I bought a coticule, slurry stone and BBW a while back to learn to hone. I've honed three different razors numerous times and I'm having a frequent problem that I would love to get some help with. Here is what happens.
I'm using the dilicot method except that I establish the bevel on a diamond hone because it is quicker and I have it. But from then on I am following the method as described, or at least I was. Somewhere between halfway and 2/3rds or so into the dilution phase I'll be drawing the blade along the hone, everything is fine the stone is telling me it is getting pretty stable with that level of dilution and it feels and sounds good and then I get a sound/sensation as if the blade ran over a piece of grit. After that the feel of the draw is not as satisfying and one or more additional times the same thing reoccurs. After going back to the bevel and rehoning four times in succession I looked at the edge under a dissecting scope and noticed microchips in the edge. Thinking I was doing something wrong or maybe the steel in that razor was sub par I tried another razor this time looking at the bevel and edge after each series of strokes. I even put a brand new SE blade under the scope so I could compare the edges throughout the process.
The same thing kept happening so i started being really methodical and looking at the edge after every step. Same thing, the bevel looks good after the diamond hone, the scratches on the bevel slowly disappear and are replaced by a sort of grainy eveness and the edge looks good until sometime well in to the dilution phase and then bingo, grit chip.
I started paying a lot of attention to where on the blade the chips occurred and where the edge was on the stone and I thought I narrowed it down to a place on the stone that was reproducible. At that location, which is not precise you understand, there is a darkish dot on the stone smaller than a pinhead. Here is the coticule:
View attachment 130333
And here is the dot, the white balance is off, the stone is much paler yellow in the flesh:
View attachment 130334
I don't want to blame my tools for my bad technique and I am not entirely sure of this. Maybe it is my imagination, but I was paying very close attention last time and drawing the blade really slowly and with a very light touch, and I am sure I'm not doing anything untoward to make it chip. When this first happened I thought maybe I was tilting the blade and running the edge against the stone's edge. But I know for sure that was not happening the last couple of times I had this happen. I have lapped the stone again to be sure all is flat and smooth.
To complicate matters I was able to hone a third razor without incident which adds to the uncertainty. But for two razors the problem was reproducible and always happened near the same portion of the stone (flipped it 180 a couple times to be sure) so I am wondering if it is unheard of to have a hard inclusion in a stone that periodically blebs off a large chunk that chips a blade that is nearing the sharp, delicate stage. Alternatively I guess it may not release a chip but simply raise above the surrounding stone as it wears slightly. I also feel a bit of raspiness in this part of the stone when honing, but only near the end of the dilution phase.
Any suggestions or comments? If I get time this weekend I'm going to hone one of the aforementioned razors again and a new one I just got to double check my observations. Any help would be appreciated.
I'm using the dilicot method except that I establish the bevel on a diamond hone because it is quicker and I have it. But from then on I am following the method as described, or at least I was. Somewhere between halfway and 2/3rds or so into the dilution phase I'll be drawing the blade along the hone, everything is fine the stone is telling me it is getting pretty stable with that level of dilution and it feels and sounds good and then I get a sound/sensation as if the blade ran over a piece of grit. After that the feel of the draw is not as satisfying and one or more additional times the same thing reoccurs. After going back to the bevel and rehoning four times in succession I looked at the edge under a dissecting scope and noticed microchips in the edge. Thinking I was doing something wrong or maybe the steel in that razor was sub par I tried another razor this time looking at the bevel and edge after each series of strokes. I even put a brand new SE blade under the scope so I could compare the edges throughout the process.
The same thing kept happening so i started being really methodical and looking at the edge after every step. Same thing, the bevel looks good after the diamond hone, the scratches on the bevel slowly disappear and are replaced by a sort of grainy eveness and the edge looks good until sometime well in to the dilution phase and then bingo, grit chip.
I started paying a lot of attention to where on the blade the chips occurred and where the edge was on the stone and I thought I narrowed it down to a place on the stone that was reproducible. At that location, which is not precise you understand, there is a darkish dot on the stone smaller than a pinhead. Here is the coticule:
View attachment 130333
And here is the dot, the white balance is off, the stone is much paler yellow in the flesh:
View attachment 130334
I don't want to blame my tools for my bad technique and I am not entirely sure of this. Maybe it is my imagination, but I was paying very close attention last time and drawing the blade really slowly and with a very light touch, and I am sure I'm not doing anything untoward to make it chip. When this first happened I thought maybe I was tilting the blade and running the edge against the stone's edge. But I know for sure that was not happening the last couple of times I had this happen. I have lapped the stone again to be sure all is flat and smooth.
To complicate matters I was able to hone a third razor without incident which adds to the uncertainty. But for two razors the problem was reproducible and always happened near the same portion of the stone (flipped it 180 a couple times to be sure) so I am wondering if it is unheard of to have a hard inclusion in a stone that periodically blebs off a large chunk that chips a blade that is nearing the sharp, delicate stage. Alternatively I guess it may not release a chip but simply raise above the surrounding stone as it wears slightly. I also feel a bit of raspiness in this part of the stone when honing, but only near the end of the dilution phase.
Any suggestions or comments? If I get time this weekend I'm going to hone one of the aforementioned razors again and a new one I just got to double check my observations. Any help would be appreciated.
...try lapping it and if it doesn't work, send it back for an exchange
