Thread: The dreaded white line.

I've been told to look straight down on the edge with my loupe to check for the white line or sparkles. If you can still see it, you still dont have bevel set. Now I fully believe these guys. They are great honers and I thank them for the help in teaching me to hone. But...

I was on the 1K Chorsera for 2 hours and could still see the white line. Told myself, the line is just not getting smaller so I might as well go on to the next stone (2K) and maybe it will go away then. 45 min's later I'm still seeing the white line???

Moved on to the 5K for250+ laps on the stone and its still there. Dammit!

Went to 8K and still there. 10K and still there. 12K and I was just too disapointed to look any more. Went upstairs for a test shave. Hot rag on my face for about a minute. Lather and hot towel on the lather for a minute then scrub my face with the lather. Relathered and put the blade to my face. Now I have two days growth so lots to shave. The blade went thru the whiskers so nicely that I wasn't sure it was cutting. Like running it thru warm butter. Great shave! Only did one side of my face and one pass so I got plenty of whiskers left to try another blade or two on the hones.

Now here are the pics I took along the way.

1K


2K


5K


8K


10K


The sparkles are lint from my towel. I tested it to be sure and ran blade under water and dried carefully and the lint moved or was a lot less.

I am not seeing a white line. Are these pictures supposed to show that?

I can see the line. Right in the middle of the black strip. The black is the bevel. Even at 10K its still there, just really faint. Don't get me wrong, I know these guys know more than I do. Like my old man use to tell me, I've forgot more than you know! ha. I'm just thinking there must be a limit to the white line that is OK. Plus I need to figure out when to change stones. I think this was close to 4.5 hours. WAY TOO LONG!

The shave is the only test that matters.

Jerry, those pictures are very dark - where is your light source in relation to the edge? It needs to be in a location where it will reflect directly from any flaws on the edge into your eyes. I like a bright light, and find that a lighted loupe works really well for this. As you work your way along the edge, roll the blade relative to the light and the 'line' will practically jump at you if it's there. A strong light is key.

Dreaded white line? 2 hours on a bevel-setter? Confusing subject...

Too much looking and way too much honing, IMO.

Oh well!

Originally Posted by Longhaultanker

Very useful tip. A test whose result directly correlates to testing conditions. No snag equals good edge. Simple and direct. Thank you.

Yes! Agreed.

A ziplock bag of q-tips just made its way from my bathroom to my shop.