Thread: Honing a single edge?

I bought a single edge from ebay, but I find it very hard to hone. If I only hone on the hollow side, the other side builds up this little metal curve, like I guess you can experience with overhoning.

But on the flat side its not so flat at all, and I find this side hard to hone, because I have to hold the edge at an angle on the hone.

How should I hone a single edge?

(and when sharpened, how should I shave with it? Only using the hollow side?)

PS: Sorry if wrong place for thread.

Do you have the link from Ebay? That would help a lot.

Is one side flat and the other side concave? If so then you have a microtome, not a straight razor. The microtome is used in a laboratory for making small thin slices from a tissue sample to place under a microscope.

Hope this helps,

Vintage KOCH & CO Mircoscopic Germany Straight Razor on eBay, also Straight Razors, Shaving, Vanity, Perfume Shaving, Collectibles (end time 30-Jun-08 01:49:10 BST)

You are right - it actually does say that its a microscopic section cutter.

The picturelink does not work anymore I am affraid.

Don't worry, a bunch of us have made the same mistake!

Just clean it up and it is a good conversation piece.

Originally Posted by randydance062449

Don't worry, a bunch of us have made the same mistake!

Just clean it up and it is a good conversation piece.

Oh how wrong you are my friend. I am honing this to shave with - if its the last thing i do!

Its quite hard to work with on the stones, so far I have used about 6 hours honing it. I have gotten to the point where I am on the 8 k stone. Im thinking it might take about 10.000 strokes, I have done 500 so far.

Then againg - it might not work at all, but I will give it a try.

You could try building up some tape on the flat side as sort of a spine that would cut down on the material you would have to remove during honing.

I seem to remember about a year ago someone posted a picture of a razor they had made out of thin metal - and had made it into a frameback by soldering on a piece of copper tubing. Pershmaps you can solder on a strip of metal onto that flat side...that is if your intention is to make this into a permanent shaver.

Originally Posted by The_Pastor

Oh how wrong you are my friend. I am honing this to shave with - if its the last thing i do!

Its quite hard to work with on the stones, so far I have used about 6 hours honing it. I have gotten to the point where I am on the 8 k stone. Im thinking it might take about 10.000 strokes, I have done 500 so far.

Then againg - it might not work at all, but I will give it a try.

What did they microsection with it????

Originally Posted by kelbro

What did they microsection with it????

Human or animal tissue.

Why wouldn't you be able to hone it in the same way wood chisels are honed? Chisels typically have a flat face (bottom) and an opposing bevel on the top side. I'd say sharpen it like a chisel.

If anything, you could hone it up and use it to slice paper thin cuts of fresh garlic. Mmmmmmmmmmmm, fresh garlic!

Chris L

Maybe the not so flat back side is keeps it from being treated like a chisel/plane?

Originally Posted by Chris L

Human or animal tissue.

Why wouldn't you be able to hone it in the same way wood chisels are honed? Chisels typically have a flat face (bottom) and an opposing bevel on the top side. I'd say sharpen it like a chisel.

If anything, you could hone it up and use it to slice paper thin cuts of fresh garlic. Mmmmmmmmmmmm, fresh garlic!

Chris L

Originally Posted by Chris L

If anything, you could hone it up and use it to slice paper thin cuts of fresh garlic. Mmmmmmmmmmmm, fresh garlic!

Chris L

I could, but I dont need to. My kitchen knifes are almost razor sharp now, after I honed them myself.