Thread: Sharpening Problems! It just won't work :(

6gun,

That's a good precis on honing. I've tried a very similar approach myself after asking a barber, who was trained on shaving, how he honed a razor. "Always use circles." he said. And wouldn't you know, it worked.

It sounds to me like there was never a properly sey bevel on your razor. Until the bevel is properly set you can polish the edge all you want with the higher grit stones but that wont make for a comfortable shave. Try spending more time on the 1 k hone. When you can pop hairs off of the 1 k then you can move on to the 4 and 8 k stones. Also i do understand that shipping from where you are is very pricey but it is imperitive that you get the feel of what a properly honed razor feels like. I started out honing my own razors right off of the bat and had decent shaves from them. It wasnt until i sent my first brand new razor off to lynn for honing that i truly understood what shave ready was. Once i had that feel i new what to strive for on my own. Just because some one hones a razor for you one time it doesnt mean that you cant do it yourself from there on out. Maybe what you could try is if you ever purchase another razor order it from someone who pre hones them. This way you will have one shave ready razor and you can work to make you other razor match in sharpness. Hang in there dude you will get it.

Originally Posted by Bruce

6gun,
That's a good precis on honing. I've tried a very similar approach myself after asking a barber, who was trained on shaving, how he honed a razor. "Always use circles." he said. And wouldn't you know, it worked.

My Grandfather taught me to do circles, in the short "teach you how to shave with a straight" session we had together. I imagine he learned that from his father. Next time I hone I'm going to give the circles another go, now armed with a little more information and confidence, that I hope won't be dashed. Thanks guys!

+1 on that Glen,

After watching lynn do that via the webcast (thanks web guys) I have been using this method with great success. The circles can really help out.

As mentioned above the bevel is probably not set yet. 1k stone will take some time to set a bevel on a razor that is plain dull. I use 1k Chosera, which is by far the most aggressive 1K I have used and it take some time to set a bevel with it. I'd suggest to go to a lower grit for a few passes to set the bevel right. Something in the 400-700 range.
Yesterday after spending some time on the 1k , I went back to my Bester 500 and did the work in no time.
Hope that helps.

Where are you located?

While Glen's formula is nice- just like he said though- if you haven't got a bevel, make sure you do another set of circles until you do have a bevel. Its not necessarily cut and dry- make sure its there. I am one of those 99 people who initially wasn't sharpening enough at low grits...

Originally Posted by EzekielRage

Is it worth buying a book or something with some honing tips? I'd like to get good at it instead of relying on someone to do it for me - typical Alaskan I guess.

I think the best -and the only- way to hone and sharpen a razor is just to keep practising until you are satisfied with the results. The more you practise the more you will also understand what are you doing with your hands, and how to get better if still needed.

I'm not saying that reading a book of honing would be bad, but with many 'traditional' skills, such as hand sharpening tools and knives, you can't succeed if you know the theory but not the practice

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Hi there, and welcome to SRP...

I am going to give you a few hints here...
I am 99% sure your bevel is not set, why ??? because 99 out of 100 new honers don't get the bevel set before moving to the higher grit stones...
Even if the razor is "shaving" the pulling is because some spots are sharper and some are duller...

Since you have probably X stroked that thing to death already lets try something slightly different and try and pull that edge into shape...
If you have watched the Vids then you probably watched the one on the front page of Lynn at the NC Razorcon he introduced a new technique that I think is perfect for where you are stuck....

I call it the "40 circles to sharp", what is really slick about it is that 1. it works 2. it eliminates a ton of guess work and 3. it eliminates much of the flipping of the razor and x strokes...

Using lapped flat stones...

Soak the 4k/8k and then do 40 counterclockwise circles with medium pressure starting at the top of the 4000 grit stone moving to the bottom. Do 40 clockwise circles from bottom to top...

Rinse the stone, now starting at the top do 40 counterclockwise circles top to bottom using light pressure this time, again reverse this from bottom to top...

Switch to the 8k do 10 slightly heel forward laps straight up and down...
rinse the stone do 10 very exact and perfect X strokes..

Rinse the stone and here is my trick to getting the most out of the Norton 8k very very light very slow X strokes about 10-20 as the stone dries once the stone dries stop...

Stropping off the hones is different then everyday stropping...
My routine is 50 linen and 100 leather off the hones Half that everday...

Give that a try and see what happens...

Hey Glen, nice bit of advice. I too am having a bit of difficulty with one blade and I am going to try this. However, what your instructions don't say is when to flip the blade to do the other side.
Do you flip after your first trip down the stone and go back up? Or do you go down and back up then flip?
I hope I am not confusing anyone other than myself LOL.
Thanks,
Bill