Pyramid honing guide

The purpose of the 1000 grit is to remove nicks and straighten/shape an edge. For that you use your eyes and the Thumb Nail test, not the Thumb Pad Test. The edge should be free of nicks and the bevel should go all the way to the edge. If you are using a hand held microscope then the bevel will appear as one color, if there are two bevels, old and new, then the light reflects off the bevel at different angles and appears as two colors. The scratch pattern should also be uniform for both the length and width of the bevel. When you have that then move on to the 4000, but not before.

Using the Norton 1k - getting rid of nicks and establishing the bevel

The Norton 1000 is a slow cutter compared to a 1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper or a 1200 grit diamond hone. Use what ever number of strokes it requires to get rid of the nicks and establishing a bevel. This is the most time consuming portion of honing a razor, be patient and persistent.

Using the Norton 4k - using the Norton Pyramids to dial in an edge

Once you get to the 4000 grit then you stop using the Thumb Nail Test (TNT) and rely upon the Thumb Pad Test and Hanging Hair Test (HHT). You should be using both the TNT and the TPT while you are using the 1000 grit so that you develop a "feel" for what is happening to the edge.

When you start using the 4000 grit then use an aggressive pyramid first, testing with the TPT frequently, and when it seems that you are getting close based on the TPT, HHT and the arm hair test then drop down to a conservative pyramid, again, testing frequently. Then perform 50 roundtrip laps on a plain leather hanging strop and test shave. Do the best beard prep possible. Do not be surprised if the razor is not quite perfect. Just go back and perform a conservative pyramid then strop and test shave again. It is not unusual for me to take 2-3-4 honing sessions to dial in an edge.

Conservative Honing Ratio

This is a suggestion for a straight razor that is almost keen. It shaves but it pulls at the whiskers. I use the thumb test to see when the edge has attained a noticeable change in feel. Then strop for 35 laps on plain leather and test shave.

Repeat as necessary.

Please note that this only applies to the use of a Norton waterstone. It does not apply to Japanese waterstones, a Belgian stone, Arkansas stones, classic barber hones, pasted strops or sandpaper.

Use the thumb pad test at any point during this sequence and stop if you feel the edge is now keen.

Set #	Norton 4000	Norton 8000
1	1	5
2	1	5
3	3	5
4	5	5
5	3	5
6	3	5
7	1	5
8	1	5
9	1	5

Aggressive Honing Ratio

Use this sequence when the razor is not shaving at all.

Set #	Norton 4000	Norton 8000
1	15	5
2	10	5
3	5	5
4	3	5
5	1	5
6	1	5

Be sure and use some sort of test before starting so you can evaluate the rate of change that is occurring. I use the thumb pad test and the hanging hair test. Repeat the honing sequence as necessary and move to the conservative sequence when you think you are getting close. The goal is to avoid over-honing which can make the edge act like a piece of aluminium foil because it is to thin and weak.

Credits

Credit for making known the honing pyramid technique goes to Lynn Abrams, the founder of the Yahoo Straightrazorplace forum and the http://www.straightrazorplace.com website.

To Lynn and all the other razor gurus "THANKS !"

See also

This HowTo is also available as a PDF file: Norton Pyramid Honing Guide.

See also

• Sharpness tests explained

Acknowledgements

The above instructions were sent in a PM to JimmyHAD by randydance062449 who is always a great help to new members and veteran forum members alike.