Thread: Pyramid

Is the creator of those videos a member? I saw those a couple years ago and was very impressed with them.

Great vid, who s it!? The stone shouldn't matter a whole lot as long as its similar grits, as high up as you are on the grit chart, I dont think its necessary to pyramid.

The biggest problem in doing a pyramid on the stones you mention is the Chinese 12K. Only because it is not the most consistent of stones. You will have to experiment with let's say like 5 strokes on the 8K and then 30 on the Chinese ( Could be 40, could be 50, could be 60). Same for the drop down to 3 strokes on the 8K and then 1 on the 8K. You still need to experiment with how many on the 12K. From there if you even want to go to the 16K will be a personal decision as you should be able to go from the Chinese to a paste and then to the strop. Another alternative here is to go from the 8K to the 16K. Normally I find my most effective pyramids are between the 4K and 8K and then I will go to whatever polishing stone I am using, ie 12K, Nakayama, Escher, Asagi, Coticule..........

Lynn

Yes, he's SRP member "ToxIk". http://straightrazorpalace.com/video...s-youtube.html

Edit: I know how controversial the dreaded HHT is, but you gotta admit, his razors must be *darn* sharp to pass the HHT he does in the above video. Having a very fine hair like that snap into two pieces as shown in the video is a level of sharpness I have yet to achieve.

Getting back to semi-on topic..

When I first started honing, I was worried about over honing and the dreaded wire edge, too. So I purposely put a wire edge (as detected using the method from the above video) on a couple razors. One that was soft steel, one fairly hard. I was *amazed* at how much work it took to put a wire edge on a blade. It took a long time.. many, many laps. Far more than I ever thought it would.

The chances are, on a soft blade, that if you ever did get one, it would break off and you'd never even know it. You'd just go, "huh, i wonder how come the blade isn't as sharp now as it was the last time I checked?" and continue honing, as the wire edge broke off during your strokes.

Gentlemen,
Thank you for the feedback. I had not realized that the pyramid may not be as effective at the higher grits. I guess I will try honing my previous way (8K-12K-16K-CrOx paddle-strop) then compare it to the method Lynn suggested (8K/12K pyramid-16K-CrOx, etc. I don't have any pastes) and see what works best. As Lynn noted, I may be able to skip one of the stones (probably the 12K?). Excellent post. Thanks again.
Dave

I would skip the Chinese stone if I were in your shoes. That or pick up a Naniwa 12k. Wish I could add more, but everyone has already stated everything.

Oh, and wire edges are pretty hard to produce. What is the "problem" that makes you think you are making wire edges?

I should have been more precise in my original posting. I was more afraid of creating a wire edge by doing more strokes than I needed. In reading posts here on honing, I would see instructions for 10 or 20 strokes on a given stone, for example (except theChineses 12K), but I catch myself doing many more. Having some advice and the video above is appreciated.

Dave

Originally Posted by a-cut-above

I should have been more precise in my original posting. I was more afraid of creating a wire edge by doing more strokes than I needed. In reading posts here on honing, I would see instructions for 10 or 20 strokes on a given stone, for example (except theChineses 12K), but I catch myself doing many more. Having some advice and the video above is appreciated.

Dave

You would have to do a *lot* more strokes than necessary. In fact, I'm not even entirely sure its possible to create a wire edge on a finishing stone. At least feasibly.

Just keep checking the edge after every X laps on the finishing stone and you'll be ok. By check, I mean either shave test it, TPT, HHT, or whichever test you use to tell if the razor is sharp. You'll develop a system after a while and you'll know when your done.