Thread: Dry Honing

As a point for consideration.
Garnets suspended in slurry will have a different sharpening action than those locked in matrix.
As the blade moves across the stone of a locked matrix the garnet abrasion will be along the metal side facing the stone. So on one side of the blade.
When the garnets move up into a slurry you now have garnets working the edge facing the stone and garnets abrading the leading edge of the blade as they are pushed ahead and dragged under the edge during a honing stroke. You will still get the greatest abrasion on the side against the stone and subject to the weight of the razor but this leading edge abrasion may have a smoothing action on the leading edge that will affect the nature of the cutting action.
Can't speak to that as my experience has been with trying to stop that kind of abrasive action in industrial use.
Just observing and now formulating a test or two.
What fun!!

Originally Posted by GollyMrScience

As a point for consideration.
Garnets suspended in slurry will have a different sharpening action than those locked in matrix.
As the blade moves across the stone of a locked matrix the garnet abrasion will be along the metal side facing the stone. So on one side of the blade.
When the garnets move up into a slurry you now have garnets working the edge facing the stone and garnets abrading the leading edge of the blade as they are pushed ahead and dragged under the edge during a honing stroke. You will still get the greatest abrasion on the side against the stone and subject to the weight of the razor but this leading edge abrasion may have a smoothing action on the leading edge that will affect the nature of the cutting action.
Can't speak to that as my experience has been with trying to stop that kind of abrasive action in industrial use.
Just observing and now formulating a test or two.
What fun!!

I agree with this, at least as far as my non-scientific observations go. So dry honing would involve using only the exposed parts of the garnets. Honing with plain water and no slurry might cushion the cutting effect of the garnets a bit, and lather would provide even more cushion.

Josh

Originally Posted by GollyMrScience

You will still get the greatest abrasion on the side against the stone and subject to the weight of the razor but this leading edge abrasion may have a smoothing action on the leading edge that will affect the nature of the cutting action.
Can't speak to that as my experience has been with trying to stop that kind of abrasive action in industrial use.
Just observing and now formulating a test or two.
What fun!!

Maybe the leading edge abrasion does smooth out the cutting edge, but essentially that means dulling the blade a bit. Different strokes I suppose.

I'd like to be in on whatever tests you formulate, we can compare notes.

Just some notes on garnets and natural stones.
The garnets in a sedimentary stone have been sorted by a natural process. Water or wind.
As such there has been a sorting action.
There are several types of garnet and depending on where and how they form they will have certain characterisitcs. They did not form in the coticle.
Depending on their original rock type that hosted them the sedimentary rocks derived from the original garnet host will have a base colour tinged with the colour of the garnets -pink, brown, to deep red or even black.
The garnet count will have a bearing on the colour of the natural rock.
Keep in mind that the garnets in the natural rock will be from a maximum size as determined by the energy of the process that layed down the sediments that they are trapped in but there will be a whole bunch of finer garnets there too. So to say for instance that the grit or garnets are of a 12,000 mesh for instance is a bit misleading. In fact you may have a maximum size of 12,000 mesh but also you will have garnets ranging from that all the way to 30,000 or beyond.
Garnets are heavy so they tend to be concentrated in sedimentary processes. Finding a sedimentary rock that carries not only the size but the concentration is the trick.
I have never tried the lather but would suspect that lather would hold garnets in suspension better than plain water and what that means I dont have a clue.
As a further observation the nature of the sharpening is likely different than from a man made becasue in most man made systems the tolerances are way tighter on the maximum/minimum tolerances for grit sizes.
So here is a question - would the wide range of garnet sizes found in a coticle be in a way duplicating a honing pyramid? Like having a 4000 grit stone honing with an 8000 grit stone followup . Not the best way of putting it but I hope you get my drift. The mixed grit would have both an aggressive and a polishing naure at the same time.
Hmmmmm.....