Thread: Free handing a second bevel.

Originally Posted by kevint

out of curiosity why not on a leather bench hone which i believe some refer to as a paddle strop or is they different.

I must ask- did you see the same thing I saw

Paddle strops and bench hones are dang similar, pretty much the same thing. I just made a raised base that I can swap out different inserts with so that I can use different leathers or mediums on. I have bovine, horse, scrubbed toolbelt leather, very smooth suede, balsa, felt, papers, and nexcare tape that I goof off with. Kinda the Hand American idea, but a DIY implementation. I guess I just assume that paddles have handles, and since mine doesn't.... well, leather bench hone seems to be the proper moniker.

I always use abrasives on cheap throwaway substrates like the papers or nexcare tape on granite (or balsa) until I'm sure that I like them and then I decide what kind of leather or other 'base' that I want to put them on. That's why I used the diamond spray on balsa today.

Normally when using sub-micron abrasives on softer leather, I don't do any kind of microbevel or anything because of the rounding of the leather on the edge of the razor. A small convex edge is pretty similar to a microbevel when you are dealing with something as thin as a straight razor.

With a firmer substrate like horse leather or balsa, you don't get much noticeable convexing of the edge, so I either leave the edge like it is, or put on a tiny microbevel a la Tim Zowada. This time I just wanted to see if I could freehand it for the heck of it, and it was actually really easy. I'm sure any of the competent honers around here could do it just fine with good results. Is it needed? No. But I like to goof around with every concieveable way to sharpen anything, so there ya go.

I like paddle strops/bench hones, and get good results from them. Great for touchups and initial sharpenings if you want. I'm not sure what you mean by "Did I see what you saw," so I don't really know how to respond to that. BTW, Kevin, I'll respond to your PT tonight or tomorrow in thorough detail, just don't have the time right now. Need to go apply a second coat of paint to the guest room.

Here's a few pics of my 'bench hone'. That's why I don't call it a paddle strop.