Help with honing

[Cheech]

So, I've been trying to learn to hone on a wapi. I put it to a 1k, then 4k. It was popping hairs on my leg, so I moved up to the 8k. Seemed good until I tried to shave with it. It tugged like crazy.

I'm guessing I should go back down to at least the 4k and work back up again.

My other question is that the 1k didn't seem to be cutting very quickly. From descriptions, I expected it to go fast. After, probably, 100+ passes, it was feeling like there was the start of an edge. Am I doing something wrong? I lapped it before starting, and after about 50 passes. I rested the blade, spine to edge. I used little to no pressure during the passes.

In Joel's tutorials, he said 5 passes on the 4k for an unsharpened blade. Here I am, putting 100+ passes on an unsharpened blade with a 1k!

How screwed up am I? Better yet, how am I screwed up? All input is appreciated.

Thanks for looking.

 

[gugi]

So, I've been trying to learn to hone on a wapi. I put it to a 1k, then 4k. It was popping hairs on my leg, so I moved up to the 8k. Seemed good until I tried to shave with it. It tugged like crazy.

sounds like it needs more honing. compare how a razor that is not pulling is 'popping hairs' and you need to match that.

I'm guessing I should go back down to at least the 4k and work back up again.

I'd suggest at this point you follow the norton pyramids.

In Joel's tutorials, he said 5 passes on the 4k for an unsharpened blade. Here I am, putting 100+ passes on an unsharpened blade with a 1k!

Perhaps Joel's razors started sharper than yours, or perhaps he can do with fewer strokes what you can do with more? It seems to me that you're doing the right thing going by what the edge test shows.

 

[English]

Cheech,

You need to look and feel what you are doing.

It takes no more than 20 laps on a 1k hone to put a fine V on just about any razors edge.

20 on the 4K and 20 on the 8K and that is all the hones will do for the metal.

Look at what you are doing.

Quite clearly, you are not checking as you go.

You are as they say, pis*ing in the wind.

Sorry to be so blunt, but it isn't rocket science.

If you press to hard or lift the blade or don't use a clean stroke, you will actually go backwards and blunt rather than sharpen the blade.

May I suggest you watch the videos on U tube and then try again.

 

[Sticky]

Painting the edge with black marker can help, sometimes.