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  1. #1
    Senior Member wdwrx's Avatar
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    Default Honing Training Aid

    I've come across a great idea I'd like to share with everyone; the good old kitchen scale! (I have to give credit to Bart for this idea) Maybe this isn't a new idea, but I used one today for the first time. This is a great idea for us noobs!

    I noticed a couple of different ways it helped. For one, I have a tendency to bear down a bit as my mind wanders (as it inevitably will) and I forget to think "keep it light", and having the scale there forced me to pay more attention.

    I also noticed that my push stroke was consistently heavier than my pull stroke. The visual feed back helped me to correct this flaw in my technique. A flaw I wasn't even aware of.

    Having that scale and the instant feedback it provided really helped me to fine-tune my finishing strokes by giving me a visual cue when I strayed a bit.

    I hope this can help some other new guys.

    Cheers,

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  3. #2
    Senior Member paco's Avatar
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    Default

    Sounds like a really cool idea for the pressure feedback, thanks.
    Consider where you will spend ETERNITY !!!!!!
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  4. #3
    At this point in time... gssixgun's Avatar
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    OK I have seen this one a few times,,,

    But my question is how many ounces or pounds were you using?????

    This could actually be a really good idea if we take this to a different level....

    One of the biggest problems with explaining honing to Newbs is "How much pressure to use" for the low low cost of about $25-$30 this could be quantified... I know for a fact there is a difference in the pressure I use to set a bevel and what I use on the finishers...


    ***Picks up his scale and heads upstairs to hone****


    Stay tuned

  5. #4
    Senior Member wdwrx's Avatar
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    ah ha! I wondered when someone was gonna ask me how much pressure I was using

    When I was setting the bevel, i used about 200 to 250 g of pressure with a fairly thick slurry. This was within the guidelines Bart recommends for initial bevel setting. My final polishing strokes were around 40 to 50 g. Any less and I seemed to lose control over the way the edge rode the hone. Since there are two contact points, I figure the edge is subject to some amount less than half that because I try to keep what pressure I have biased towards the spine.

    Keep in mind, I was using a cheap crappy kitchen scale with very coarse graduations.

    I'm dying to hear how much pressure a pro uses. Please keep us posted Glen.

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  7. #5
    Senior Member blabbermouth hi_bud_gl's Avatar
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    Pressure will change during honing.
    while you set bevel.
    taking out chips. i use at least 500g-1 kg pressure(haven't measured but approximately) Don't have too much time to waste.
    regular honing
    finishing the honing
    Each step i may use different pressure.
    For newbies the best advice i could tell is this.
    when you finishing stage of the honing use as little as pressure you can.
    Good luck

  8. #6
    Senior Member wdwrx's Avatar
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    You always have good advice, Sham.

    I found that the 40g mark was a light as i could go and still keep the blade in control. I plan to use the scale for feedback to try to lighten that pressure even more.

    My biggest problem (that I knew about) was my unconscious tendency to apply more pressure: i'd be trying to keep the blade feather light on the stone, and after a few strokes i would notice that I'd be bearing down (again!) so I'd lighten up... for a while, and then I'd be bearing down again. (roughly in the 70 to 80g range.)

    The biggest advantage, as Glen pointed out, is the ability to "quantify" the appropriate pressure.

    FWIW I just weighed the razor I used on a more precise and accurate digital scale and it weighs 38.5 grams, so I'm in there at "the weight of the razor only". That is somewhat encouraging.

  9. #7
    Hones & Honing randydance062449's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wdwrx View Post
    Any less and I seemed to lose control over the way the edge rode the hone. Since there are two contact points, I figure the edge is subject to some amount less than half that because I try to keep what pressure I have biased towards the spine.
    Favoring the spine is a common mistake. It results in honing for an extended length of time and a inconsistent bevel shape. The distribution of pressure should have more on the edge than the spine. This will also give you greater control while honing and a much better bevel much faster.

    Hope this helps,
    Randolph Tuttle, a SRP Mentor for residents of Minnesota & western Wisconsin

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  11. #8
    Senior Member wdwrx's Avatar
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    Thanks Randydance,

    I was trying to keep the pressure as light as I could by any means.

    What you said makes perfect sense, once I thought about it.

  12. #9
    The Hurdy Gurdy Man thebigspendur's Avatar
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    It would be great if we could have precise directions for everything we do in life but that isn't usually the case.

    It's an interesting idea but if I was starting out it seems if I was looking at a scale as I honed I would first be too preoccupied with the display on the scale and the display would make me skittish about the honing process.

    Some things are best learned by doing. You can learn to ride a bike with training wheels on but then you dont want to ever take them off.
    No matter how many men you kill you can't kill your successor-Emperor Nero

  13. #10
    Never a dull moment hoglahoo's Avatar
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    thanks for sharing your experience with the scale so far

    I can see how it would be useful for someone like myself when I was trying to learn to hone. It took me hours to realize that I was using that very light pressure one uses on a finishing hone. Once I realized setting the bevel required quite a bit more oomph than I thought was necessary, I made much better progress.

    But I guess I'll never know for sure whether a scale would have helped me or hurt me in the long run. Guidelines are great when used as guidelines, and getting a general idea of what pressure you should be using while honing your first razor is important. It's a skill maybe best grounded in hands-on and face-to-face instruction, but even that may depend on how the person holding the razor learns

    like lynn says, have fun
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