Thread: Question on honing.

Hey guys, (especially Mentors)
Is it your experience that it's better to spend the time learning to hone a blade to Lynn-like sharpness, or give in and send it off for professional honing?
I'm following his great video but not getting very good results.
What's the best way to see improvement on honing tecnique?
Thanks,
Jim Harper

In my opinion, the answer is "both." I would suggest that the best way to start is to experience a properly honed razor. It will give you a benchmark at which to aim. You will still have to spend a lot of time learning how to hone, but you will have a better sense of the endpoint.

There was a former member here whose first posts were attempts at selling razors he had honed. He insisted they were shave-ready and shaved well. Even the photos of the razors showed that they were not properly honed, but he simply did not know better because he had never experienced anything better. Don't repeat his mistake.

Watch videos, read the wiki, ask questions, and PRACTICE.

In all honesty, I would recommend sending one blade to someone to get honed to shave ready. Keep it tucked away. Then, practice practice practice on a second blade, and try to replicate the thumb pad feel and the shave feel of that first razor.

Another option is to learn in stages. Send two razors to someone, have one made shave ready and have the other with just a set bevel. Then you know at least the bevel is concrete, and you can attempt to sharpen and polish the second blade yourself.

Hope this helps a bit.

The advice above is all you need. For about my first 6 months of honing I kept a razor honed by one of our great honemeisters as a barometer of where my blades should be. Once I got there and stayed there on the honing I put the barometer blade into my rotation. Heck, I bought a blade from him a few months ago for two reasons...the blade and to check myself.

I'd recommend learning honing backwards, by getting a properly honed razor and learning to touch it up when necessary.

Starting from the bottom, starting from no edge, going through the bevel-setting process, etc. is something you'll eventually learn. But to begin your honing journey there is probably the hardest way to do it because you have to learn all about bevels, and starting out with no edge on a 1K stone is not the way to learn how little pressure you should be applying to the blade. Starting at the top gives you an idea of what you are trying to achieve. Starting at the bottom is like getting in your car to take a trip and not knowing where you are going. You might eventually get there by accident, but you wouldn't know it because you are not familiar with the destination.

Although I may get some flack for this I don't suggest going backwards. My reason for this is that it only takes the slightest tilt of the blade on the edge of the hone to mess up the edge and I think you should practice a smooth stroke first. My suggestion is to get that benchmark razor as suggested so so many and then practice your honing stoke on a old razor or two that you can get off ebay for a few dollars until you are confident with your stoke.
Seting a bevel is actually much easier than the finer strokes of putting a finishing edge on a razor that is almost there.
But that is just me.

You'll get no flak from me, sir. I left my flak jacket at home.