Thread: Challenging the honing taboos

I thought I'd just mention that pressure or following guidelines as to how much weight to use when honing varies for me with the balde size and weight. Where i'd never use significant pressure with a full hollow I will when working on an old and very blunt wedge.
I've also sat hones on my left hand or on my thigh while using them.

The penny dropped, so to speak, for me and honing when someone stood behind me and physically guided my hands when I was a child. For ages before that I'd struggled to put a decent edge on a knife or tool.

1. Use as many fingers and hands as you need to safely control the blade on the stone. I see lots of guys use three fingers across the blade to hold it down evenly on the stone.

2. The x pattern is one way to sharpen your razor. Going straight down the length of the stone is another way to hone. The idea is to hone the entire edge of the blade and that means wearing micro-grooves in the edge. Angled grooves are really important when you're honing a scythe blade as they help to catch the blades of grass. The action of a straight razor is different and I don't think the angled grooves are as important. The test is in the shave!

3. Backhoning is one solution to try when you're having a problem. I've worked with guys over the phone honing certain razors that they just couldn't get to a razor edge. First they tried the norton 4k8k, then they tried a coticule (and strop), and still felt they could get a better edge. I then suggested doing some backhone strokes on the coticule and voila! that solved the problem. Some steel and some heat treatments just seem to respond well with a few backhone strokes.

4. I agree with Lynn that new whetters probably do better with an X stroke until they get the feel of what they're doing combined with good shaves. My suggestion is to branch out and sharpen other things as well. The skills are transferrable and you'll have more knowledge "in your hands". Everybody has kitchen knives and they're a good place to start.

I think AFDavis11 nailed it. Do whatever works for you, the proof's in the shave. I use some unconventional techniques and finally let my curiosity get the better of me, and ordered a "prehoned" razor by a "honemeister". The level of sharpness was no different than from my technique. I think people psych themselves out about this too much, it's really not that hard.

Originally Posted by swede

I think AFDavis11 nailed it. Do whatever works for you, the proof's in the shave. I use some unconventional techniques and finally let my curiosity get the better of me, and ordered a "prehoned" razor by a "honemeister". The level of sharpness was no different than from my technique. I think people psych themselves out about this too much, it's really not that hard.

Yep, I fully agree to that. The real problem, and probably the reason why people psych themselves, is that as a beginner you are fishing in muddy waters (do you say that in English ??) until you gain enough experience to know what is happening on the hone at what stage.

But to get around this issue, this is what this fine forum and the even finer guys here are for, aren't they ?

-Axel-

Good advice, lots of it.

I was particularly glad to see Randy's mention of torque - can't remember anyone else talking about it before - but I certainly use it at times and have had good results with it.

Cheers
Ivo

Thanks all, this really is a great forum.

I'm getting there with sharpness. All my straights shave well, and I recognise when they need to be refreshed when I begin to get one or two patches of burn post-shave.

Lots of ideas here, and great encouragement. I think my next step will be to get myself a Radioshack-type microscope and start looking at striations, patterns, edges, up close. Up to now I've been going through feel alone (hand pad test), followed by the infallible shave test.

I think I'm going to carry on using a second hand for the time being. I achieved some good results and I'm now reassured that two hands per se is not bad. One handed, two handed -- I'm getting that it matters less about how many hands and more about how well you carry it off.

So onwards, onto the second virgin Wapienica...

Originally Posted by Kees

Not so long ago I overhoned my Friodur. Backhoning did not do the job, a coarser hone neither. What really did the trick is stropping it a couple of strokes with the spine lifted a few millimeters (about 1/8") off the leather followed by 10-20 passes on an Escher.

Stropping with the spine off the leather also works well on a razor that needs honing again (adds one or two shaves worth to the bevel).

Or just slacken the strop

PuFF

Back honing is a very usefull adition to the process. Circular honing works well also. Time and practice gets you to the point where you can distinguish what works for "YOU". With all info passed on in this forum, it is not a rule but advise. You will find what you can do and apply ideas from here and elsewhere to achieve your goal. S....t learning is great

PuFF