Thread: Narrow hones

CC,
I wouldn't recommend honing in front of the TV as your full attention isn't on what you're doing. If I were honing last night when the Steelers made that final touchdown, I'm sure I might have cut a finger off. Honing razors is EXTREME HONING. You're dealing with an edge less than .001" thick. At that level, a piece of abrasive 1/100" high will be a speed bump you might not feel if your mind and fingers aren't working together AND it could result in edge chipping. One of the reasons I love to hone is it's so meditative and it calms me down to do it. The Zen of Shaving.

Also, if you hone while holding the hone in one hand (I don't, but some do) then not paying attention will cause you to slice away a neat layer of flesh when your fingers accidentally rise above the honing surface.

I hold them in my hand and find it uncomfortable after a while because I can't move them around. It kinda helps me concentrate on honing, though.

On a different note, I contacted the customer service of the people who make the gray ones and they said the course one is 120 grit and the fine one is 900. This is somewhat confusing to me because the edge they put on the razor is so much smoother than the grits of the dmts. And I can go to the shapton without any problem. So, I take a closer look at all my hones to start researching and figuring out what the grits could be, and I'll be danged if the orange india stone isn't a norton. I couldn't tell what the label on it said until I really got a better look at it. It had another hone attached to the other side at one point in time. It was dark in color - gray or black. Looking at norton's site, it's a bit harder than the waterstones. knifecenter says norton impregnates their oilstones with oil before they ship them out? I'm still looking for the grit of it.

Looking at other posts here at srp, it might be a 4k or better. Maybe it cuts fast because I don't use it with oil?

Here is Nortons catalog In it the finest India stone they have is rated at 600 grit and it is the same color as your stone Or 22.0 microns in particle size.

Thats why we are saying your hones are too rough. Most guy here go finer than 1 micron in their sharpening, and many go as fin as 0.25 microns.

Even after clunking my razor on a faucet it doesn't get down to a stone in this category.

Oil stones should always be used with oil, you might be getting results not in line with what is expected from a stone of that type because it is clogged and therefore not cutting to its potential.

Norton impregnates their oilstones with a petroleum product that keeps the oil on the top from soaking in, thus keeping the swarf completely on top of the stone and suspended in the honing oil you add so that the stone remains pure and unclogged.

In a Normal oilstone honing progression it would be common to go from a extra fin India stone to a hard Arkansas or to use a soft Arkansas stone in place of the extra fine India stone. In fact for my kitchen knifes I use an oilstone progression starting at a fine India stone for blemish removal then moving to a soft Arkansas then to a hard white Arkansas stone for a finish, I don't go any finer with these implements as I don't think they need it, but for a razor I would start at the Hard white then move to a Black surgical and finish on a Translucent Arkansas if I wanted an all oilstone route.

All were originally acquired for use on knives. Maybe I've mistaken the slow-cutting action and smoothness of them for higher grit. Is it possible to get different results from a hone if you lap them with different grits? The particles might start off at 22 microns, but wouldn't those be worn down some with lapping?

What can I say, if it works to you, nothing can dissuade you. I would not allow any of my razors touch any of these hones, but that's just me. Razors aren't terribly expensive, which is good since in about a year you'll probably have to replace that #105. Considering this and that it's your razor, why not try what you're thinking about grinding down the shoulder and see if that helps. I would normally advise against, but there's only one thing that'll convince you, and I'm all for experimentation, especially with razors that are already abused.

Other than that, almost all of the hones I use are less than 2" wide and I've never had your problem. But I tried to follow the recommendations of people who are very good at honing - even with that it took me quite some time and I can't imagine how much longer would've been if I had taken your approach.

I already said about not touching your hones, but I'll add that I will not let razor that you've honed touch my face before I've looked at the edge under magnification - what you're describing sounds just way too crazy.

The good news is that it all works for you, but be sure not to give advice to any newbies, as your methods seem to be very unique and probably work for you only.

Originally Posted by crazycliff200843

The particles might start off at 22 microns, but wouldn't those be worn down some with lapping?

No.

I appreciate all the input. This seems to be a one stop shop for answers about my hones. A recurring theme here seems to be to not put the shoulder of the blade on the hone. There's no substitue for bad technique, which I have plenty of.

I've read in a bunch of different places about rounding the corners off of them, in this thread and others. This is just to knock the corners off, right? Or should there be a substantial area all along the edge missing?

Thanks for the link to the norton catalog. I have to guess at which grade of stone it is because some of the lettering/stamp on the side is worn off, but I think it is the 'fine' grit because of the combos norton sells their oilstones in. Like I said, it had another stone attached to the other side at one point.

I understand that the tools I have aren't in line with the advice given out here on this site, but a better understanding of why they work is what I'm shooting for. I appreciate that you all are trying to help with the limited information I can give you.

The gray stones are somewhat soft. They lap quickly and give off a fine powder. Could it be that during honing this same phenomenon is happening at a much smaller scale?

Originally Posted by crazycliff200843

I've read in a bunch of different places about rounding the corners off of them, in this thread and others. This is just to knock the corners off, right? Or should there be a substantial area all along the edge missing?

not substantial area, just so that it's a smooth surface, free of chips

I understand that the tools I have aren't in line with the advice given out here on this site, but a better understanding of why they work is what I'm shooting for.

well they work for you - none of us seems interested in experimenting with that kind of hones to find out if they work for them, etc.
some things are perhaps meant to remain a mystery....

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You mentioned the 105...I'm going to venture out on a limb and guess that's the razor in the picture you're talking about. That was gifted to me by my father, but I don't know much about it other than it's a stainless steel dovo from the factory. It says on the blade that it's ice tempered-that means the steel was quenched with something really cold, right? It's got what I guess is acid etching on the blade that looks like a bunch of swirls. Is that what it is? When I first got it I stropped it a little and noticed that the bevel was chipped right around the area where the swirl pattern met the bevel. The chip came out and I haven't had any problems with it since, but can I expect more chipping because of the etching?