Thread: Hone Helper?

So I was honing up some of the blade I just got to make sure they take a bevel before I start to restore them.
I use tape...and left a little more than usual on the end.

Anyways I got to thinking that people that are just starting out honing that this could be a sort of "handle" on the other side to make sure you are keeping the blade FLAT on the hone.

My feeling is that it will help you over time to develop the right "feel" with your honing hand so you can start to lighten up on the "tape hand" over time and get the right feel for honing one handed.

Did I stumble on a good learning tool?

Thoughts?
Good?
Bad?

Pic of what I am taking about:

I left the tape long on my razors also. My honing got better without using both hands though. For each his own.

Originally Posted by clamup1

I left the tape long on my razors also. My honing got better without using both hands though. For each his own.

I use one hand also but I thought maybe it would help new honers to keep the blade flat...?

thats a good idea! even if not using tape for purposes of not wearing out the spine, it is possible to cut the electric tape in half and only sticky it to the side of the blade that is not making contact with the hone. then, when you change side, you can take off the tape and retape it to the other side...

what i tend to do, being new to honing, is i usually put my thumb on the toe of the blade, maybe holding it that way with the tape is a better way

Originally Posted by ecks

thats a good idea! even if not using tape for purposes of not wearing out the spine, it is possible to cut the electric tape in half and only sticky it to the side of the blade that is not making contact with the hone. then, when you change side, you can take off the tape and retape it to the other side...

what i tend to do, being new to honing, is i usually put my thumb on the toe of the blade, maybe holding it that way with the tape is a better way

That might get tedious when you flip EVERY time...

I know what you are saying though. 20 circles flip, change tape.. 20 circles etc...

I think it will lead to an inconsistent bevel at the toe, in some cases. You will be "pulling" more than you think you are, causing more pressure than you think you are.

Beginners need to learn to keep the elbow of their honing arm up, if they want the blade to lay flat.
Just my thoughts.

I love that you are having fun and trying out new things!!

I can't say one way or the other as to its effectiveness, I would have to try it and I am in a good place these days, so I will not be trying it any time soon. But thanks for sharing! It may just help someone??

Thanks guys... Just throwing it out there...
Have not tried it out to any degree to know if it would work or not.

It may work well for some people. It all depends where is the specific bottleneck the particular person experiences.
For some it's the stroke, for others it's the amount of pressure, for others it's assessing the edge.

I would suggest you go a step further and try to figure out in which cases would this tool be helpful. I.e. when somebody comes with a problem 'my razor doesn't get sharp and there is X happening' what is the X that would suggest holding the razor by a tape extender is going to help him get the razor sharp.

For example if X is "very wide bevels on a full hollow razor", it is extremely likely that the person is using a lot of pressure bending the blade, so that only part of the bevel but not the edge is in contact with the hone.

Originally Posted by gugi

It may work well for some people. It all depends where is the specific bottleneck the particular person experiences.
For some it's the stroke, for others it's the amount of pressure, for others it's assessing the edge.

I would suggest you go a step further and try to figure out in which cases would this tool be helpful. I.e. when somebody comes with a problem 'my razor doesn't get sharp and there is X happening' what is the X that would suggest holding the razor by a tape extender is going to help him get the razor sharp.

For example if X is "very wide bevels on a full hollow razor", it is extremely likely that the person is using a lot of pressure bending the blade, so that only part of the bevel but not the edge is in contact with the hone.

That's a good idea.