When do you know you can't hone anymore using a particular stone? When that's the sharpest it'll get using that stone, and that you should move on to the next stone.
How do you know when you've honed as much as you can with one stone?
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How do you get to Carnegie Hall?
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By learning and being popular.
I know you're expecting the answer "practice". So what? I should just keep honing away with a 3k not knowing when it's time for me to move up? Hopefully I got the bevel right. Opps. I done this side 10 times, and this side 8 times.. Now what? How do I make it perfect? Hmm? Should I
be able to cut my arm hair yet after honing with a 3k? I wonder if I've been using too much pressure. Hmm. Maybe it's time for the 8k?..
This was my problem before. Where do I finish with one, and start with the next. Just sit for an hour at one and see what's the sharpest I can get it?
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First off, you get the bevel set, typically using a rock that works in the 1000-4000 grit range (setting a bevel on a norton 4k is doable). I've heard many different methods of determining when that is done. I usually use two criteria:
- the microscope view all along the edge is smooth: no nicks, no microchips, no nuthin but consistent steel
- with the lightest of pressure, the entire edge is able to pop armhair at skin level. Tip to heel. Honestly, I lost so much hair that way that I'm now using the idea of "can the armhair stop the blade such that if I push a tiny bit more it will cut hair".
Once the bevel is set, that means that all along the edge, you've got a very nice "V" if you were to take a cross-section of the edge. Theoretically, or at least the way I imagine it in a rough way, the only roughness at this point should be due to the intersection of the bevel scratches with the edge itself. You can see bevel scratches. Key on that for rest of conversation here.
- get your little handheld microscope/loupe/whathave you and have a look at your 1k scratches after you carefully wipe the edge (stropping motion) on some toilet paper. The scratches should be consistent all along the edge.
- go to your next grit up...lets call it 4k. hone hone hone hone hone (the stroke technique is a different thread). You know you are done with that grit when you can no longer see the scratches from the 1k.
- go to your next grit up...lets call it 8k. hone hone hone hone hone. You know you are done with that grit when you can no longer see the scratches from the 4k.
- etc.
I use a 'scope all the time. I picked up mine for $11 at radio shack down the street a couple years ago. Looks like they are 13 bucks now.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2179604
pop in some rechargeable AAA's and you're all set.
If you are using naturals, it's a rather different game, but same general idea...always looking to make sure the general scratching on the bevel is getting less and less obvious. For lack of the ability to investigate the actual edge, many times you will see people posting photos of the bevel near the edge and how scratch-free they look under magnification as a proxy. No one will go to bat and say that scratch-free bevel = perfect shave every time, but it is generally fair to say that the fewer and shallower the scratches, the less rough the resulting edge will be, given the bevel being set properly to start with (you can have a rounded edge and beautiful scratch-free bevels and it be dull as a monotone linear algebra teacher).
OK?
Yes. With the 3k, you should be able to easily cut arm hair. Meaning almost no pressure should be needed to pop the arm hair at the skin level with the blade nearly flat to your arm. Some would say even just-above skin level. Others like to use ripe cherry tomatoes and very light pressure. Others like to drag their wet thumb LIGHTLY along (not across) the edge and feel for a tickling sensation as it cuts into the outer layer of skin.
Whatever your technique, do NOT go on to the 8K until you can do that all along any part of the edge you'll ever want to shave with (assumption is "the whole edge, heel to toe"). Advancing to the 8K before this and hoping that it will "catch up" any leftover areas that do not achieve this at 3K is folly and a waste of time (this is experience talking). The bevel set is the most important step in the honing process, because without it, everything else, and I mean EVERYthing else in the honing process is putting lipstick on a ugly pig.
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All really sound advice from Krodor. Also keep in mind that the blade will feel and sound different on the hone when it's about time to move up.
You don't want to keep going And going and going on the stones. You won't get any benefit from that. Only get a harsh blade. Your bevel setter you might spend a great deal of time on. Aside from that, no. One of the biggest mistakes that people make is spending too much time on the 8k and up stones. It makes the shave very harsh. If you're having to spend that much time on those stones you need to go back to the beginning. You missed.
Agreed, but the change in feel is subtle and maybe quick. You really need to be aware. It sometimes happens and if you are honing to quickly you may not feel the change as it is happening, but you should definitely feel the difference in suction. Imagine rubbing two hones so flat that they stick together, the blade on hone should be similar, not exactly the same but a slight vacuum feeling as the surface area is much much smaller and much easier to break the relationship between the two.
Regardless, know that what you are asking is healthy, are great questions, and we've (or at least I've) been there and gone to the next one too soon, etc. hey, I still do it when impatient, so it's good for me to reiterate it for my own good 
Get a loupe, hone on the stone until the scratches from the previous stone are gone.
Where the hell is Carnegie? I'd use my GPS or a map... Forget stones, now I wanna go to see the hall in Carnegie
YEP!
Realistically, you should get a loupe if you want to be CERTAIN but you can do it by 'feel' too. The issue with honing by feel is that every razor is different. Unless you're honing perfectly straight blades (nothing with a smile or warp) all the time, then the 'feel' is going to be different every time.
One of my general rules of thumb is to hone until the edge slips under the water on the hone instead of pushing it ahead. Then 10 more laps and move on.
But all this really depends on the particular stones being used and, to a lesser extent, the blade. Nortons have a different feel to Naniwa's, for instance. That is what I meant by my practice comment. You really need to practice and spend a good long while with the setup you have. After a while you will learn how the feel, sound, water undercutting changes as the blade becomes sharper. We can give you a few tips or tricks that work for us, but they are tricks we worked out after playing with the stones we have, and wearing away a lot of steel. They may be helpful to you, but not nearly as helpful as actual hands on experience. Buy lots of dull razors, make them sharp, and really pay attention to what is going on while you are doing it. After a while you will know by feel when to change stones.
The bevel has to be set or you got nothing. I use dmt 1200 but im not afraid to use the 600 to get the metal off for the bevel. Dmts can cause deeper scratches and even microchips so i spend extra time on the 4k. After bevel 50 circles 50 laps 50 x strokes, inspect scratches maybe another set of 20. Then 20 circles 20 laps and 20 x on the 8. If you get a bit of swarf on the 8, you werent done on the 4k. The 8 should stay very clean. Then 40 on film(1um) and more if needed untill hht is good. then crox and strop. This is for a full hone, not a touchup obviously.
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