Thread: All the fuss over honing thick grinds... Well let me say...

Hello all,


I have honed about 50 razors now and am getting very familiar with my stones. Norton 220/1k, 4k/8k, Cotis, and thuris. I have honed wedges, nears, 1/4s, 1/2s, fulls, and extras. In all my reading and practice I have heard much ado about how much more work the heavy grinds are to hone. I know that these blades are tough because there is much material to be removed. Well...


Last night I set to work on a Torry extra hollow, I mean it had a sound on the stones like none other, it sounded like I was dragging foil across the stones. Long story short, This thing took at least 500 laps to get the bevel set. It was in seemingly good condition, no big problem areas, but just so flexy (for lack of a better term). I could not push the areas that needed that little extra. It could be that this was a shoulder-less blade that allowed for such greater flex, but the toe was just not getting set.


I had some low music playing while I honed a 1/2 W&B, but when I got to this razor I had to transition into silence and focus all of my senses on this foe. Touch, sight, sound, and taste (bourbon for steady hand), had to be tuned into this razor. As I ran the blade across the 1k Norton I could see the blade flex as the light on the belly of the blade bent. I quickly came to the conclusion that this was gonna take finesse and switched to the King 1k.


Knowing that the King is a bit slower but much smoother would pay dividends later on the 4k, I set to it. The heel set first and with every additional 50 laps, I got another 1/2 " of bevel set. 2 and 1/2 hours later the toe finally gave the TPT of stickiness that I like, and a uniform symmetrical bevel was set. Much to my relief, the 4 and 8k went quickly and smoothly. I finished this blade with 50 laps on a blue/green thuri and am looking forward to the shave test later this evening.


So, lesson learned, extra hollows while being very thin and very little material to remove can be just as tough as those thicker grinds.


I need a Chosera or 2. Thanks for reading!


Chris