HONING. 77 



commencing the sharpening, and for sharpening the coarser instru- 

 ments. 



A. Place several drops of fine olive or sewing-machine oil on the 

 stone and, with a cloth devoted to the purpose, rub the surface to 

 remove all dirt and expose the cutting particles of the stone. After 

 the stone is well wiped, put two or three more drops of oil upon it, 

 and spread it around with a scalpel blade. 



B. Look at the edge of the instrument to be sharpened with the 

 tripod magnifier, holding the edge of the blade up and between the 

 eye and the light. This is to see if there are any nicks in the edge. 

 If there are nicks, they should be removed by rubbing the edge on 

 the fine stone. After making two or three sweeps across the stone, 

 look at the edge again to see if all the nicks are removed. If they 

 are not, continue to grind the edge on the stone till they are. If the 

 nicks are slight the edge need be ground off only in their immediate 

 vicinity. If they are deep, however, the entire edge should be re- 

 moved or it will become wavy. 



When the edge is smooth and free from nicks it should be 

 honed ; if quite dull, first on the coarse and then on the fine 

 stone. 



C. In case the instrument is a scalpel, (1) grasp the handle in 

 such a way that the index and medius shall oppose the pollex, and 

 the end of the handle shall touch the palm. (2) Place the blade 

 flat on the stone as shown in Fig. 28, and then lift the back very 

 slightly. (3) Move the knife with a curving sweep toward the left, 

 as shown by the arrow, so that the point of the blade shall be at 

 the lower left corner at the end of the sweep. (4) Then turn the 

 blade over, always turning the edge away from the stone. Do this 

 by rolling the handle in the fingers. (5) After the knife is turned, it 

 should be moved across the stone from left to right exactly as 

 described for the motion from right to left. The handle, of course, 

 points in the opposite direction. 



In this method of honing, which is that employed by the best cutlers, the edge precedes 

 the back; the blade is so placed on the stone that it follows the handle, and the 

 sharpening is from heel to point. If the blade were pushed across the stone instead of 

 being drawn as above, the sharpening would be from point to heel. 



D. In the beginning of the honing, one may press quite firmly 

 and draw the same side of the blade over the stone three or four 

 times without turning it ; but when the edge becomes thin, the 

 blade should be turned at every sweep. 



