Table of contents

• Introduction
  
• History
  
• Modern Technologies
  
• 4 Reasons to Hone
  
• Tools and Equipment
  
• Flattening The Back
  
• Holding the Chisel on the Stone
• Moving the Chisel on the Stone
  
• Creating the Wire Edge
  
• Chasing the Burr
  
• The Micro Bevel
  
• Stropping
  
• Conclusion

What follows now is the sequence for first creating the "burr" or "wire edge" on the tool and then in succeeding steps, removing it by abrasion and and fatiguing the metal by alternately rubbing the bevel, then the back, onto the stone. The steps (shown on the previous page) for holding and moving the tool on the stone are always the same regardless of where in the honing procedure we are.

Hint: at first, try stopping at the end of each stoke to check the solidity of the down holding pressure on the bevel. The bevel should "click" against the stone. As your hold-down technique becomes consistently good progress to continuous back and forth strokes.

1. If tool is fresh from the grinding wheel, rub until a bright line appears on the bevel all along the cutting edge and the heel (= 20-30 strokes). (Note: Do not rub back of tool yet.) The bright lines are flats abraded by the stone; they needn't be wide. A scant 1/64" is enough.

2. If tool already has the bright lines (i.e., was previously honed on an oilstone) then rub till a slight roughness (a "burr" or "wire edge") can be felt on the blade's back, just behind the cutting edge. This burr should be palpable all along the cutting edge. Keep checking your progress. When examined under a bright light no light should reflect on the edge itself (on the edge viewed from the end, not the flats on the bevel). Any reflected light indicates dullness. Sharp edges reflect no light!