Thread: Breadknifing While Honing

Originally Posted by LarryAndro

It doesn't make sense to me to say so adamantly that this should not be done, as some seem to be saying. I am not understanding something.

Larry, speaking only for myself, I am not approaching it as a 'moral issue'. Rather it is something that I have tried more than once. I'm referring to both methods, breadknifing with pressure and jointing without pressure. I didn't find these methods as efficient IME at accomplishing the mission so I don't use them. If I did find them more effective than standard honing techniques mentioned earlier in the thread I wouldn't hesitate to use them. Obviously YMMV.

JimmyHAD, the opinion that "jointing" is not a good practice doesn't make sense to me. But, sometimes there is not a good explanation other than just that it doesn't seem to work as well. I can accept that.

Originally Posted by LarryAndro

How often do you breadknife your razor while honing, and under what circumstances do you breadknife?

When honing on 1K, the edge often feels raspy, and under the microscope the jagged, wiry edge is evident. So, I lightly breadknife and rehone on the 1K. (I breadknife in 3 angles: vertically, and then from both sides with the blade held at 45 degrees.) If it still doesn't feel and look right, I might breadknife again and rehone.

Breadknifing and rehoning takes about 5 minutes. (I breadknife very gently.)

After this, I usually have a sound edge that persists throughout the rest of the honing process. I don't always breadknife. But, it is an important technique for me in establishing the good 1K level edge.

So, now I have bared my honing soul. Tell me about breadknifing in your procedure.

Pardon my ignorance - I have only been doing this for a lot of years. What is breadknifing a razor?

John,

Breadknifing is the aggressive technique of honing with the blade perpendicular to the hone, as if your trying to cut the hone like a loaf of bread.

Very aggressive.

Larry - the process of removing the wire edge was routinely carried out in Sheffield according to old texts - when the razors had been ground a thin wire edge was created - this was struck off on a hard stone (the charnley forest hone is often mentioned) prior to setting the edge for shaving. It was done for the same reasons as you describe.

Regards,
Neil

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

Breadknifing is the aggressive technique of honing with the blade perpendicular to the hone, as if your trying to cut the hone like a loaf of bread. Very aggressive.

I posted the original question, and used the term breadknifing incorrectly. AFDavis11's explanation of the term is correct. However, breadknifing is not the topic of this thread. What GSSixGun and others termed "jointing" is what is being discussed.

Jointing is the very gentle light movement of a blade across a hone to address an edge that is jagged or wiry. Typically, the blade is held up slightly while "jointing" so the pressure on the hone doesn't equal even the weight of the blade.

(I'm sure this definition sucks. But, it gives the idea.)

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Who ever started this thing about breadknifing should be shot.

Breadknifing is not a normal honing method and probably isn't any honing method. What it really is can be considered the nuclear option when you have a blade whose edge is in such bad shape that if you were to rescue it you would have to spend a massive amount of time because you would have to remove so much metal for a variety of reasons. It's like coming into a city and doing urban renewal by bulldozing everything. That's exactly what you are doing. Your bulldozing the edge and starting again.

As far as I'm concerned if there is any normal way to save an edge you would not breadknife. It certainly isn't some routine operation to be made a part of any normal razor maint. If I was going to do breadknifing the question I would ask myself is "do I breadknife or just throw the blade away"?

+1 on the who ever started this thing ....

One reason and perhaps the only reason to breadknife is when the
blade is so bad that four layers of tape are applied to protect the spine
and a temporary bevel is generated after grinding out knicks and chips.
By dulling the blade prior to and after the generation of the temporary
bevel it is possible to assess how well the bevel is set with a thumb
nail test on a coarse stone.

Here is one reason to breadknife. Perhaps the only reason.

I bought it for the scales but when I saw how fine the
original grind was I took a chance and breadknifed it
to the point that none of the chips and cracks were exposed.
Then with four layers of tape I used a DMT and put a bevel
on it. Then with zero layers of tape I put a new fresh
bevel with the same DMT and then worked it through all my
hones to the point I can shave with it. Running it over the
bottom of a glass after the first temp bevel made setting
the final bevel less ambiguous as the burr from the DMT
on the first temp bevel could pass a HHT in places.

It is not needed in the normal honing process.
Back to the topic of "jointing".

This thread is closed by request of the OP it has gone so far of point which was admittedly due partly to using the wrong terminology...

There are plenty of threads in the advanced honing section on Breadknifing and Jointing


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