Thread: Could use some help...

OK, I'm gonna spill it...

I've had some pretty nasty nerve problems affecting the use of my hands and my left arm for a while. It got so serious recently that I finally broke down and had some pretty yucky spine surgery done. This is the main reason I've been off the boards; I didn't have enough use of my left hand to type until two weeks ago.

Well, now my hands are gradually coming back, but unfortunately I'm still not able to hone as effectively as I'd like. Six months ago, I was able to get a blade darn near shavette-sharp. Now... not so much.

No matter how hard I concentrate, and how slow I go, I just cannot get my strokes across hones accurate enough. Honing is very good physical therapy, but it gets damn discouraging to spend hours on a blade without getting great results.

The doc says that the use/dexterity/coordination should get better over the next six months, but that I'll never regain *full* dexterity/coordination of my left hand.

So I'm considering an alternative... I seem to still be getting fairly good results off of my pasted paddle strop. It's just not as fussy about perfect technique. So I'm thinking about getting another four sided paddle strop and pasting itwith 1k, 2k, 4k, and 8k equivalent diamond pastes.

Do any of you guys have experience with using diamond pasted leather paddles strops as a replacement for lower grit hones, and if so, how'd it go?

I'm still going to continue the "physical therapy" on the hones, but I really want a setup that will still allow me to get *really* good edges like I used to.

Any suggestions on setting up pasted strop alternatives would be more than welcome.

What do you mean getting your strokes acurate enough. I am trying to learn honing and this gets me a tad worried.

Originally Posted by OLD_SCHOOL

Perhaps you could try honing with your right hand. Be rather difficult to start with, but I'm sure you'd get the hang of it.

I've always had to use both hands to hone, as both hands are effected by the nerve damage.

It's darn frustrating to tell your hands to do something and have them not do it, but it is getting better.

Using just my right hand with a pasted strop really does seem to work, but it takes *hours* using chrome ox and/or .5 micron diamond to get a really good edge.

I also have 1 micron paste on the paddle, but that piece of leather has a really tall left edge the entire length...I've been meaning to ask Tony for a replacement piece of leather but keep putting it off. Now I'm thinking that maybe a larger, two sided paddle strop might be better to paste at the 1 and maybe three micron level. Opinions?

Originally Posted by jbcohen

What do you mean getting your strokes acurate enough. I am trying to learn honing and this gets me a tad worried.

Don't be worried.

As long as your hands do what they're told, I doubt you'll have a problem. Honing does require accuracy, but I think most people are capable of doing it.

Bah... sorry for all the posts, but I'm OCDing this to death this morning...

SRD carries diamond sprays. Can these sprays be used on a leather paddle strop? Are they better than pastes?

I'd like to stay with paddles and away from hanging strops, as it's too fatiguing to hold the tension on a hanging strop for extended honing sessions.

In the mean time, if you need some honing done, I'll gladly do a few of yours for free. I'm generally only doing one free one per person but I'll touch up some of yours till you get your strokes back. I'm glad to see that you're back.

I have a 4 sided paddle with paste but I have never used it as a substitute for hones so I cannot speak to that . Here is a post by Tony Miller explaining the pastes.

I have had better luck with the 0.5 diamond spray that SRD carries applied to their felt strop than I did with the pasted paddle. That may be because of my application of the paste. I don't know and I didn't use it much.

I have always honed one handed. You might try to work on dominant hand honing. I had the fingers of my left hand badly injured when I was a young ironworker. Took a year before I could make a tight fist.

Five years ago I took a spill on my road bike and broke my collar bone and separated my AC joint. I still have numbness in areas around my left wrist and it took awhile before I had full range of motion in the left arm. Hang in there and keep working on it and you will get better with time and physical therapy.

If you are going to switch over to pastes and sprays I think you would do better with a flatbed hone with interchangeable pads than a 4 sided paddle. Given that your finishing strokes will probably be with CrOx or Diamond spray (taking two surfaces) you will probably want more than 2 other compounds in the arsenal. You could also jump from leather to felt as your needs change.

Check in with Lynn or Don. I think they might be able to set you up with something that will work.

Thanks for the help, guys.

Additional suggestions/opinions/wisecracks always welcome....

I appologize, but in the course of thinking about pastes and sprays I missed something important. Sorry to hear about your physical problem and surgery. I hope your recovery goes smoothly. As you said, keep up with the "therapy". Maybe your Doc could prescribe a couple of Nakayama stones, or something.