Honing Methods For Removing a Foil or Wire Edge

[Steve56]

This is a topic suggested by Brooksie967 in the Iwasaki Honing Guide Revisited thread. Sounds like a good idea to collect information about just how we go about doing it.

You can hone it off. Works for me sometimes, sometimes not, but I'm not honing to try and specifically remove a foil edge. Anyone have information on pressure, grit, type of strokes, etc that is especially effective at removing it?

I've used a wine cork and a felt block (used by knife folk) both work pretty well, especially if the foil edge is not large and strong. The felt block is probably better if you have a good robust foil edge.

Wood (a la Murray Carter and one other website; suggests a wooden match). Works pretty well.

Joining on a hone. Works every time. I like to do it at the beginning off a 1K or 2K stone.

Any others?

Cheers, Steve

 

[PapaFish]

I have stropped (very lightly, one direction only) with the spine off the leather before. This will bend the foil edge over to one side. Then I go back to the stone I was on, start with the spine touching, get moving, and set the edge down. This will pull the wire edge under the bevel, and has done a good job of ripping it free. Then hone it back to where it should be with alternating strokes. I have only had wire edges on very low grit stones when doing lots of half laps, so after this I set the bevel and hone it up.

 

[Brooksie967]

Perhaps an explanation of the cork, felt and wood would be helpful for those brand new?

 

[Fuzzy Chops]

How do we know that a foil edge is not beneficial?

...or are you talking about a burr?

 

[buca3152]

I just keep honing til its gone. I hone a lot of gold dollars using half strokes so i see it almost every time.

 

[Steve56]

I'm using the terms interchangeably - in this sense I'd say the foil edge is an edge that won't persist through shaving.

If we need to redefine terminology I'm all for it, we need to be talking about the same thing.

I draw the edge lightly across a felt block or across the grain of a wine cork. Sometimes I can actually see a fine black line left on the white felt. Using the hone face, I can also see a black line sometimes, though the hone face is aggressive enough that I suspect the line is a bit more than just the burr.

And I left one method out: drawing the razor's edge across the corner of a 3K grit Kai hone, as Maestro Livi did in the video someone posted not long ago. I had to cringe at that one though no doubt the pressure was extremely light.

Cheers, Steve