Thread: Tweaking the Edge with Tape

Originally Posted by HNSB

I'm very curious about the metallurgy (or whatever you call it) involved here...
Steel isn't entirely plastic - at some level abrading it causes it to chip away and the particles (carbides?) can only go down to so small of a size... If the smallest steel bit that can break off is smaller than the microbevel then it makes sense (in my head) that if one were delicate enough in knocking those overhanging particles off the edge, it would be possible to refine an edge beyond what flat honing accomplishes.
On the other hand, there are effects from stropping and the steel partocles may be much smaller than we're talking about here...

Obviously I don't know a lot about this, but I'm curious about what happens at the micro level.

Essentially we are talking about particles that go beyond visibility under conventional microscopes. Theoretically you can abrade steel down at the molecular level with the appropriate application of energy, or in this case resistance. Once you get down to the atomic level it would be a matter of overcoming the bonds of the compound chains by using something as big or smaller with appropriate force. Hence the micron measurements in pastes and media. The smaller you get in abrasive force, the smaller the compounded matter you can remove. You could remove metal toward the apex, theoretically, infinitely if you were able to remove metal down to the sub atomic level. This would require a particle accelerator, but I think you run the risk of over honing....

Seriously though, at a point there is just overkill. I think Tim's whole point here was that he is showing proof of what he does in his honing process and that there is a limit to what the apex of an edge is capable of handing before it starts to effect the bevel itself, which as I recall, is what he tries to avoid. There are limitations to how flat you can get. Eventually the honing surface and the apex would reach a limit to how much their relationship can narrow. Tim's method seems to gently adjust for that margin and squeak a little more effort at the apex before deteriorating it.