Quote Originally Posted by Slartibartfast View Post
Lynn,

I am not as good at assessing the edge as you and others . So when i get a new bevel setting hone(dmt,naniwa 1k, etc...) I like to dull a razor on a glass the first time i use the stone.

Other than that, i just do the needful
IIRC that was the original idea behind the dulling on glass. So a honer who wasn't sure of the TPT or whatever other test wouldn't be getting "false positives" in sharpness tests ?

By lightly dulling but not damaging the edge he would be starting with a known quantity and uniform edge and wouldn't be fooled into moving to a later stage in the honing too soon.

I have to admit that I thought it was not a good idea when I first read about it and than later I thought well, maybe it isn't a bad idea in some circumstances but I've never tried it.

What I have tried is Harrelson's technique of "jointing" or did he say "joining" on the DVD ..... the edge on a fine grit stone. This is the same method but with a fine grit stone rather than a glass jar.

I tried this on a couple of razors when I was replicating Harrelson's side honing method for straight razors. His rational was that he was removing any anomalies at the micro level from the edge and he not only does it (in the DVD) at the start but also when he gets off of the 8k and on to the 16k !

Well I don't believe in contempt before investigation so I tried it as I said on a couple of razors and i don't think I ever will again. All it did for me was create more work than I already had.

Different ideas come up and we may try them and they either work or they don't. If they do we stick with them and if they don't we soon figure that out and move back to what those who cleared the land and put in the runway told us to start with.