Thread: What's the trick with a True wedge. Help!

I have a "Full Wedge" razor. Both sides of the blade are mirror finish and get refreshed to shiny brand new each time the razor visits a hone. The problem is I can not get the edge silky sharp.

I've gone back to a 1200 grit to ensure there are no lumps or bumps on the surfaces and then progressed up to a 12000 grit hone. Each time I move up a grit, the edge feels smoother but looses its bite. I can even get super smooth with a diamond paste on a leather flat bed strop, but the shave is only passable and the bite/hanging hair test is poor. The finer the honing medium, the more the biting edge disappears. I hone at 45 degrees as recommended but it makes no difference.

Am I missing a trick, or expecting too much from the wedge. Any ideas?

How about taping the spine to allow you to put a more conventional bevel on it?

Electrical tape
You will love the results as soon as you put a piece of plastic electrical tape along the spine !!!!!!
It increases the angle just enough to keep the BITE!!!!

Thanks guys I thought that would be cheating. But I've been cutting so much metal I thought there had to be an answer. Hey ho.

Unless the edge is in poor shape I would skip the 1200 hone. Before using the tape trick just make sure you are allowing for the extended honing times for a true wedge. They really do take alot longer to hone and you need to have patience with it. If you are used to dealing with hollow grinds wedges are very different.

An additional hint with a wedge is to use at least an 8K stone and put 5-10 strokes on the edge. Then look to make sure the entire edge is shiney. When you are doing your actual honing a 45 degree angle works best.

Have fun,

Lynn

I've never honed a true, honest-to-goodness wedge like you're describing. However, even on a wedge-like quarter hollow with a wide bevel, it seems to take a lot of polishing strokes to have much effect.

If you just want to shave with it, a pasted hanging strop might be the way to go. These have a way of getting even really stubborn edges to cooperate. It's sort of cheating, though.

Josh

The taped edge did the trick. the Blade is only 5/8'' so I used a double layer.
To set a new bevel, I used a wet and dry 1000 grit about 15 passes back and forth. Same on a 2000 grit, followed by 20 passes on a coticule pasted with a coticura and then 15 passes on a natural pasted japanese hone. I have found that the Japanese hone polishes best with a paste and gives a smoother edge to the coticule with water. 45 degrees at all times. Finally I stropped the honed razor on a flat bed leather hone. I'll use a hanging strop daily in future.

Josh, in the past I tried a linen flat bed strop with some Thiers Issard paste on it and then I tried an old leather hone on a flat bed with the same paste. The linen was actually the best, but that was as good as I could get the blade without some "trick". The shave I had was OK, no burn but unacceptable pulling and had to go so gentle against the grain and arround the chin that I couldn't get a close clean shave.

Lynn, you are just too skillful.

Thanks again to all of you. You have given a new lease of life to some of my treasured possessions.

Glad to hear you've found a solution. I had problems with my wedges for a long time, too, and now they're my favorites.

Josh

Originally Posted by English

I have a "Full Wedge" razor. Both sides of the blade are mirror finish and get refreshed to shiny brand new each time the razor visits a hone. The problem is I can not get the edge silky sharp.

I've gone back to a 1200 grit to ensure there are no lumps or bumps on the surfaces and then progressed up to a 12000 grit hone. Each time I move up a grit, the edge feels smoother but looses its bite. I can even get super smooth with a diamond paste on a leather flat bed strop, but the shave is only passable and the bite/hanging hair test is poor. The finer the honing medium, the more the biting edge disappears. I hone at 45 degrees as recommended but it makes no difference.

Am I missing a trick, or expecting too much from the wedge. Any ideas?

FORTY-FIVE DEGREES?!?!!! Hold a wedge on a hone, and/or a strop at a 45 degree angle?!!!???? FORTY-FIVE?!!!
Please tell me I was delusional reading that angle measurement?