Thread: Circle honing

Quick question.. When circle honing if I Lose count of how many circles I did on one side and take a guess when it comes to working on the other side is it a problem..

The numbers are a guide, you should try and hone by feel anyway

So NO,,, they are not that crucial,, that said don't get absurd on this either 100 circles on one side and 10 on the other is just dumb

+1 to what Glen said.

I regularly lose count, but what I tend to do is have a reasonable sense of time spent on each side (3 seconds, for example) and just trust that my circle speed is roughly equivalent on each side. I think with circles keeping the amount of time on each side short-ish will help avoid overworking one side compared to another.

Alternatively, if you just randomly forget how many you've done on each side, then the laws of probability state that, over a long period of honing, each side should roughly get the same amount of work. See? Math can be your friend!

James.

These answers make me feel better about counting beats when I do circles lol

1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and.....

I was going to say exactly what Glen said; the numbers are a guide, esp useful for beginners. If you don't count at all you can 'zone out' and just do laps and circles over and over without following a real plan. As you get better you'll be able to evaluate the edge as you go...

When Joe and I used to have honing parties, he'd say "I don't count; I already know I can count." He used the timer on the oven to keep track. I could never get used to that, and still prefer to count.

I normally don't count either.
What usually works for me as a guide is this:
Whenever using circles, I will slowly drift down the hone.
One full, half or quarter travel on each side, and I'm usually pretty close to getting even wear on both sides.

Originally Posted by Birnando

I normally don't count either.
What usually works for me as a guide is this:
Whenever using circles, I will slowly drift down the hone.
One full, half or quarter travel on each side, and I'm usually pretty close to getting even wear on both sides.

Yes that is usually how I do it.. but I always read posts 20 circles 10 x strokes lol so I was Like should I being do this stuff

I typically count my strokes and circles, but lately I've been missing a beat or two. It hasn't been affecting my razor edge, though. I've been getting into the groove of honing by feel, and watching the water movement, anyway. There's a lot more to honing than counting.

When the water passes over the blade and the blade stops leaving swarf, I usually move up in grits.. wat r u feeling for.