Thread: simple honing under the stereo scope

Originally Posted by caltoncutlery

[url]

the biggest idea here is to get folks honing with just one or two stones,.

I really like this idea, as it kind of reminds me of how I started.

I think that this bevel set, midrange, paste approach could be just as easily accomplished with conventional bevel set tests and conventional edge leading strokes. I do see that using the burr method for the bevel set may have appeal to people who are already familiar with it from knife sharpening and this is the same group who likely already have stones that could be used in the bevel setting and mid range.

There is an awkward dichotomy in the video of using very minimal honing tools along with a high class microscope. I realize that this is valuable for analysis of what is happening and a big part showing the technique, but you appear to rely on it a bit while in the 6k range which goes against the simplicity aspect of using the burr in the midrange as a sign of when you are done with that stage. Personally the presence of a burr hides the very thing that I look at with a microscope, but presumably this technique is aimed at people who do not have scopes.

I have other thoughts about the approach and look forward to discussing them further at the meet this weekend.

Thanks for the video Joe. I know it was a lot of work for you.
Al

Joe was able to demo this technique at the Denver meet with gasman and I trying to pick it apart, in a constructive way, in real time. Joe used his halflap and burr technique up though a Norton 8k, finishing with some alternating edge trailing strokes. The results on the scope were indistinguishable, at least to me, to an edge brought to the same level with conventional methods. Again we used the scope to observe the process, but in this case all of Joe's decisions of when to move to his next stone were done before making the scope observation.

I'm not sure how much of any of this I will bring into my honing, but it was eye opening to see that some of the things that I try to avoid apparently don't need to be avoided and can actually be useful.

As razor geeks we are very prone to being stuck in our ways. It’s not easy to pitch a new perspective around here. Hopefully we will have further discussions and further experiments by more people. I am curious and look forward to seeing what happens.

It was a bit different in how it works. Learning to feel a bur on an edge is inportant in his style but the end result was faster and the look on the scope was good. The test shave is were the truth comes out in the end. I can see this working if someone wanted to hone the non tradisional way. And can be done without having lots of stones.

It really worked. But i know some folks are set in how they hone and wont change. I may use some of this method in my honing steps.

thanks fellas :} the meet was a great time, and we got to play some with stones and scope :}

I don't think this style of sharpening or honing is anything new or anything, just a refinement of regular old sharpening. since I am a knifemaker, and my needs of getting stuff sharp are slightly different than my customers, this is what has been working the best for me. while I need to get things sharp. and everyone else needs to get things sharp also, I need to get things sharp as efficiently as I can. I may very well sharpen or hone 50-100 blades a month or more, razors, pocket knives, work knives, scissors, choppers, axes, chainsaws, whatever it is im working on, it all needs to be sharp. I know some folks sharpen because they enjoy it, and while I do enjoy sharpening, I don't enjoy it to the point where im willing to spend hours on one blade.

what I want is a recipie to sharpen whatever in an efficient manner. do this, see or feel this, do that, see or feel that, do this, do this, and bam, done. no going back and forth, no guessing, no bs, just get the thing sharp and get on with work and life. the burr gives me that. you open a cookbook, and find a recipie for lasagna, get the ingredients, go step by step through the list of operations, and you get lasagna. you may have to practice making lasagna a couple times till you get what you like, but he basic steps are all laid out right there in front of you.


the way I like to do things might not appeal to others, and im good with that, but just like with the recipie example, you might not like lasagna, so you don't use that recipie, but you know you can find it if you ever need to make some, and you have a pretty good idea that it will work. but this whole nonsense of a tiny burr of steel, which will form whatever you do to some level anyway, scaring fully grown men is just that, nonsense. its a tool, no different than watching how the blade undercuts the water on the stone.


im going to keep shaving with the 6k razor and see how it does, but its 2-3 weeks in and going well. ill shoot another video on it this afternoon. and while at the meet, we were talking stones, and today I picked up a $24.97 set of smiths oilstones at Walmart that im going to test out on another razor and see what happens :}

No! Not Walmart stones?

This is a really interesting thread! I hope someone actually tries this (other than Joe) and gives a shave report (how does it do around the chin and mouth compared to a 12k and up edge?). I think many straight razor shavers are looking for the ultimate in a shaving experience, especially those buying custom razors; not just knock it out and go (like shaving off an initial bevel set, yeah you can do it but...).
Thanks for trying an alternate approach to honing a straight Joe, how we evolve.

I did a bit of honing last night. I did ncorporate the spine leading laps at the end of the time on each stone. What i did find was the stria going in another direction and helping to smooth out what was left of the stria. I found it helped. I will admit that i had been told this by others. And maybe i could have got the same from just straight laps but spine leading made it easier.

One step at a time.