Thread: Bizarre, disturbing honing experience

it may appear that way but the geometry of the blade is for a smile so although you took some of the belly out of the smile the bevel does not show that it is gone. If you set the bevel as though it had a smile it will appear more obvious. If the geometry is built for a smile or even smirk it is not easy to get rid of it and keep it gone, it actually would require you to do some crazy honing gymnastics or uneven spine wear.

I would also watch the tubes posted in this thread. http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...ori-panic.html

Originally Posted by RezDog

it may appear that way but the geometry of the blade is for a smile so although you took some of the belly out of the smile the bevel does not show that it is gone. If you set the bevel as though it had a smile it will appear more obvious. If the geometry is built for a smile or even smirk it is not easy to get rid of it and keep it gone, it actually would require you to do some crazy honing gymnastics or uneven spine wear.

Hmmm....the only thing that makes me question this is that when I was using the DMT stone, I got a very definite burr along each side. And, I could feel that burr progress from the middle out on one side and then from the two ends the middle on the other. Doesn't that generally indicate that you have a geometry that matches the motion? (in this case, straight up and back).

Progress, sort of. Yesterday i switched to a "known good gone" and relentlessly went after it. I did one round with a"sweeping" stroke as shown and shaved, then I styles it and did straight up down and shaved.

I used well over 100 strokes in both cases. I found the following. 1. In both cases the razor would shave right of the stone. Uncomfortably, but it would shave unlike in the original post.
2. Stropping, in both cases unsurprisingly made the shave much better, but still not comfortable.
3. Stropping on felt with Diamond spray improved the edge somewhat but it was still poor. Nor that using this same home and with jorco and dovo razors, this felt step always degrades the freshly honed edge and I only use it to eek out a little more time before honing.

I can't figure it. Is out possible the steel is just so much harder than a western blade that it just needs tons more strokes? When setting the bevel I noticed it took work, but getting it to burr wasn't an epic enterprise.

Note on the post above. I am texting in the airport and fighting with Samsung autocorrect. Should say I did 100 strokes, shaved, dulled, did another 100 and shaved.
The result would seem to indicate that the toe of stroke I am using isn't the issue. Or, poor another way, I am equally poor with all types of strokes and this blade.

Tonto hate to be negative, but has heard that many Japanese kamisori have hard steel at the bevel and low-grade steel everywhere else. Perhaps Kemosabe has honed off the good stuff and is into the crap? Might not ever work? Go back to town now. Ask around.

This doesn't appear to be the case. I am intimately familiar with the design/construction of laminated Japanese edge tools. This does not appear to be a laminated blade. Also, when I tried to bend the handle straight, it was clearly a hardened high carbon steel. The spine and handle aren't a soft low carbon or wrought iron add you would expect to find on other Japanese edge tools. The appears to be no Forge line either.

Ooookay.....an update. I have fought and fought and fought with this blade on different hones until....

I won. I'm not sure what finally happened but, it's shaving great now. Go figure.

Well, it's about time!

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Well, it's about time!

Yeah, I've been REAL busy!