Originally Posted by
gssixgun
For those not fortunate enough to live by the "Mark"...
Burrs, Wire Edges, Overhoning.....
These are all bad things when it comes to honing straight razors...Forget everything you thought you knew about sharpening anything else, it's not the same....
All of these bad things come from one part of honing and that is pressure, that is why there is soooooooo much emphasis on "NO PRESSURE" while honing, and while you don't want pressure you do need to have enough to keep the blade even on the hone...
A burr, is just that it, forms when you apply pressure to the edge from one side. this is how many tools are sharpened and a burr tells the sharpener that his edge has met and that he just needs to refine it now (Think Chisel).... BAD news to a razor...
A wire edge, forms when both sides of the edge are being honed and a tiny, tiny, wire forms and when broken off leaves an edge that can now be refined into a cutting edge... (Think Knife)
Overhoned, is just that you have either done to many strokes, or you used pressure and the edge of the razor is sooooooo thin, that it falls apart and leaves a rough toothy edge, instead of a fine smooth edge....
This is why we always say that you need to sneak up on a razors edge.....
Please keep in mind that I don't know jack about honing tools or knives so if I described something slightly wrong, and you have intimate knowledge about sharpening these things, I defer to your wisdom...