Thread: honing easy?

Good Morning everyone :-)

So i just spent a few minutes watching some honing videos on youtube. and they lay flat the blade on the stone. They say that the blade has a natural angle that when you lay flat the blade on the stone it will be the correct angle for honing the blade. This is the proper technique?

Also will it not damage over time the spine of the blade? this is a quote from one of the videos=

"All straight razors have a natural angle. Lay the razor flat on the hone with the spine and the edge touching the surface, that's the natural angle."


Thank you

A lot of the members here who hone razors will use a layer of electrical tape on the spine to protect it, especially if it is a worked spine.

Here is a link to some excellent honing videos by gssixgun that can answer a lot of your honing questions:
gssixgun videos | Watch gssixgun videos | gssixgun online videos | Download gssixgun videos | gssixgun live videos

Yes that is the proper technique. The blade sits flat on the stone, and you don't lift the spine at all. Honing will wear the spine of the blade over time. Some people cover the spine to prevent wear to the spine. No, honing is not easy.

Michael

Originally Posted by mjsorkin

Yes that is the proper technique. The blade sits flat on the stone, and you don't lift the spine at all. Honing will wear the spine of the blade over time. Some people cover the spine to prevent wear to the spine. No, honing is not easy.

Michael

Thank you, i mean im sure its not easy but it seems more easy than i was thinking. I was thinking that the blade needed to be at a certain angle but if its flat on its side then its seems easier.

Originally Posted by Xilbus

Thank you, i mean im sure its not easy but it seems more easy than i was thinking. I was thinking that the blade needed to be at a certain angle but if its flat on its side then its seems easier.

I was a tiny bit sarcastic. Sorry. You are right, it would be much harder if you had to set the angle yourself. Every other part of it has been a challenge for me, but I'm doing okay now. It seems much easier with practice.

-----Michael

So my blade is a dovo diamant and i got it from Phil at the classicedge.ca and he honed it before sending me the blade.
Should this be ok to keep it shave ready?
Naniwa Combination Water Stone 3000/8000 Grit
Naniwa Combination Water Stone 3000/8000 grit

Originally Posted by Xilbus

So my blade is a dovo diamant and i got it from Phil at the classicedge.ca and he honed it before sending me the blade.
Should this be ok to keep it shave ready?
Naniwa Combination Water Stone 3000/8000 Grit
Naniwa Combination Water Stone 3000/8000 grit

In the short term (3 - 12 months) a good strop should be all that is needed - if you do it correctly.
If you don't then the edge may need honing before the first shave.
Concentrate on stropping and shaving first - then maybe get into honing

Yep. The Naniwa 3-8K is my workhorse stone. I use a 12K finisher after that but the 8K will give a very servicable edge. Good luck!

Originally Posted by Xilbus

So my blade is a dovo diamant and i got it from Phil at the classicedge.ca and he honed it before sending me the blade.
Should this be ok to keep it shave ready?
Naniwa Combination Water Stone 3000/8000 Grit
Naniwa Combination Water Stone 3000/8000 grit

Originally Posted by Xilbus

Thank you, i mean im sure its not easy but it seems more easy than i was thinking. I was thinking that the blade needed to be at a certain angle but if its flat on its side then its seems easier.

It reminds me of when I learned how to stick (arc) weld. It was devilishly hard until I learned it. Then it became easy. Same with riding an off road bicycle, going over obstacles, logovers and such. Once you know how it becomes easy ..... or.... easier. Some razors make it seem easy, others, not so easy.

To tape or not to tape, there are two schools of thought.

One school says Tape! Protect the spine from hone wear. It keeps the razor looking better.

The opposition says, do not tape. As the blade gets narrower from honing the spine also wears down so that bevel angle says correct instead of getting wider over time.

Both ways work.