Thread: over honing

Originally Posted by Learner

Aggelos: I just got (yesterday) a J.A. Henckles stainless 7/8, a
monster blade for a new guy, I will double tape it so the bevel angle is not way too narrow.

7/8 Henckles ? I am guessing you are going to love that High quality german blades are, according to my experience insofar, wonderful things 7/8 is indeed an impressive size at first, but you will quickly learn that it may be quite comfortable

If you are not confident in your skills yet, double taping is a cautious decision. That way at least you will see if you go to hard on the low grit stones.

In time, one can learn on how to hone a hollow ground without tape (takes time and patience to learn exactly how many strokes you need on the most abrasive stones)

If your new Friodur 7/8 is hollow ground or extra hollow ground use a very light hand when honing. I'd use next to no pressure on your bevel setter as hollow or extra hollow blades take very little pressure to flex the blade and create a wide bevel. Those types of blades are amazingly delicate. The bigger the blade the more prone it will be to flexing. Stiffer grinds seem a little more forgiving. It took me a very long time to learn not to use a lot of pressure and be patient with honing. You do them right and boy will they shave.

Bob

Aggelos: You are right to assume my honing skills are on the lower end of the learning curve. I'll go slow on the Henkles so I don't over do it. It's a beautiful razor and
I'm looking forward to using it. Thanks for the input. By the way, my last name is French - Du Jardin. My Grandfather came to the U.S. from Belgium.
I'm trying to learn the light touch; I seem to be a little too heavy regarding blade pressure to hone.

Thanks BobH: a few others have stressed the importance of light to just blade weight when honing. It's starting to sink in. I think I'm probably a bit heavy handed
when honing. Up to this point knifes are all that I have sharpened. They have stiff blades and require some pressure. Razors are a whole different animal. So I'm
trying to break old habits.