Thread: Idea for measuring "honing pressure" in order to communicate it ...

You actually just have to practice

There are two separate and distinct forces at play here, that most people only mention the first..

Downward force or Pressure

Twisting force toward the edge or Torque

You have too always keep the edge of the razor in contact with the hone this is easily observed by watching the tiny ripple of Water/Oil/Slurry at the front of the edge.. If it slips under the edge you are not using enough pressure in conjunction with torque, it is either at the front of the edge or riding on top of the blade face to be working correctly ..
The Sharper the razor gets, actually adjusts the pressure for you automatically if you are riding the wave, as the edge gets sharper it take less pressure and torque to undercut the wave

The reality of honing

"The more you hone the better you get"

There is no shortcut, there is no "formula" there is only practice..



ps; Just when you think you have it all figured out, there will be a razor that crosses your hones that scoffs at your knowledge


pps: I honed 7 razors yesterday the difference in pressure between the PITA Wedge Restore and the Sweet Hollow Henckels on the bevel set was HUGE so trying to quantify that on a scale is simply a waste of time ...
Once the bevel is set is all evens out and gets quite easy

ppps: The Stroke: When I am at the meets one of the most common corrections I make when helping new guys hone is to adjust the elbow up, so that the Edge stays in complete contact with the hone evenly and equally across the entire stroke..

Originally Posted by gssixgun

...

ps; Just when you think you have it all figured out, there will be a razor that crosses your hones that scoffs at your knowledge

I know - then I send them to you!

What I'm after is not to eliminate the "experience" and "practice" factor. That's obviously the only lasting teacher. As an educator for most of my life, I do find it valuable to provide learning aids that assist the learner in understanding a particular concept. There is the conceptual leap in learning - I understand the ideas behind the series of skills I am learning. There are most certainly faster/better ways of learning. I won't go as far as saying they are "short cuts" as that has a negative connotation. But we do know how people learn abstract concepts like "pressure" and "torque" - it's through making the abstract more concrete and building scaffolding up to the concept. The term "pressure" is so variable with no reference points that are concrete that it makes it difficult thing to apply. Over time - you'll understand it through trial and error (that's the concrete part). If we can help people understand and apply the concepts as they practice the skills with less trial and error - then that makes the learning process more efficient/better.

Torque on the blade is a great example of the subtle forces that would be great to be able to explain in more concrete terms. I've learned it over time when working through a "rough" spot on a blade. But not too much torque or you flex the blade and don't hone all the way to the edge...

Adam

Thing is, it's hard to set an absolute definition on any of these pressures, since for every razor it can be different. Thinner grind razors will flex easier resulting in the apex coming up from the stone, while heavy grinds can take some pressure. One way to get a ballpark idea on thinner grind razors is just to set the razor flat on a piece of wood or something and press down while watching for it to flex. Whatever the grind, use an amount of pressure and torque that doesn't flex the razor - especially at the end stages of each stone and the finishing stage.

Originally Posted by AlienEdge

Here is something that might help with a mental picture and muscle memory on how much pressure to use . Place your index finger that you push the razor with on your work bench and smack it with a hammer. Smack it good! So that the finger nail is turned up in the back and the front of the nail is the color of an over ripened blue berry. Now use that throbbing finger to slowly guide your razor across the hone. That finger will teach you just how much pressure to use. I am kidding about the hammer, but I hope the mental picture of how much pressure to use is there.

I tried this and the blood on my hone made it hard to follow the swarf in front of the blade...

Originally Posted by AlienEdge

I am kidding about the hammer, but I hope the mental picture of how much pressure to use is there.

There is some credence to smash finger. In USMC marksmanship training I was taught to bite my trigger finger's nail hard to prevent jerking. By doing so I could not jerk the trigger if I tried. If it hurts you are applying to much pressure to fast. Har!!

I am very heavy handed needless to say. I trashed a few razors in a couple passes in the beginning. Har! In learning to strop I had to bite nails to get a feel for the light touch.

Learning to hone should be comical. I can picture cartoon looking red bulbous pulsating digits.

A new meaning to different strokes for different folks.