Thread: A Conversation About Pressure

I've been having a tough time getting a decent edge lately. My system has been using a decent amount of pressure during bevel set but not a lot from 5k on. I often finish on jnats but a friend looked at one if my problemed edges under a scope and said that the striations weren't hitting the apex. I thought about 2 options, tape the spine on the finishing stone or up the pressure throughout the entire progression. I chose the 2nd option and the difference was amazing! Do keep in mind that I end on each stone with weight of blade pressure on the finishing laps. So with this said I'd love to here some philosophies that many here may have on pressure throughout the progression. Thanks

Pressure is both friend and foe.
Too much and you are lifting the edge, especially on hollow blades.
Too much, especially on the lower grits and you will have chippy edges on the higher grits.
Not enough, especially on the lower grits and it will take you days to get anywhere.
Not enough and your edge will float on the water.
Just like Goldie Lox, you need to use the right amount at the right time.
It is part of the the little things about honing that is hard to learn on your own.
It is one of those things often talked about and demonstrated at meets.

I always thought that if you put too much pressure/torque on a blade, especially a thin one, you could be lifting the very edge/apex off the hone. That may in some cases account for the striations not going all the way to the apex of the edge.

Bob

On the most recent blade I used the same starting pressure on both the 1k & the 5k finishing with WOB pressure. When moving to the 8k & the jnat I cut the starting pressure in half ending with weight of blade pressure as well. It seemed to work very well. This was the 1st time I tied this manner of pressure application.

My biggest nemesis to learning in honing is pressure, learning when and where I need more and when less is MUCH better.
I totally agree with Rezdog finding "just right" is a subtly that was hard learned by me and still sometimes nags at me on a problem edge.
I have to remind myself constantly that PATIENCE is my watchword. The gentile application of force on the hone, just enough to make complete contact using more time on the stone instead of more pressure to speed things along.
Since I don't hone for $ I can take as long as necessary and don't need to look for speed.
Yes, sometimes on a badly damaged or abused edge I have to get after it on the bevel set but then finish on that stone with light strokes. A 1K stone can leave pretty deep scratches when I use pressure and these deep scratches will almost always lead to chips later, so I try to make certain that no deep scratches are hiding in that 1K edge when it's time to move on.
I strive to use very little pressure after that, usually moving to the 3K to refine the bevel and make sure the stria are as even as possible with no deep scratches present.

My experience teaching guys to hone, more guys do not use enough pressure at the bevel set than use too much.

I tell folks use pressure, if you are not getting the results you want, vary the amount of pressure, more or less until you get the results you want. Your idea of light pressure may be way different than mine. As long as you are taping the spine, you will do minimal damage.

There are way too many variables to generalize, razor steel, grind, blade shape, stone grit, hardness, stone composition, natural vs synthetic, stroke, technique, downward pressure vs torque, and more importantly the goal, are you grinding or polishing/finishing.

You will use more pressure in the lower grits and less at the finish

Use tape when learning to hone, once you have mastered honing, then decide if you want to continue to use tape.

There are a lot of variables involved for sure. There's a difference in necessary pressure between synthetic and natural hones as well. (Less pressure with synthetic hones as they cut more readily because the abrasive is way harder than the steel, more pressure with natural hones since the abrasive is only a little harder than the steel. It takes a while to dial it in, and is another reason why it can be helpful for beginners to stick to one or the other hone type while learning.

Another thing that can make a big difference to the amount of pressure needed is the surface area of the steel in contact with the hone at once. A smiling blade will need less pressure than a perfectly straight edged one. A razor with a wide bevel will benefit from a little more pressure than one with a very narrow bevel. Etc. Etc.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

As long as you are taping the bevel, you will do minimal damage.

Yes, that will REALLY minimize the damage...



I'm ribbing you since I posted the same faux pas a few months ago.