Thread: Question about Over-Honing

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

The latter. The bevel is the angulated section of the shaving edge of the razor. The fin is a cutting section along the edge created by the cross striations of the opposing x pattern strokes. The fin is aligned by a strop. It rides along the edge.

It would seem that regular honing on a stone would create cross striations that go from the toe to the heal of the bade (from spine to edge) while the honing on a pasted strop or bench hone would create cross striations that go the opposite direction due to the back-honing method. Does this have a negative effect on the quality of the fin created by the channel in the bevel?

Not if you hone straight across instead of with the blade angled or in an X pattern.

But otherwise, yeah. I'd expect that if you paddle with the blade angled then you'll grind away the hone's serrations in a few passes, then proceed to making new (smaller) ones angled the other way.

Same thing is true with stropping BTW. There plenty of debate over how abrasive an unpasted leather strop is, but there's definitely some smoothing action that occurs during plain stropping.

I hone straight across unless there's a problem with the razor.

Theres always a problem with the razor!

Originally Posted by heavydutysg135

It would seem that regular honing on a stone would create cross striations that go from the toe to the heal of the bade (from spine to edge) while the honing on a pasted strop or bench hone would create cross striations that go the opposite direction due to the back-honing method. Does this have a negative effect on the quality of the fin created by the channel in the bevel?

I think in theory that it might, but in practice, nobody complains of it. I think that the cross hatching that happens with using both methods of honing in sequence is fine.

X

Does anyone recommend stropping on the pastes the opposite way (dragging the blade from the toe to the heel)? In theory this would keep the striations the same way as with the stones.

I think its too hard to push the razor like that smoothly. I've always prefered a pulling motion.

But, we are always open to anything, anyone wants to try, as long as we don't have to watch.

Maybe I was not clear in what I meant. I did not mean pushing the blade through like on a honing stone. I meant dragging the blade like in a stropping stropping, but instead of the x-stroke going from the heal to the toe it would be the opposite.

I think I understood you. I'll let others chime in. If you feel comfortable with it go ahead though. The way I think of stropping from tip to heel involves pushing it in a sideways motion away from the body. But it is so very hard to picture some of this stuff from text.