Thread: Best grit progression?

No. What I mean was flip it in the stropper. As you hone a regular straight the heel and the toe of the razor over time take a shape. With a wedge blade you want it almost straight with the tiniest bit of a smile. So after you have honed for a while with the blade oriented one way in the holder, flip the bade end for end so the part that was closest to your hand is now furthest from your hand. In doing so it will give you even shaping and a uniform blade. If you are pushing the blade on the hone with just tape on it the same sort of principle applies. The idea is to keep the blade nice and even.

https://sharprazorpalace.com/honing/...ggestions.html
In this thread there are some good picture looking straight down at the top of the apex as it changes from a glittery U with little white lines showing the two sides have not come together to form a V shape. Once the V is formed from tip to heel, the very edge of the apex or tip,of the V get very hard to see. That is the point in which the apex is formed into a nice sharp V and you can move up in your grit progression.

Originally Posted by RezDog

No. What I mean was flip it in the stropper. As you hone a regular straight the heel and the toe of the razor over time take a shape. With a wedge blade you want it almost straight with the tiniest bit of a smile. So after you have honed for a while with the blade oriented one way in the holder, flip the bade end for end so the part that was closest to your hand is now furthest from your hand. In doing so it will give you even shaping and a uniform blade. If you are pushing the blade on the hone with just tape on it the same sort of principle applies. The idea is to keep the blade nice and even.

Still don't follow on this. I'm taping the spine. So if I'm honing with the spine facing my body whilst pushing the blade away. You're saying flip the blade so that now the edge is facing my body and pull the blade towards me?

Originally Posted by RezDog

https://sharprazorpalace.com/honing/...ggestions.html
In this thread there are some good picture looking straight down at the top of the apex as it changes from a glittery U with little white lines showing the two sides have not come together to form a V shape. Once the V is formed from tip to heel, the very edge of the apex or tip,of the V get very hard to see. That is the point in which the apex is formed into a nice sharp V and you can move up in your grit progression.

Browsed through that thread very quickly, need to read through it many times. I think I finally understand what you're saying here though. If I look straight down at the edge, I should barely see the thin line that runs length of the blade, the thin line being the very edge/apex/tip of the bevel.

Are you pushing the blade loose on the stone or holding it in a stropper for honing and stropping the blade

Originally Posted by RezDog

Down on the edge. Until you have a fervent apex it will never shave well

Probably more info than you really want on “sharp” at https://scienceofsharp.wordpress.com/

Lots of microscope pics showing what the edge looks like at different stages in the honing process.

NOTE - Not everyone will agree with the overall sharpening process the author of this article advocates - it is certainly different from wet stone honing. Many of us get good edges using other honing progressions without coated strops. I recommend the site for the photomicrographs he provides that show the edges better than any others I have seen.

Those are crazy close up pictures. I wish there were more quality pictures using a loupe or microscope at 30X, because that’s what I see when I am honing. It’s hard for me to relate to 200 and 400X pictures. The high magnification picture do work well for showing what is happening at and on the edge.

Originally Posted by RezDog

Are you pushing the blade loose on the stone or holding it in a stropper for honing and stropping the blade

I'm pushing it loose with just the spine taped. I didn't think to used the stropper that came with these wedges. Should I be using that on the spine instead of tape? Wouldn't that angle the blade pretty steep against the stone?

Actually the calculated angle for the edge, is with the width of the stropper included. I hone mine with the stropper and a single layer of tape. How ever imagine your blade in the stropper, one end of the blade is in the forward or toe position and the other end is in the back or heel position. If you flip the blade end for end in the stropper, it reverses which is the toe and heel. By doing that you create more even wear on the blade.

Ahh, I think I get what you're saying. You mean to point the blade. I've attached a photo of what I think you're explaining haha.



I will now use the stropper and tape that whilst honing.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

Generally, a 1,4,8, 10 or 12k is a good simple progression that will allow you to do most honing from eBay fixers to touch ups.

You can finish on Paste or go to a natural from an 8k easily, Slates, Jnat or Ark or film.

Norton or Naniwia 1k’s are proven performers, but so are the $20 King, so you can spend your money on a finisher where it can really make a difference.

Chrome Oxide on a good 8k edge is very comfortable, on a 10 or 12k even better. I honed on the Norton 4/8k for years, my combo stone, (now a knife/tool stone is pretty thin.

You can set a bevel on a 4k and an 8k is plenty for most touch ups, but if you are learning to hone, a $20 King is a no brainer.

Could you please give me a steer on just what this $20 'King' is. I've looked at a 'King' 1000 'Deluxe' stone on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0016VC46A...01BB3VYK4?th=1
Is this what you're referring to? Also, I don't understand what they mean by 'one size' - which is the one you're possibly referring to, because it's around $20.
Thanks.