Thread: How to Evaluate Hone Wear on a Japanese Kamisori - Questions??

I purchased a used Iwasaki Kamisori off of Ebay. I have purchased a new Iwasaki Kamisori and I wanted a used one to become familiar with on touch up honing. I failed to take a detailed look at the picture before I rushed into buying it. After I received it and got a close up look, I realized that it appeared to have considerable hone wear, but I have little to no experience evaluating that. The hone wear also is wider in the middle of the blade than it is at the ends like the person honing is really pushing down hard on the middle of the razor's blade when honing. Is there a particular way to evaluate the amount of hone wear before it become a problem with further honing? Is there a formula like regrind when 1/4 of the blade is hone wear? What effect is the uneven hone wear going to have on further honing? When would a person consider a regrind?
Is there somebody that can give guidance on how to straighten this razor out so that I might have a reasonable chance of learning to "touch-up hone" a Kamisori razor or at least put this razor back into shape. Any suggestions on who does this kind of blade maintenance?

Dave

Do you have a picture Dave? I'm probably not going to have your answer but just like pictures :0
Also, just FYI, while there was not a lot of hone wear, my brand new Iwasaki had wider hone spot in the middle like you're describing. I'm guessing it was just that there was a high spot there when setting the bevel.

Shane

Write gssixgun.

Kamisori are famous in that if you don't know what you are doing you can screw them up badly very rapidly. The mid part wears fast because of the geometry of the blade and once it does that can't be corrected. Yet they aren't really hard to hone but you have to know how because they are different.

We have quite a bit of info on kamisori honing on the site. Do some searching and you will be rewarded.