could go with a 2k.
When I get old razors I start with a coarse stone
just to reset everything. Then I go to a 1k and set the bevel right.
Then the normal 4k/8k routine
with emphasis on 4k and just a little 8k.
If your razor fails a test at one point it will probably not pass it on a finer hone.
That means, if your razor doesnt cut arm hair on 1k, it won´t on 4k.
If your razor doesn´t pop hair at 4k it won´t on 8k
Edit:
you could in fact replace coarser stones with sandpaper.
Try to find the finest grits and use them like a hone.
I am thinking of 800 to 1.000 Grit paper, maybe even higher.
Those go cheap and can replace actually
Last edited:
U
Utopian
I'm sorry, but I disagree. The work on a 4k will take longer but it can be used for bevel setting, and you can speed it up by using pressure. Once you are close to getting the bevel set then of course you need to reduce the pressure. The wasted time comes from moving up to a higher grit prematurely. Also, there is never a need to do "80 or more passes" on the 8k. Once the lower grit honing is accomplished to get the bevel set and the blade sharpened, then when you move up to the 8k hone, you really don't need more than 10-15 passes.
Utopian you´re right but doesn´t that depend on how badly damaged the edge is?
I don´t use the nortons but I do believe you can set a bevel on 4k,
but only if the edge itself is in a somewhat OK condition.
Buying Ebay Razors you never know what they did with it.
Maybe they were used to cut open letters, or to scrape wood
I don´t use the nortons but I do believe you can set a bevel on 4k,
but only if the edge itself is in a somewhat OK condition.
Buying Ebay Razors you never know what they did with it.
Maybe they were used to cut open letters, or to scrape wood
The 4k/8k norton will set a bevel just fine. You can even take major nicks out with it. It just takes a little while longer. I still think the 4k/8k stone is the best do-it-all hone around; add a little paste for the finishing polish and you're pretty much set for whatever comes your way.
To the OP, once you get to the 8k side you don't use any pressure at all, not on the edge, not on the spine, not even to keep it steady on the stone. As you get close to the end you'll even need to support the weight of the blade because just that little bit of weight is too much to get a good-shaving edge. Unfortunately honing a straight razor isn't as easy as it looks, because the little things matter a whole lot.
To the OP, once you get to the 8k side you don't use any pressure at all, not on the edge, not on the spine, not even to keep it steady on the stone. As you get close to the end you'll even need to support the weight of the blade because just that little bit of weight is too much to get a good-shaving edge. Unfortunately honing a straight razor isn't as easy as it looks, because the little things matter a whole lot.
U
Utopian
Yes, of course. The more damage there is, the farther you have to cut into the edge to make a new bevel, the more time it's going to take. I'm not recommending that bevel setting be done on the 4k, I'm just saying that it can be done with it if that's all you have, and it can be done faster with pressure.
You need to stay on the 4K side of the norton until the razor is cleanly cutting arm hair. If it is against the skin, no hair should be left standing after a pass.
In the straight razor world "semi cutting" = back to the lower grits/butterknife.
You should, in theory, be able to get a shaving edge off the 4K(not saying it will be comfortable) but it will shave. Then, and only then should you move to the higher grits.
In the straight razor world "semi cutting" = back to the lower grits/butterknife.
You should, in theory, be able to get a shaving edge off the 4K(not saying it will be comfortable) but it will shave. Then, and only then should you move to the higher grits.
You can set a bevel with a 16k if your patient enough.
Wish I could add some useful tidbit of advice, but its all covered.
Basically, set the bevel, then either keep on the 4k until its pretty much in shaving shape, or use the pyramid.
