honing clarifications

[Mink]

I'm sneaking up on my first honing of a razor and I have some technique or process questions still left. I've watched many videos on razor honing now and I've sharpened my own plane blades and chisels for about 35 years. I understand that some of my current practices won't work for razors, but the list is short.

1. A very basic hone care practice I have used since I started is to make sure that the swarf or rinse water from a higher grit stone (smaller particles) never touches a lower grit stone. I see most people honing go back and forth between stones as they move up in grit as a graduation of sharpness practice. They don't rinse off the razor or do anything to make sure that the lower grit stone doesn't get contaminated. I know that with tools, the higher grit cutting swarf can get in the lower grit stone and cause pitting of the hone and even damage the edge if it "chunks". When lower grit (bigger particles) get on higher grit hones, it rinses off easily. So, with razors, and the very minimal touch against the hone, this may not be a problem. Am I worrying about something that has very little consequence with razors?

2. When sharpening tools, there's no such thing as not putting your hand on the blade. I don't see anyone putting their fingers on the blade when honing. It would seem to me that just resting 2-3 fingers on the hollow and spine would prevent the spine from lifting. Having the spine lift, it would seem to me, would/could be worse than resting fingers on the blade to keep it from lifting. I understand about not squashing the blade down - for all kinds of reasons - but I'm having a terrible time resisting putting my fingers in the hollow. Tell me why I shouldn't.

3. Why not tape the spine on a new or newer razor? Sometimes people do it, sometimes not. Is the better practice to tape it? I don't have any really thin spines on my razors, and I understand why a blade like that might need several layers of tape, but why would anyone not tape the spine? I'm asking, not challenging the practice - what am I missing?

 

[Isaac]

1. I agree with you on this. It is important to not cross contaminate your hones so to speak. I always rinse off the blade/hones when using them or not using them.

2. I place one or two fingers on my blades. It is recommended using Bart's Dilucot on the Coticule. The main thing is that your not adding any extra pressure on the blade where you are placing your fingers. If its better for you to place fingers, I say why not.

3. Tape dont tape... Im sure our ancestors never taped the spines of the razors. That is why you have so many old razors with hone wear. The main important thing to remember is that once you tape, the bevel is established with that angle. If you want to hone without tape on that same blade, you have to re establish the bevel without tape. I personally tape all my razors. Its a shame to ruin beautiful damascus finishes with hone wear. I recently purchased a Livi Bergamo Damascus, that Livi himself put some great honewear lines in the finish, and took off the actual razor finish. Needless to say, I still tape up the razors.

 

[thanks]

1. I agree with you on this. It is important to not cross contaminate your hones so to speak. I always rinse off the blade/hones when using them or not using them.

2. I place one or two fingers on my blades. It is recommended using Bart's Dilucot on the Coticule. The main thing is that your not adding any extra pressure on the blade where you are placing your fingers. If its better for you to place fingers, I say why not.

3. Tape dont tape... Im sure our ancestors never taped the spines of the razors. That is why you have so many old razors with hone wear. The main important thing to remember is that once you tape, the bevel is established with that angle. If you want to hone without tape on that same blade, you have to re establish the bevel without tape. I personally tape all my razors. Its a shame to ruin beautiful damascus finishes with hone wear. I recently purchased a Livi Bergamo Damascus, that Livi himself put some great honewear lines in the finish, and took off the actual razor finish. Needless to say, I still tape up the razors.

I agree with all of this. I would also like to mention that some hones are actually extremely sensitive to pressure- any pressure that isn't just the blade resting on the surface. A coticule with just water is one of these stones, however a coticule with slurry is fine to use a tiny bit of pressure. We are talking about extremely thin and fragile edges here, after all.

 

[Seraphim]

I put a couple fingers on the spine when honing, it gives me better control and feel for what's going on.

 

[LarryAndro]

I am sure grit is moved back and forth between hones. After using one of my Naniwa hones, I scrub it with a terry cloth washrag. This removes almost all swarf, and the amount remaining is not significant in my opinion. Even if I didn't scrub my hones between uses, with hollow grounds, I don't think the amount of grit hanging on the bevel is significant.

(As an aside, the terry cloth leaves fibers on the hone. I rinse them off easily in a basin of water before the next use. It hydrates the surface, which is good, and it cleans the hone of cloth fibers and any residual surface swarf.)