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Treatise on Razor Honing - 2014

Thanks Gamma, and a happy 2014 to you and the rest of the gang. As always, I appreciate the integrity and rectitude as expressed in your posts. Personally, I like the Arkansas stones from the ground up (preceded by the Crystalons and Indias as need be) because they represent a dedicated oil-stone system. Same goes for Xbrand JIS synths with water. Localized or limited is important to me. I also enjoyed your recent flirtation with pastes as well. As with many other things, if the edge isn't already there, the pastes won't do a thing.
 
Gamma, thank you again for this.

Curious, no mention of the Zulu Grey...for some reason I thought you'd been using that over the past year, with positive results? Maybe I'm mistaken...
 
Gamma, thank you again for this.

Curious, no mention of the Zulu Grey...for some reason I thought you'd been using that over the past year, with positive results? Maybe I'm mistaken...

YW - I sold my ZG - it was a plausible finisher but it didn't wow me. There were several stones that I tried in the last year, but they didn't get mentioned - the ZG was one, the Dalmore Blue was another, along with the Pyrannese, the green Beryl, and a wealth of barber's hones.
 
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YW - I sold my ZG - it was a plausible finisher but it didn't wow me. There were several stones that I tried in the last year, but they didn't get mentioned - the ZG was one, the Dalmore Blue was another, along with the Pyrannese, the green Beryl, and a wealth of barber's hones.
I have been playing with the ZG as well...
Have much more to learn and a few other finishers to test out.
But this insight is great.

Myron
 
This year I took some vaguely rectangular shaped things. Some rock, Some rock-like, and some steel. I rubbed some bits of steel on them. The results were satisfactory. I then took some film-like things. I wrapped left-overs in them. Again, the results were satisfactory. A place for everything and everything in its place. -2013.
 
Gamma, Thank you. Not rambling at all. Smart and useful. You remind me that most paradigms are useful structures to begin with until one becomes adept; then one moves into a more complicated experiential fluid dynamic of touch and feel. But that takes a lot of time and a lot of steel. I find a lot of newbies just counting strokes and it is difficult to explain that depending on the quality, balance and level of the blade (and the type of hone) one has to learn the feel, the look (with amplification) and the sound of the edge and a predictable method of testing the edge throughout the process. Its hard to describe (at least for me) without sounding like I've read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Mantenance too many times. Nicely done.
 
It has been a while since I have read this post, and I almost forgot that it existed. This one is worth a bump from time to time in my opinion. It has helped me in how I think about, and approach, my honing. This is a good read for all of those new to honing that have come along since it was last on the front page of this sub-forum.
 
Wow - more basement digging. lol.
Sometimes, I feel like it might be time to write out an updated version...
 
Wow - more basement digging. lol.
Sometimes, I feel like it might be time to write out an updated version...

What I found most useful was the theory behind your approach to honing. The closest thing I've found to it was back when I first read Joe Talmadge's writing on Sharpening. Both works offer solid reasoning and theory that can be applied to an individual's personal methods and style of honing.
 
Ah, yes.... Joe did/does have an interesting and palatable approach to all things 'sharp'.
 
What I found most useful was the theory behind your approach to honing. The closest thing I've found to it was back when I first read Joe Talmadge's writing on Sharpening. Both works offer solid reasoning and theory that can be applied to an individual's personal methods and style of honing.
Has Joe Talmadge ever written about sharpening razors, or only about knives?
 
Has Joe Talmadge ever written about sharpening razors, or only about knives?

As far as I know, his information has only been about sharpening blades in general but I haven't done any heavy searches into his other writing. He does cover stropping on different surfaces like leather, balsa and such, so much of it should translate to straights. He may very well have done some writing about honing razors, I haven't researched his work in over a decade or more.

I found his work to be somewhat similar to that of @Gamma in that it covers techniques, media and the theory/philosophy behind it all. It was a quite lengthy read but very well organized and I picked up things that would've otherwise taken me years (or decades) to discover on my own , if ever - like much of what Gamma has posted.
 
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