Quote:
Originally Posted by
Utopian
I'm going to paraphrase Lynn on this one (though I've seen it for myself as well). He said that among the aborted honing attempts he has had to rescue, the worst damage was done by folks who tried to hone their edges with sandpaper.
Yes -- you can do a lot of damage in a short time. And if you don't have a flat surface to work on, or your "feel" is bad, or you don't constantly check your work, it's possible to make mistakes.
I suspect there's a "selection" bias:
People who want a "quick, cheap fix" for a dull razor will tend to use sandpaper and not perfect their technique.
People who have spent $100 (or much more!) on stones will tend to worry a lot more about their technique.
I worry a lot, and check frequently with a 10x loupe. I'll probably get a Norton 4K/8K (and a flattening plate) eventually, just to experiment with.
I'm not "in the razor business" -- I've just hit the magic "7 razors" point. Sandpaper / microabrasives / pasted strop has been a really cheap way to get started, and it's given me several nice blades.
I suspect the "sandpaper vs stone" debate is like the "pasted strop vs finishing stone" debate. It's not quite a 'religious debate', but not many people change their opinions.
Charles
PS -- and in this forum, I'm trying to argue with people who have immensely more experience and skill than I do. So I'd better shut up!