Thread: Noob honer in need of encouragement/advice

tintin! Snap out of it man!! Its a journey! The destination can only be found after the journey is sought!! That's why its an art! And why we respect those who have been there!!

Lol!!

OK, so the first thing I would tell you is to tape the spine. We can all grumble later if one should or shouldn't tape the spine - right now, as you master the journey, you need to protect and keep the spine consistant. Take it from a dude who wishes he had!

Next - note that everyone's journey is unique. For whatever reason, the pyramid system does not work for me! I can't chew gum and walk at the same time either - oh well lol. But that's not to say you are going to reinvent the wheel either. The fact is, you are going to rub your bit oh steel over a flat surface till its ready to be rubbed on a smoother and smoother surface... how far you go is dictated by your face.

My journey as of today, sees me finding bevel setting of up most significance. You don't want to overdo this stage - its aggressive! But you can't really move on without doing as much. Best thing is, once done, you probably will never need to do it again.

Focus on this stage. Google it - YouTube it. Ensure you create an even bevel the length of the blade.

Traditionally, one would then spend enough time on their 1k to remove the scratches created by the bevel setting stage ending with very light strokes which in theory will help the next stone take out those more aggressive 1k scratches - so on and so forth.

I got to reading the Japanese honemister who spent more and more time as he went up the progression and have become a fan... But its all the same thing. Its about creating a smoother and smoother edge, one with the least irregularities.

But none of that magic can happen without getting a even bevel first. At least that's my take.

Enjoy the struggle!! Believe it or not - you are learning a ton!! Have fun man - hope that helps!

PS - I have been known to breadkife a blade before bevel setting. It focuses me.