Thread: Use of magic marker honing

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

...I use it to see that the stroke I'm using on a particular razor is making contact from heel to point...

I do the same thing. I have one razor (a De Pews) that has a warped blade (i.e. bent) and also when I first got it an uneven bevel. The magic marker (we call them a 'Texta' here) allowed me to see the uneven bevel really easily and also decide on how to tackle the warped blade.

To hone this razor now (I have the uneven bevel fixed) I do three strokes on one side to every one stroke on the other. My reasoning for this is that as one side does lay flat on the hone all of the side makes contact for the full length of the stroke. However, the other side needs a rocking motion, as it doesn't lay flat.

As I use the rocking motion, the whole length of the blade doesn't make contact for all the length of the stroke on the hone; hence the 3:1 ratio.

I was just wondering about this myself tonight. I was sharpening a knife and was having trouble seeing the bevel under magnification. I remembered I had a bottle of Dykem blue on my bench that I used for lay out on a project involving sheet metal. I used the Dykem on the edge to ensure I was getting my bevel to the edge. Once I had removed all the Dykem from the bevel I applied another coat and hit it again. It really brought out a few chips and scratches that I missed. I was quite pleased with the end result, and it took the guesswork out of what part of the blade needed more attention.

I use a scope, no need for markers or loupes. The bevel isn't set until it's set, there are no gimmicks out there, it takes practice and feel and you don't get the latter without lots of the former.

Frank