Thread: How much pressure?

Some questions about pressure when honing:

1. How much pressure should I be applying to the blade when honing? Should I be pushing down on the razor, or lifting up the scales so that just the weight of the blade itself is on the hone?

3. Do you lighten up pressure as the blade gets sharper?

4. Does pressure change the angle of the bevel?

I'm honing using one hand, trying to imitate Lynn Abrams' technique. I use a Norton 4k/8k. And I'm a noob.

You can use pressure and be pushing down when setting the bevel. As you move up to higher grits the pressure should be reduced and should end with none--just the weight of the blade. If you are using so much pressure that you are altering the angle of the bevel, then you are deflecting the blade. Don't use that much pressure, ever.

Originally Posted by Utopian

You can use pressure and be pushing down when setting the bevel. As you move up to higher grits the pressure should be reduced and should end with none--just the weight of the blade. If you are using so much pressure that you are altering the angle of the bevel, then you are deflecting the blade. Don't use that much pressure, ever.

This is it! I will use pressure to set a bevel and get it done. After that it is as Ron has suggested, just enough pressure to keep the blade flat on the hone ensuring an even contact between blade and stone, when I get to my finisher I go one handed and ever so lightly.

For what it's worth, I recently found that I could coax all-new levels of sharpness out of my Chinese 12k using ridiculously light, almost negative pressure (feels like less than the weight of the blade).

That's what I thought, thanks. Now what about when using the pyramid method? Do you alternate heavy/light as you go back and forth between the 4k and the 8k, or do you slowly ease up on pressure as you work up the pyramid?

Great question, useful info!

Originally Posted by Marcantonio

That's what I thought, thanks. Now what about when using the pyramid method? Do you alternate heavy/light as you go back and forth between the 4k and the 8k, or do you slowly ease up on pressure as you work up the pyramid?

Same thing, once the bevel is set go to a very light/no pressure stroke, the further you go along the pyramid the lighter the strokes. After the bevel is set correctly you are polishing the edge the lighter the stroke the finer the polishing effect.