Thread: A Rookie Heal Toe Question

The animated graphics I see in the wiki start with the heal on the hone and the toe off the hone at the beginning of the stroke and end in reverse order. It seems to me that the middle of the cutting edge would remain on the hone longer - why doesn't this cause the middle section to sharpen at a faster pace than the heal and toe? Or does it?

Thanks.

It would seem so.
The reason it works is that the pressure is adjusted by the honer, so that the entire length of the blade gets equal amounts of metal removed.
In other words, the edge of the hone that is closest to your hand is where the most of the honing takes place.

I hope that made some sense

I see your theoretical point, but in practice I think honing expertise stops this from happening. Look at it this way: If it played out this way in practice, most blades would tend toward frowning, while those that deviate from a perfectly straight edge are more likely to be smiling edges.

Originally Posted by Qatsats

The animated graphics I see in the wiki start with the heal on the hone and the toe off the hone at the beginning of the stroke and end in reverse order. It seems to me that the middle of the cutting edge would remain on the hone longer - why doesn't this cause the middle section to sharpen at a faster pace than the heal and toe? Or does it?

Thanks.

It does... this is why so many older razors have a frown or a smile on them.

In fact this is one of the hints that a used razor is a good shaver and worth
a look.

With modern big wide lapped hones this goes away in no time.