Thread: "Hone ready" revisited

Thanks!
It makes sense now. I can understand now the use of the colored marker on the bevel while honing. If the color marks remains after honing, then the bevel (flat area) does not coincide with the spine flat area. Probably in this case pressure is required on the blade while using the coarse hone to remove material at both the spine and the bevel until this true plane is achieved and thus the colored marks will be honed away. Same on the opposite side, then polishing begins.

I Just need to start practicing!

Originally Posted by Sticky

The spine is simply a guide, laid on the hone, to maintain the same angles on your cutting bevels.

I guess this is where slight pressure and fine touch is needed to minimize the hone wear on the spine while using it as a guide and honing the material at the bevel. Thanks!

Originally Posted by GeNn

Thanks!
It makes sense now. I can understand now the use of the colored marker on the bevel while honing. If the color marks remains after honing, then the bevel (flat area) does not coincide with the spine flat area. Probably in this case pressure is required on the blade while using the coarse hone to remove material at both the spine and the bevel until this true plane is achieved and thus the colored marks will be honed away. Same on the opposite side, then polishing begins.

I Just need to start practicing!

When the marker is gone it means that the side of the bevel is contacting the hone evenly but it absolutely does not mean that the cutting edge is sharp. The edge could be slightly rounded or squared off, either way it could be too thick to be sharp. If the edge is sharp AND evenly contacting the hone then you are ready to move on to polishing. Check out this guide to see what I mean:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=31640

I forgot to mention that some very experienced honers will use a piece of electrical tape on the spine to protect it. Some don't. It's a personal preference thing.

If you do that, you'll need to also re-apply the tape whenever you touch-up the razor. Either way, stropping on leather without tape will still work ok.

Originally Posted by heavydutysg135

Check out this guide to see what I mean:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=31640

Excellent guide. Thanks,

The microscope is cool and lets you look at your scratch patterns and polish. But with Josh showing how to examine it in the light with no magnification was a big help as well in the early stages of honing. Light reflection will tell you a lot.

Reading it and applying can get you close, but seeing it first hand kicks the door wide open. Rolling the blade for smiles and odd heel toe patterns. Seeing it first hand made me say "ah, now I see what they were saying".

I am uneducated on these topics could you explain what can be learned from light reflection. I have also wondered why it is that on pictures of some razors that the heel and toe seems to be rounded. Please explain. Thank you.