Thread: The REAL holy grail of hones?

Joel, I think you're right. Full and extra hollow razor blades are so much more flexible and thin than a chisel or plane iron that the only thing the keeps them in the same category is their keen edges. "Little to no pressure" is the mantra that we may as well have tattooed on our bodies when it comes to final finishing of the razor edges.

I've had a somewhat related experience in searching for a nice Nakayama Asagi stone. The stone had a noticeable cluster of iron pyrite ("fools gold") inclusions that were instantly visible with the unaided eye. When honing razors, the area that would pass over and during the honing process release the inclusions yielded micro-chipping on that part of the edge. I returned the stone to the vendor (who thankfully also has a stellar customer service commitment). He checked it with a chisel or plane iron and reported that the inclusions had no ill effects to those instruments. We concluded that the much more obtuse angle of the woodworking tool bevels allowed for those tools to plow through and be unaffected by the inclusions. It's my understanding that iron pyrite is fairly soft and somewhat friable.

Chris L

Chris,
What this suggests to me is that the 10K Chosera - while and Excellent stone doesn't get it's full potential tapped when sharpening a razor. Doesn't mean it's not at the top rank of razor stones but it does mean that it doesn't get the chance to excel past other stones as it will with knives and other edge tools.

I'm giving a talk at a woodworking conference on sharpening stone abrasives in two weeks and essentially the entire talk is about stuff like this - that is different stones have different characteristics that have nothing to do with grit size.

Originally Posted by Chris L

"Little to no pressure" is the mantra that we may as well have tattooed on our bodies when it comes to final finishing of the razor edges. ChrisL

Come by the tattoo shop and I'll tattoo it free on any SRP member

Originally Posted by JimmyH-AD

Come by the tattoo shop and I'll tattoo it free on any SRP member

Is that a promise?

Font of my choosing?

Originally Posted by Philadelph

Is that a promise?

Font of my choosing?

You got it! Drill baby drill

Originally Posted by Philadelph

Is that a promise?

Font of my choosing?

Originally Posted by JimmyH-AD

You got it! Drill baby drill

Oh, you two would HAVE to post pics!

Chris L