I would like to share something that I have come to discover in my learning in my honing journey. I have been lucky to have had Steve56 and Doc226 as mentors. When i first started honing i was using way way to much pressure. I had the typical chippy over-honed edges - with harsh shave and all. About two weeks ago i got a new light installed over my honing table - and it opened my eyes and helped with my honing and magnification.
My progession is shapton 1.5k, 5k, 8k, and 12k naniwa. I would only then at the time do 30 laps to finish on the 12k - and i thought i was over doing the edge and chipping it. So thought i was seeing microchips with my 10x loupe- but the fact was it was remnants of wire- edges that resembled chippy steel. Steve56 brought this to my attention that bits of fin' can look like micro-chips .Come to find out i did 60 total laps on the nan/12k and it infact coaxed off the small remnants of burrs that resembled chips - I would do 10 laps on 12k then strop for 25 laps on bare leather then 10 more on the stone and so on etc. So now i have a perfectly straight bevel witu zero chipping or zero over honed fin'. Some may not belivee this but I even expermented on my Sterling hollow ground razor, and i did 100 laps on 12k, with no wire edges and zero chipping- i do a slight back-hone motion, before going forward when i finish on my fininshing stones. (Think of the way Sham does his honing motion)
I have watched all the videos of fellows only doing 10-15 laps on a naniwa 12k, and 8 laps on a shapton 30k. If a finiishing stone was that fast you could do a bevel set all the way to finish with just one stone -IMO no stone is that fast - there is no way you can get a 12k edge with only 10 or so laps (I now finish with 50-55 laps and i get a "actual" 12k finish on my bevels) Overhoning i have discovered in my experience is using way too much pressure, and not the high number of laps. If you do have a fin' at 8k and go to the 12k - the 12k will coax and remove any bits of fin' that is left. Super Super light passes will not raise a Fin' - if they are any pieces fin' the finisher will remove it - its all about super light pressure.
Same when we sharpen knives - 'any' finishing stone can remove/deburr any remnants of wire edges from a knife, without any assistance of strops loaded with compounds. Thanks again for the help Steve and Alfredo!
My progession is shapton 1.5k, 5k, 8k, and 12k naniwa. I would only then at the time do 30 laps to finish on the 12k - and i thought i was over doing the edge and chipping it. So thought i was seeing microchips with my 10x loupe- but the fact was it was remnants of wire- edges that resembled chippy steel. Steve56 brought this to my attention that bits of fin' can look like micro-chips .Come to find out i did 60 total laps on the nan/12k and it infact coaxed off the small remnants of burrs that resembled chips - I would do 10 laps on 12k then strop for 25 laps on bare leather then 10 more on the stone and so on etc. So now i have a perfectly straight bevel witu zero chipping or zero over honed fin'. Some may not belivee this but I even expermented on my Sterling hollow ground razor, and i did 100 laps on 12k, with no wire edges and zero chipping- i do a slight back-hone motion, before going forward when i finish on my fininshing stones. (Think of the way Sham does his honing motion)
I have watched all the videos of fellows only doing 10-15 laps on a naniwa 12k, and 8 laps on a shapton 30k. If a finiishing stone was that fast you could do a bevel set all the way to finish with just one stone -IMO no stone is that fast - there is no way you can get a 12k edge with only 10 or so laps (I now finish with 50-55 laps and i get a "actual" 12k finish on my bevels) Overhoning i have discovered in my experience is using way too much pressure, and not the high number of laps. If you do have a fin' at 8k and go to the 12k - the 12k will coax and remove any bits of fin' that is left. Super Super light passes will not raise a Fin' - if they are any pieces fin' the finisher will remove it - its all about super light pressure.
Same when we sharpen knives - 'any' finishing stone can remove/deburr any remnants of wire edges from a knife, without any assistance of strops loaded with compounds. Thanks again for the help Steve and Alfredo!
Last edited: