Thread: Are the Belgians over-honing-proof?

Originally Posted by JoshEarl

I'll have to get back to you on that one. Right now I just sort of hone away until it seems like I've gotten the 1K scratches polished out. (Not using a microscope, just eyeballing it.) I'd guess I'm probably doing a few hundred strokes, which is probably way too many, but who cares? All in the name of progress...

I just got my rubbing stone yesterday; until then I was using the stones without much slurry. The slurry changes things quite a bit, I'm finding.

Fun stuff.

Josh

IMO a few hundred strokes is not too many, which is why I asked you what your experience. I have done several hundred strokes on the blue followed by about 50-100 on the yellow (both 3X8 stones) and have not had an issue with overhoning. I have also been able to set a bevel on the blue stone (no 1K or 4K) with patience. Obviously it takes more passes on the coticule if you are comming off the blue stone rather than the 8K side of the Norton. After seeing Mr. Zowada's study I plan on experimenting with using 10 passes on the coticule without a slurry before test shaving.

remember that in addition to being a slow cutter to begin with the yellow is a final stage stone anyway. You would have to do some serious honing on it to overhone but you could if you really tried. I find when its time to touch up my razors it always between 75-100 passes with no pressure to get the job done.

I'm hoping Lynn will weigh in. When he goes to the coticule I think he pyramids with the Norton 8K (also here). I wonder why, as the chance of overhoning is so slight...

It sends my mind back to a very old thread in which X (I think it was X) was speculating that maybe the ideal edge has a combination of scratches (some 4K, some 8K, some coticule/escher) – as opposed to the conventional wisdom of scratches from fine stones replacing those of coarser ones...

Wow that's a lot of strokes.

Generally I do 20-40 laps on the 4K to establish a bevel.
Then 1 or 2 3-3, 1-3, 1-5 pyramids.
And depending on the HHT results, I do a 1-5, test, and repeat as necessary.

After that I finish with 5 strokes on the yellow.

Taking out nicks is done on the 1K, and the number of strokes really depend on the nicks. I hardly use my blue. Only on razors that are very britle or otherwise obnoxious.