Thread: Reaching th edge

Put some ink on the bevel and then just do whatever it takes to keep the bevel on the stone, (Honing Gymnastics).

To get the toe, it could be lifting the heel a little bit or just torqueing the pressure to the front corner, just a bit. Not great pressure shits or large lifting. An X stroke will naturally shift the pressure to the upper corner, the tip.

The ink will tell you if you are making contact, eventually you will not need the ink and will be able to see the difference in the water movement.

Practice on a high grit stone, so you don’t do any damage. Colored ink is easier to see, black can look like a shadow.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

Put some ink on the bevel and then just do whatever it takes to keep the bevel on the stone, (Honing Gymnastics).

To get the toe, it could be lifting the heel a little bit or just torqueing the pressure to the front corner, just a bit. Not great pressure shits or large lifting. An X stroke will naturally shift the pressure to the upper corner, the tip.

The ink will tell you if you are making contact, eventually you will not need the ink and will be able to see the difference in the water movement.

Practice on a high grit stone, so you don’t do any damage. Colored ink is easier to see, black can look like a shadow.

The ink trick shows all the ink gone with a normal x stroke or at least it looks that way.

I re honed the blade today and this time there was a fraction on the other side of the front not touching the hone.

I'll go again tomorrow but this time ill do the whole thing with just x strokes.

Maybe doing circles and rocking it is taking more metal from places I don't want.

I did shave with it today before I re honed it. It was an amazing shave regardless of the imperfection but I am a perfectionist so its all or nothing.

If you are removing ink at the tip, if you are not getting the tip sharp, then you need to back down in your progression to a more aggressive stone or do more laps.

What is that on the tip?

Originally Posted by Euclid440

If you are removing ink at the tip, if you are not getting the tip sharp, then you need to back down in your progression to a more aggressive stone or do more laps.

What is that on the tip?

I am removing the ink at the tip and I am getting it sharp but the couple of millimetres that reflect light gets to me

That thing at the tip is a reflection of light from the camera flash, there are some light scratches there , probably from trying a funky stoke early on in my career .

If the tip is reflecting light, when you look straight down on it, the bevels are not meeting there.

Drop down a grit and do some circles, with a finger on the tip to bring them to meeting, then re-polish on the finish stone.

May be the bevel was not completely set.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

If the tip is reflecting light, when you look straight down on it, the bevels are not meeting there.

Drop down a grit and do some circles, with a finger on the tip to bring them to meeting, then re-polish on the finish stone.

May be the bevel was not completely set.

Theres no light from the top view, its just at the side like in the earlier scope picture I posted.
Maybe I shouldn't be so picky, if its sharp and it shaves , I should shut up and put up.

No, not from the side, from straight down on the edge, rock the edge from side to side so you can see the edge profile, if you see reflection the bevels are not meeting.

The actual edge will not reflect light because it is so thin it will just look fuzzy.


Here are 3 pics looking down on an edge, the first one is before honing and the chips are easily visible.


Second the bevels have been honed, but not FULLY SET.


Third photo is a fully set bevel, the actual edge is just above the shiny dots in the photo, (dust on the lens), it just looks fuzzy. If you rock the edge slightly it is easier to see the edge. What is important is there are no reflections.

There is no light from the top view. The bevel meets.

From the side, I get the fuzzy look you mention but when I reflect light near the tip area I get a strong thicker reflection of light which means that part isn't quite touching the hone.
You can see from my earlier picture under the microscope its shiny near the edge.

Will the tip shave?

You cannot tell, if the bevels are meeting by looking at the side. You will always see light reflecting from the side of a shiny bevel, you can see if the edge is chipped, but you cannot see, if the bevels are meeting. If you don’t see reflections, looking straight down on the edge, you are good.

Now, if the tip is not shaving and you see light at the tip only from the side, you may have rolled the edge at the tip.

To test for a rolled tip, take a straight pin and lightly run the tip on the bevel from the top of the bevel to the edge. If it is rolled it will snag on one side at the edge, check both sides and use light pressure. If rolled, you will have to re-hone.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

Will the tip shave?

You cannot tell, if the bevels are meeting by looking at the side. You will always see light reflecting from the side of a shiny bevel, you can see if the edge is chipped, but you cannot see, if the bevels are meeting. If you don’t see reflections, looking straight down on the edge, you are good.

Now, if the tip is not shaving and you see light at the tip only from the side, you may have rolled the edge at the tip.

To test for a rolled tip, take a straight pin and lightly run the tip on the bevel from the top of the bevel to the edge. If it is rolled it will snag on one side at the edge, check both sides and use light pressure. If rolled, you will have to re-hone.

It shaves very well. The bevel meets.
If I was reaching to the very edge on my final hone, then that shiny part wouldn't be their. It would be darker like the rest of the bevel.

Like this picture ,to the edge:


Not to the edge: