Thread: Desperate Honesterette

So the story goes:

There is a honemeister at the german boards who is the absolute Übermeister!
Everybody loves his edges.
I had the chance to send him a razor I thought I was done with.
Not stropped.
Today he sent it back to me, honed (and stropped I guess). Pic attached.
I admit, my eye-sight leaves a lot to be desired. I’m desperate nevertheless.



So I fiddled with the camera and honed to compare.


1. Blade I thought I was done with, second bevel made on the hone.
2. 3. and 4. Henckels 8000 synthetic hone
5. Thuringian
6. Frankonian
7. 0.1 micron diamond film
8. chromium oxide strop, leather strop
9. 0.1 micron diamond film - again!
10. chromium oxide strop, leather strop again!!!
11. finally the silica gel the old fox recommends

I’m not even close!!!
Now I can’t sleep, LOL
Help or friendly pats (that I don't need an edge like his) appreciated!

Just if anyone’s interested -
pics were taken with my old trusty Olympus E20P
a hookup lens for magnification
and a thuringian rubber under the lens because this gets really shaky.



this is the lens

I am curious to find out what stones (or pastes, or films, etc) the meister used! And how do the shaves compare between yours and the pretty one?

The meister got quite an array.
I don't know what he really used.

On my side it were the henckels up to 8000,
but probably not long enough.
Edge was met, but bevel not polished sufficiently.
Now it is better of course, but only minor.

Hey Olivia,
I actually ran into similar "problems" when I got my Nanis. Except that at least in my case my own honing improved.

I used to have some scratch marks still visible, but still get a great edge using my old hones. But now I have damn near mirror finishes on my edges. They also shave slightly better. The answer unfortunately was that the stones were holding me back. While a tool is a tool, a tool magnifies the user's abilities and translates them into the finished product. And a better tool does a better job. There of course is a point of diminishing returns, but at least in my case, it was the hones that were the problem.

I suspect it is the same with you.

I suggest that you use a 1k grit stone that leaves almost no scratch marks. And spend a little more time on the 4k and the 8k. Thats where its really important to get out the really visible scratches. The rest of the progression should be the same.

A thuringian is the last stone I use(dark), after that I use some chrome ox on a paddle strop, and then I strop. My edges look similar to his. My guess is more strokes on the thuringian. I will have to look next time to see if this happens after the thuringian or the chrome ox. I love it when there are no scratch marks on the bevel.

what the exact magnification on the photos? sorry have a little problem to find out is that 4x or 40x?

@ Olivia,

Looking at your pix again I just wonder: how much pressure do you use when you hone? If you have deep scratches it might be you use too much pressure.
Your edges look nice and straight otherwise.

hhhmmmmm, you made a point here.
Will try again with less.

I agree about the shave part: it is the goal; and scratches seem not to interfere.

However; ( you knew there was gonna be a however right?)

Most would agree that following the same path, angle, stroke after stoke is important. you dont want unevenness. We keep our hones deadly flat. Glen says a taped bevel can be reset in 20 strokes..... so if one is following the same exact path stroke after stroke, and one's hones are matching flat.

Scratches should fall off naturally through technique. Me I leave some to be sociable

I'm gonna take a second to point out that in Japan the best finish is not mirrored- its cloudy. I believe this is Kasumi? It was considered desirable. And let me remind you, this is coming from people who were literally honemeisters- apprenticed as boys and honed swords and stuff til they died, truly an artform. I'm gonna go with that- because clearly our western honemeisters with mirror finishes and the eastern hone meisters with cloudy finishes both got ungodly sharp edges- mirror/cloudy doesn't matter so long as the edge is straight and smooth.