What did you hone today?

[cotedupy]

Bit of maintenance sharpening / touching up of the knives my wife uses most, which means they get somewhat beaten up. Top is a Pallares Solsona, then three knives made by some friends in the UK - Blenheim Forge.

Gave a run out of a stone I should probably use more often, because it's very good. Quite a light coloured Idwal / Grecian, a bit over 5x2".

Certainly doing the job here, on an edge that isn't excessively thin:

 

[Legion]

First time trying a pair of scissors. Used an old Norton India hone I got in a lot I purchased. View attachment 1343453View attachment 1343454

What type is your honing oil?

 

[cotedupy]

I did some more searching. My issue is called a false edge - see Bevel Setting - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/bevel-setting.597822/post-10979237 - and my experience backing off is consistent with what @Steve56 said on Clearing a false edge - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/clearing-a-false-edge.548812/post-9765005:

"False edges etc are caused by one or more of three things; too much pressure, too much time/too many strokes on one side of the blade, and aggressive stones. You can usually hone them off with super light pressure and flipping the blade each stroke. Try using a shorter stroke too."

After restoring a blade, I usually run the edge over a beer bottle before putting on my 1k, and I just realized that I forgot to do this with the John Heiffor. I am now thinking about strop on leather, examine, run over beer bottle, examine, go to 4k.

This sounds the same as what knife people would call a 'wire' or 'foil' edge, which is effectively a burr. If it's only formed on one particular part of the edge, and you're finding it difficult to remove, that would suggest (to me) a slight inconsistency of the grind along the length of the razor.

On a knife a wire edge is incredibly simple to sort out, on a razor I imagine less so. I'm very much into guessing territory here, but if you try to hone it out where it is and make the bevel even - that would possibly exaggerate the smile. It'd take longer but if you tried to hone out some of the smiley-ness from the middle you could probably even the bevel and flatten the profile at the same time.

(All of that is assuming that a 'false edge' is a similar affair to a wire edge. It sounds it at least.)

 

[JPO]

I spent more than two hours using my Chosera 1k to set a bevel on a John Heiffor 5/8 near wedge I recently restored. The razor has a small smile. I used one layer of Super 88.

I started out with light rolling x-strokes to get the lay of the land. The apex began to form between the heel and the midpoint, and then a very thin line began to develop where the apex should form in the section marked in the below diagram. I tried everything I could think of to remove the line. Eventually, I backed off and gently worked both sides of the edge emphasizing the front face from which the thin line was visible, and got the edge to pass the tomato test but there is still a very short section that is not sharp enough for my taste.

I have seen this before but not for such an extended distance. Could this be the result of a warp in the blade?

View attachment 1343434

Have you calculated the bevel angle? The bevel angle might be to shallow. I have had this issue with one of my razors. If the bevel angle is to shallow the steel might not be supporting the edge well enough. One layer of tape fixed the issue for me.
Maybe you should start a separate thread under the honing section.

 

[Wid]

What type is your honing oil?

I’ve been using Dans honing oil.

 

[Legion]

I’ve been using Dans honing oil.

Is it just a thin mineral oil, or with additives, do you know? I’ve been using paraffin oil, which is food grade mineral oil here, but it seems a little thick. I can cut it with some kerosene, but then you have the smell. Trying to find a good diy mix.

 

[Wid]

Is it just a thin mineral oil, or with additives, do you know? I’ve been using paraffin oil, which is food grade mineral oil here, but it seems a little thick. I can cut it with some kerosene, but then you have the smell. Trying to find a good diy mix.

I'm going to try this mixture next. Mineral oil, transmission oil and diesel fuel, 60/20/20 respectively.

 

[Alum of Potash]

Is it just a thin mineral oil, or with additives, do you know? I’ve been using paraffin oil, which is food grade mineral oil here, but it seems a little thick. I can cut it with some kerosene, but then you have the smell. Trying to find a good diy mix.

Dan's honing oil seems to be cut with something like kerosene. Is "Vaseline Oil" available in Australia? In France, there is both paraffin oil and Vaseline oil, both being mineral oil, the former being used as a laxative and sold in pharmacies. Vaseline oil, sold in big-box hardware stores, is less viscous; and although it's not food safe, it shouldn't be bad for your skin. Otherwise, I use a "huile de précision"--a light oil for small mechanisms like sewing machines. Not very strong as to smell and not too bad on the skin. Norton also sells a honing oil that is marked food safe and is not too viscous. In the States, I've used it on Arkansas stones to hone carbon steel kitchen knives.

 

[Empire straights]

We have a big grape vine in the yard, and I pruned the S* out of it at the start of spring. It has been just sitting there ever since, and I was half hoping I killed it so I could harvest the wood. But I just checked it, and it is sprouting. Hopefully this year we get some grapes, at least.

I just harvested a bunch of really old wisteria vine I had to cut to put a fence

I had a pretty good oppsie. I was being cheap and used an old tube of CA rather than cracking open a new one. I squeezed the tube a little and nothing came out. I squeezed a bit hardener and a tiny drop started to come out. I squeezed a lot and suddenly half the tube came out all over my hands and sink. Oppsie!

Luckily it wasn’t on the stone or any other surfaces. Washing my hands with soap didn’t help much. Hand cream didn’t help much either. Eventually I filed of the worst bits with a nail file. A day later and it’s all flaked off of my skin. There some on my finger nails that’s not going anywhere in a hurry. I didn’t glue myself to anything so that was a win at least. We live and learn.

I ended up using a new tube for the stone and it worked well.

Bit of maintenance sharpening / touching up of the knives my wife uses most, which means they get somewhat beaten up. Top is a Pallares Solsona, then three knives made by some friends in the UK - Blenheim Forge.

View attachment 1343550

Gave a run out of a stone I should probably use more often, because it's very good. Quite a light coloured Idwal / Grecian, a bit over 5x2".

View attachment 1343551

Certainly doing the job here, on an edge that isn't excessively thin:

I've been insanely impressed on what mine is doing to my knives. Lately all I've been doing for work knives is the washita looking pike soft ark and then to my LI, strop and they are sharper than ever before. I almost completely lost the top half of my finger print on my ring finger. I was almost all the way through before I even felt it. My daughter ran into my while honing a work knife and I almost dropped a 9"x2"x1.5" washita on her head. I caught it, and my knife.

 

[Empire straights]

@cotedupy the moral of the story, which I butchered(get it), was that LI has gotten my pocket knives sharp enough to not feel a bad cut until it hit something hard, Kind of like a scalpel or straight razor done very, very well. I've never even been close to keeping them that well until recently. It takes me less that 2 mins to touch them up with a pike no.1 or pike soft ark then that LI. About a minute per stone. To think I almost sold this stone, now I'm trying to find another! One of those light ones with dark speckles and a turkey stone are my current rundowns.

 

[Empire straights]

Is it just a thin mineral oil, or with additives, do you know? I’ve been using paraffin oil, which is food grade mineral oil here, but it seems a little thick. I can cut it with some kerosene, but then you have the smell. Trying to find a good diy mix.

You might be able to thin it out with a little booze. The oil and alcohol may mix, but I don't know.

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

"Perhaps I should have just applied more pressure and tried to power through it to lower the rest of the bevel.

That, is almost never a good solution. A phone? any photo is better than… a drawing."

Doing more of the samething, expecting a different result…

 

[Frank Shaves]

Have you calculated the bevel angle? The bevel angle might be to shallow. I have had this issue with one of my razors. If the bevel angle is to shallow the steel might not be supporting the edge well enough. One layer of tape fixed the issue for me.
Maybe you should start a separate thread under the honing section.

I licked my wounds, woke up this morning, killed the edge, and returned to my 1k working both sides of the edge and then reducing the pressure using short strokes. No false edge. I completed the progression and the edge is good - not great. I calculate the angle at about 16 degrees. I used one layer of Super 88. The bevel is wide but not crazy wide.

 

[Legion]

Bengall with a mystery coti and jnat.

 

[Legion]

Dan's honing oil seems to be cut with something like kerosene. Is "Vaseline Oil" available in Australia? In France, there is both paraffin oil and Vaseline oil, both being mineral oil, the former being used as a laxative and sold in pharmacies. Vaseline oil, sold in big-box hardware stores, is less viscous; and although it's not food safe, it shouldn't be bad for your skin. Otherwise, I use a "huile de précision"--a light oil for small mechanisms like sewing machines. Not very strong as to smell and not too bad on the skin. Norton also sells a honing oil that is marked food safe and is not too viscous. In the States, I've used it on Arkansas stones to hone carbon steel kitchen knives.

I've never seen vaseline oil here. The paraffin is sold as a laxative, and you can buy big bottles in hardware stores (much more cost efficient) which is labeled not for consumption, but is basically the same stuff, and I guess used for seasoning cutting boards and so on.

I used sewing machine oil in the past, and that works pretty well.

 

[Tomo]

Is it just a thin mineral oil, or with additives, do you know? I’ve been using paraffin oil, which is food grade mineral oil here, but it seems a little thick. I can cut it with some kerosene, but then you have the smell. Trying to find a good diy mix.

I use a 50:50 mix of Paraffin oil and Food Safe Mineral oil. This mix has no scent and is a little thinner than Singer Sewing Machine oil (which I also use). I like the mix a bit better though it’s faster and less sticky.

I got some low oder kerosene at Bunnings but it stinks just as bad as the normal stuff. I’m already pushing my luck honing on the kitchen table. The kerosene would get me banned to the garage for sure.

I got the empty dropper bottle from a local hippy health food shop for a couple bucks. Apparently the hippies use them for mixing up essential oil potions.

 

[Legion]

I use a 50:50 mix of Paraffin oil and Food Safe Mineral oil. This mix has no scent and is a little thinner than Singer Sewing Machine oil (which I also use). I like the mix a bit better though it’s faster and less sticky.

I got some low oder kerosene at Bunnings but it stinks just as bad as the normal stuff. I’m already pushing my luck honing on the kitchen table. The kerosene would get me banned to the garage for sure.

I got the empty dropper bottle from a local hippy health food shop for a couple bucks. Apparently the hippies use them for mixing up essential oil potions.


View attachment 1344059

That paraffin is the exact one I use, and I have a little plastic squirt bottle, which is also handy if I want to inject it into hinges, and so on.

 

[Empire straights]

I licked my wounds, woke up this morning, killed the edge, and returned to my 1k working both sides of the edge and then reducing the pressure using short strokes. No false edge. I completed the progression and the edge is good - not great. I calculate the angle at about 16 degrees. I used one layer of Super 88. The bevel is wide but not crazy wide.

View attachment 1343948

Adding another piece of tape might help at the very end by giving you a micro bevel. I don't use tape but with (near)/ wedges I got to pick the spine up the tiniest bit while honing or it never gets sharp for me. I do it all by feel and I've had luck but those wedges are tougher for sure.

 

[Frank Shaves]

Adding another piece of tape might help at the very end by giving you a micro bevel. I don't use tape but with (near)/ wedges I got to pick the spine up the tiniest bit while honing or it never gets sharp for me. I do it all by feel and I've had luck but those wedges are tougher for sure.

I thought about adding a second layer of tape, and I may very well do so in the future, but first I want to use the razor a few times. One step at a time.

 

[Empire straights]

I thought about adding a second layer of tape, and I may very well do so in the future, but first I want to use the razor a few times. One step at a time.

I know my wedges usually don't feel sharp on my fingertips even when they are sharp and they don't do as well with an hht but they still wipe hair off my face like a squeegee.