Thread: Pressure and torque: An observation.

Very helpful thread, thanks people.

I just tried a little torque consistently from bevel-setting upwards, and got a much better edge on a silver steel practice razor that I'd got nowhere with before.

I guess I was walking the walk but not torquing the torque.
(sorry.)

Thanks for posting this thread and thanks to Papbull and Lynn for the useful comments. The torque on the blade is often overlooked.
When I am teaching a new guy in my home I describe it as 60% of pressure/torque on the edge and 40% on the spine. Obviously the numbers are not exact but the point is to have sufficient pressure on the edge so that it makes contact with the hone. This also applies to stropping.

Just my $.02

Originally Posted by randydance062449

Thanks for posting this thread and thanks to Papbull and Lynn for the useful comments. The torque on the blade is often overlooked.
When I am teaching a new guy in my home I describe it as 60% of pressure/torque on the edge and 40% on the spine. Obviously the numbers are not exact but the point is to have sufficient pressure on the edge so that it makes contact with the hone. This also applies to stropping.

Just my $.02

Thanks! And you really nailed it because the point of honing is to abrade the edge into a new bevel, not to grind the spine away. I like your 60/40 description. It's enough to keep spine contact for an even bevel while making the point that most of the "torque" should be at the edge and not on the spine.