Thread: Get in line!

Here are a couple of photos of an edge that with a not fully set bevel.

Alex

And photos of using alternate stroke direction so you can check your progress from stone to stone.

What is the ink on the bevel showing, are you reaching the edge?

So what is the grind of the razor?

If the razor has a full hollow grind, and you are using too much pressure, you could be lifting the edge off the stone.

There is an unusual pattern at the top of the bevel, away from the edge, where it could act as a fulcrum and raise the bevel off the stone.
Ink will tell you how much pressure you need to get the bevel flat on the hone and if you are reaching the edge.

An extra layer of tape will correct for a worn spine and hone more of the edge.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

What is the ink on the bevel showing, are you reaching the edge?

So what is the grind of the razor?

If the razor has a full hollow grind, and you are using too much pressure, you could be lifting the edge off the stone.

There is an unusual pattern at the top of the bevel, away from the edge, where it could act as a fulcrum and raise the bevel off the stone.
Ink will tell you how much pressure you need to get the bevel flat on the hone and if you are reaching the edge.

An extra layer of tape will correct for a worn spine and hone more of the edge.

Oh yes sorry the ink is being completely removed all the way to the edge after a few strokes.

Yes it is a full hollow

I don't want to have to use tape. No reason; just don't. But if the line doesnt go away soon I will be.

Cannot figure out what's going on here:

All from Chosera 1k at 100x
"Toward me" stroke


"Away" stroke


"Away" stroke


Noticeably on the toward stroke I've used too much pressure but my away stroke is stumping me. The 2nd photo is from around the middle of the blade and doesn't have the stria to the end with some weird scratches. While the 3rd photo is close the the end of the blade where the stria is getting to the apex without the weird scratches. No matter what I do they will not go away. I'm poping arm hair pretty good but not like I would like at that point. Is this a bevel set issue?

Your stroke may not be allowing for a warped blade but yes pressure is preventing edge contact... I think.

This morning I decided to try something different and got some very interesting results. I inked my bevel. I took my Chosera and laid it in my left hand and done a single aft and fore x-stroke in order to assure the lightest of pressure as suggested by shooter. What I saw was that on the aft stroke the ink only in the center of my edge was being removed while the outsides was being untouched. I was thinking that it would have been the opposite and that the center was just not being touched. I was wrong. I'm going to do this a few more times in order to see if this is consistent. But if it is consistent it would appear as mentioned above that the moderate pressure that I was using on this possibly warped blade was pushing the apex off of the stone not allowing me a solid bevel set.

If this is true I would think that several super light x-strokes like I mentioned might slowly work the bevel like it should. What do you think? My fear is to produce a frown, which I want to avoid at all costs.

I think I figured out the solution. I was still on my Chosera 1k and no matter how light I went I never could get that even stria all the way to the edge. It was always that weird scratching right at the apex that I could not get rid of. And I especially was having difficulty getting a very small spot about a cm above the heel. So in a last ditch effort I put on some tape and done 20x super light x-strokes. And what I found was that the weird scratches were gone. I have a tiny microbevel right now but the scratches are gone and the stria are reaching the apex. That little spot near the heel was still there so I gently added some focused pressure and now I have stria all across the apex and its poping hairs nicely now.

It's deffinitly true that honing is easy till it ain't, but one thing I have learned is that you learn the most when it's hard not when it's easy. Now for me to progress easily. Don't want to ruin all that work.

Thought it was warped.
People rarely have trouble with a true blade.

The paradox of honing is that light contact will put you on the edge whereas heavier contact will put you behind it onto the bevel. That can be needed, to thin a bevel some but after that it's just diminishing returns.

By adding a layer of tape here you are mimicking light pressure but the correct stroke was the crucial factor in getting edge contact.

So, I stumbled on this thread again, this morning and took a second look at your micrographs.

Are you sure, you uploaded the correct photos, because photos 2-7 look identical, all the stria on the bevel and the location of the razor are identical, no change to the stria after 4k,8k,16K and 30 laps of 20k.

And as said the location of the photos on the razor is almost exactly, the same. I mark the location with a reference, dot of sharpie ink and even then, it is impossible to locate a photo in the same spot, close but not that close and certainly not 7 times.

It looks like you have a series of photos taken at the same time, at the same spot. The angle changes, slightly, but not the position.

How is it shaving now?