Thread: Hone of the Day

Originally Posted by Steve56

Here’s one that you don’t see too often, a Japanese aural razor, used by a barber to trim hair inside of the ear canal. I always wanted one but new ones in the states are expensive. They’re cheap in Japan but shipping kills you. But opportunity rewards the patient and I have a new one at a reasonable price.

The first attempt is not what I want and I’m unsure why, most likely I need to develop a different muscle memory. The edge looks good, bevel polished, edge straight and clean, and undercut on the hone is immense and stiction is felt. Yet it barely passes HHT and my first attempt at ‘hair sniping’ had a little pull. You don’t use these with lather of course.

The first thing that I did was measure the bevel angle. it’s 16.8 degrees and I put one layer of 1 mil Kapton on the omote (soft iron side) and none on the ura. On a razor this narrow, 0.290”, it boosted the angle by one degree so I’ve got 17.8 degrees more or less, the angle is different on each side.

Only the last 1” or so of these is sharpened. I began on a Shapton 4k HR, and quickly discovered that there was really no bevel on the ura side and the bevel on the omote had absolutely nothing to do with the spine, lol. There is also a little dip in the bevel on the omote though that worked out fine.

It took a while to get the bevels cut and set. Working with a blade that’s this narrow is interesting to say the least. For me it seems a two-handed affair, otherwise you can’t adequately control the torque and bias. And even then it’s not that easy. I progressed to the Shapton 8k HC and then to JNat. After the 8k and some palm stropping the edge showed ‘bevel set’ via HHT.

You won’t strop one of these on a hanging strop - I don’t think and I didn’t try. I used a piece of steerhide from an old CKTG magnetic strop system. Every time that I stropped it the edge was set back. I’m guessing that maybe I’m rolling the edge a tiny bit. Honing it is hard enough, stropping it is no easier, lol. I also tried 0.25 CBN on a balsa-backed linen that Scott Lockwood gave me, and it didn’t seem to make much difference HHT or performance wise.

So far, it will work well enough to fulfill it’s intended purpose but it isn’t where I want the edge to be. I’ll re-hone it tomorrow. I’m wondering if a stroke 90 degrees to what we normally use would work better? Like a push-pull stroke along the length of the edge. The razor is difficult to keep stable and such a stroke might help? Dunno, maybe I’ll find out soon.

If anyone has any advice on honing one of these, please post and TIA!

That looks a.) cool, and b.) finickity to hone!

I personally would try sharpening it like a yanagi... i.e stone on a table holding the razor 'handle'/neck in your right hand using your left on the blade to steady it and make sure you're getting even strokes along the edge. Both leading and trailing strokes, at least to begin with. Finshing just with leading strokes though. And maybe try stropping briefly just on one or two sheets of paper on a hard surface.

(None of that is based in any kind of experience in honing that kind of razor, so probably won't work at all! But from the look of it that's what I'd try.)

Originally Posted by cotedupy

That looks a.) cool, and b.) finickity to hone!

I personally would try sharpening it like a yanagi... i.e stone on a table holding the razor 'handle'/neck in your right hand using your left on the blade to steady it and make sure you're getting even strokes along the edge. Both leading and trailing strokes, at least to begin with. Finshing just with leading strokes though. And maybe try stropping briefly just on one or two sheets of paper on a hard surface.

(None of that is based in any kind of experience in honing that kind of razor, so probably won't work at all! But from the look of it that's what I'd try.)

TY sir!

That’s pretty much what I do on most everything. And it isn’t working on this one, ROFL! But it may not be the technique as much as just learning how to hone such an odd razor.

It may also be that although my indicators are good the bevel is not quite set the way that it should be (imagine that). That’s not uncommon in my experience, a lot of times I want to minimize wear and cosmetic damage on nice old razors. A re-hone should answer that question.

The edge also did not improve, or diminished with stropping as tested by HHT, except with palm stropping at the base of my little finger.

I welcome a challenge and apparently got one.

Originally Posted by Steve56

TY sir!

That’s pretty much what I do on most everything. And it isn’t working on this one, ROFL! But it may not be the technique as much as just learning how to hone such an odd razor.

It may also be that although my indicators are good the bevel is not quite set the way that it should be (imagine that). That’s not uncommon in my experience, a lot of times I want to minimize wear and cosmetic damage on nice old razors. A re-hone should answer that question.

The edge also did not improve, or diminished with stropping as tested by HHT, except with palm stropping at the base of my little finger.

I welcome a challenge and apparently got one.

I found I had to remove a fair amount of steel on mine to get a bevel. Didn't use tape & made short, a few mm, back'n'forth strokes.
One bad stroke & it's back to the drawing board. Can't remember how or if I stropped it but only used it a few times till the novelty wore off.

Originally Posted by Steve56

TY sir!

That’s pretty much what I do on most everything. And it isn’t working on this one, ROFL! But it may not be the technique as much as just learning how to hone such an odd razor.

It may also be that although my indicators are good the bevel is not quite set the way that it should be (imagine that). That’s not uncommon in my experience, a lot of times I want to minimize wear and cosmetic damage on nice old razors. A re-hone should answer that question.

The edge also did not improve, or diminished with stropping as tested by HHT, except with palm stropping at the base of my little finger.

I welcome a challenge and apparently got one.

I don't know and always wanted one too. I tried to get them cheap a few times, but never got lucky. I did wonder about how to sharpen then correctly. It appears they do strop them though. Good buy Steve. Let me know how it goes I will be watching this one. I always wondered how to shave your own ears also without damage or cutting your canal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5sv2_phB0w

Originally Posted by Steve56

TY sir!

That’s pretty much what I do on most everything. And it isn’t working on this one, ROFL! But it may not be the technique as much as just learning how to hone such an odd razor.

It may also be that although my indicators are good the bevel is not quite set the way that it should be (imagine that). That’s not uncommon in my experience, a lot of times I want to minimize wear and cosmetic damage on nice old razors. A re-hone should answer that question.

The edge also did not improve, or diminished with stropping as tested by HHT, except with palm stropping at the base of my little finger.

I welcome a challenge and apparently got one.

Certainly does sound a challenge... Good luck! I've done a lot of restorations of old yanagiba and other single bevels, and it's complete ball-ache. I can't imagine how tricksy it'd be on something like this!

You were doing push and pulls strokes on it already then? (I have no idea how kamisori / Japanese razors are normally sharpened, so apologies if that's a stupid q.)

The only other thing I'd say is... when you said that the bevel on the omote had nothing to do with the spine - that sounds like it's previously been sharpened with pressure applied on the ura down where the edge is. Presumably using the very tips of the fingers of one's left hand... maybe (?)

My parents' collection of Sabs; new, old, and NOS. I may not get through all of these this evening because I'm doing them by hand and they have the finger guards (aaaarrgh!)

Most of the work will be done on the third stone, an India Coarse and Fine, followed by the No.1 Washita next to it. But also going to use it as an excuse to play around more extensively with the two new, and unknown, purple stones on the left.

I'm just after finishing quite a nice Syrah vine wood handle on an Ishizuchi Nakiri for someone. Nakiri tend to be ground quite thin, and do well with as fine as edge as possible that still retains some teeth. This'll go on the mighty King 1200 before Turkish and/or Washita. And I may finish / deburr on a coti after too.

I have posted this link previously and you may already know about The Science of Sharp website
https://scienceofsharp.com/about/

He posts updates and new articles regularly and his electron micrographs are quite informative.

You might not agree with what he concludes, but it is always interesting and thought provoking and does provide some visual insights into what is happening when we sharpen.

Staying with my sister for a week, and have these ahead. Should I have brought more than a single 6x2 Washita...? Possibly.

She lives pretty close to Tavistock though, so perhaps I’ll just pop out and pick up a Devonshire

Alas no Devonshire Oilstones, but the last couple of days have been quite kind to me in terms of cheap, grubby stones found at the local market and antique shop. Washita is a 9x2” and the Charnley a hefty 270 x 47 x 28. Blade is a petty made and given to me by an old friend, that I need to put an edge on and sharpen.