...the metal when honing?
edited: i'm reading the 1961 pdf about honing now.
Randy Tuttle explained to me that:
"you need an even coarser grit to restore the edge to an old razor. The reason is that the steel has oxidised and become weak."
okay, so i know i'm dealing with stuff on the molecular level, and that there must be something like alinging of molecules happening, and i'm trying to really use my imagination, and i want to go get a microscope good enough to actually see this process so that i understand what i'm about to embark on.
based on randy's kind response to me, i understand that hard steel is something to be desired. and i know it needs to be kept in alignment.
how does honing keep steel strong? is it the rubbing off of tiny steel bits? does the hone stretch out the metal because it thins it out and the very edge wears to bits?
thanks for your consideration,
lickthefrog