vgeorge
Well-Known Member
BACKGROUND:
All these sound a bit like teenage games of certain type, but I think there might be a common scientific/technical link that might explain some things, and even give a plausible explanation for what people have reported. Hear me out.
CAVEAT:
I am an empiricist. A gram/ounce of evidence is worth a kilogram/ton of theory. At this time, the following unfortunately is pure conjuncture from me. Some people here might know for sure whether some elements below are indeed true or false. Please speak up. Although a novice, you are not going to hurt my feelings.
EXHIBIT # 1:
You must have seen this many times. Bart has a graphic that demonstrates the characteristics of a razor’s edge. It shows not only a serrated/saw-toothed edge, but also gouges leading from the edge. Both the serration and the gouges are ostensibly from the abrasion against (relatively) boulder like garnets. It makes a lot of sense.
I cannot find Bart’s picture right now. So …, I am going to show you a photograph of a crude simulated model. Since the thicknesses are at the micron level, I am going to use aluminum foil.
Here is the Bart’s graphic ‘modeled’ in aluminum foil:
EXHIBIT # 2:
If gouging is possible at the edge, serration and teeth are possible as well. Remember in Bart’s graphic, and in most of our own conceptualization, the edge is in one plane. We also imagine, I do, the serration teeth following along the ‘straight edge.’
There is no reason always for this to be so for the teeth (to be in one plane).
The teeth of the serration can point in many directions depending only on the physics of the preceding impact with the random abrasive element. I would think that, therefore, in all likelihood, the teeth would be pointing helter- skelter. This is what I ‘model’ in this photograph, granted with a lot of creative license:
IMPLICATIONS
Though there are other candidates for causing HHT-violins, an edge with three-dimensional serrated teeth will certainly do that. Why? For the same reason the hair will play violin against any serrated foil. It does not have the strength to cut. Chance of the hair finding a sharp edge is small indeed from the above picture. (On the other end of the spectrum, the HHT will only violin – if you can call it that - with your bread-knife too, right? It has strength, but no keenness.)
I am assuming that edge serration that follows the kind of techniques we use most likely happens with unacceptable localized thinning at the edge. This assumption may not be entirely correct. I know people constantly assert that you cannot over hone with a coticule. I do not know if that is true or not. If the gouges of the kind that Bart drew are possible, and I think they are, you cannot claim coticule will not over hone.
Irrespective of all that, there should be no argument that three-dimensional serration will wreak havoc on your facial skin.
HANDLING THREE-DIMENSIONAL SERRATION AND EVIDENCE SO FAR
[li]Bart’s hard soap experiment [/li]
[li]Emmanual’s circular honing and turpentine + bee-wax honing[/li]
[li]Denny’s wax trick and plaintive claims about jeans/linen rubs[/li]
All these sound a bit like teenage games of certain type, but I think there might be a common scientific/technical link that might explain some things, and even give a plausible explanation for what people have reported. Hear me out.
CAVEAT:
I am an empiricist. A gram/ounce of evidence is worth a kilogram/ton of theory. At this time, the following unfortunately is pure conjuncture from me. Some people here might know for sure whether some elements below are indeed true or false. Please speak up. Although a novice, you are not going to hurt my feelings.
EXHIBIT # 1:
You must have seen this many times. Bart has a graphic that demonstrates the characteristics of a razor’s edge. It shows not only a serrated/saw-toothed edge, but also gouges leading from the edge. Both the serration and the gouges are ostensibly from the abrasion against (relatively) boulder like garnets. It makes a lot of sense.
I cannot find Bart’s picture right now. So …, I am going to show you a photograph of a crude simulated model. Since the thicknesses are at the micron level, I am going to use aluminum foil.
Here is the Bart’s graphic ‘modeled’ in aluminum foil:
EXHIBIT # 2:
If gouging is possible at the edge, serration and teeth are possible as well. Remember in Bart’s graphic, and in most of our own conceptualization, the edge is in one plane. We also imagine, I do, the serration teeth following along the ‘straight edge.’
There is no reason always for this to be so for the teeth (to be in one plane).
The teeth of the serration can point in many directions depending only on the physics of the preceding impact with the random abrasive element. I would think that, therefore, in all likelihood, the teeth would be pointing helter- skelter. This is what I ‘model’ in this photograph, granted with a lot of creative license:
IMPLICATIONS
Though there are other candidates for causing HHT-violins, an edge with three-dimensional serrated teeth will certainly do that. Why? For the same reason the hair will play violin against any serrated foil. It does not have the strength to cut. Chance of the hair finding a sharp edge is small indeed from the above picture. (On the other end of the spectrum, the HHT will only violin – if you can call it that - with your bread-knife too, right? It has strength, but no keenness.)
I am assuming that edge serration that follows the kind of techniques we use most likely happens with unacceptable localized thinning at the edge. This assumption may not be entirely correct. I know people constantly assert that you cannot over hone with a coticule. I do not know if that is true or not. If the gouges of the kind that Bart drew are possible, and I think they are, you cannot claim coticule will not over hone.
Irrespective of all that, there should be no argument that three-dimensional serration will wreak havoc on your facial skin.
HANDLING THREE-DIMENSIONAL SERRATION AND EVIDENCE SO FAR
[li] I think circular/elliptical honing will encourage the teeth, if formed, to point in one direction. It also will knock off some of them. Recall the success of Emmanual’s circular - OK, OK, elliptical - honing. [/li]
[li]Hard soap, wax, etc. might actually do something beneficial for both surfaces. A lot of the hone’s surface may become masked, and only part of the tallest abrasive elements may become exposed. That will be equivalent to reduction in BOTH particle size and density. On the bevel, gouges would get filled up and only protruding metal will be more easily available for abrasion. The improvements reported with soap and wax by several members have to have some association with reduced damage to the edge, irrespective of whether the causal factors are as described. [/li]
[li]Stropping on not-so-taut soft surfaces would also encourage alignment of teeth as well as create an action similar to shaking of milk teeth, which likely leads to removal of the weak teeth in the serration. Recall Denny’s jeans/linen success. [/li]
[li]I think, the above three, taken together can (1) minimize the formation of serrated teeth (2) align them straight along the edge, and (3) get rid of some or lot of them. For most of us that may be enough. The ideal, of course, would be the edge without any of those serrations. [/li]
[li]I would think a thin bevel would reduce the chance for these pesky teeth to be formed because there is less thin material to start to form the serrated edge. Slight increase in the honing angle (tape!) might help here. Failing that, we will have to find the equivalent of Denny’s Dovo lady’s wet horn. [/li]
