Thread: Honing TI "special coiffeur 1937" - double bevel on one side!

Hi,
I noticed on my new TI "special coiffeur 1937" that one side of the blade has a double bevel and the other side is 'normal'.
I know that the blade is half hollowed but what's the reason of putting a double bevel on one side? How do I have to hone this blade in the future?
Many thanks.

I have never seen one in person but I would guess the double bevel should not be there. If it was then it should be on both sides. Just chalk it up to bad quality control at TI.

Personally I hate double bevels but that's just me many love them. If you want to preserve the double bevel you would need to tape the spine however the tape has to elevate the razor the correct amount or you might wind up with 3 bevels or just one. personally I would hone the double into a single. I'm sure others will chime in with opinions.

Just hone it down to a single bevel and your off and running.

In my experience, the double bevel is only effective if it is very small. When I put a double bevel on a razor, the only sign that it's there is a sliver of reflective light at 10x magnification. The effects are the same whether it is very small or highly visible, but when it's that small a couple passes on the D8EE wipe it off and I can do whatever I need in the future.

I have the same problem with a 7/8 TI that I bought on ebay NOS from a seller in Germany. I haven't messed with it yet. Would it be advisable to bring the side with the double bevel down to a single before I start honing equally on both sides?

As I recall Tim Zowada had said his double bevels were so slight that a few passes on a high grit hone can wipe it away. We would have to see the actual bevel to see how pronounced it was to figure what it will take to eliminate it. In your case it should not be there so I would hone it down. I had bought a razor off Eboy and it had 3 bevels. I honed it out on a 4K but that might not be appropriate in your case.

Sorry, I didn't mean that his double bevel could be removed with a few passes on a high grit stone. I just meant that when I use a double, I do it very lightly, as does Tim Zowada.

I agree, the best bet for now is to hone it down to a single bevel, however much work it will take.

Originally Posted by Slant-Fan

I have the same problem with a 7/8 TI that I bought on ebay NOS from a seller in Germany. I haven't messed with it yet. Would it be advisable to bring the side with the double bevel down to a single before I start honing equally on both sides?

You would likely end up with uneven hone wear if you did just the one side first. I'd just hone it as usual and call it good.

Thanks gentlemen for the replies. I worked on it for an hour and a half and got all but a small amount towards the heel out.I started out doing bevel setting circles on a Norton 4K but I wasn't making progress so I went to the 1K. I worked both sides and under magnification I could see light at the end of the tunnel.

Now I am just honing on the 4K again and i will continue until I can pop hairs on my forearm then I will do a pyramid 4K and 8K and then go to a 12 and 15K that I recently acquired. I am finding that a magic marker and a 14 power eye loupe are great assets for sharpening razors. I am lucky in that I live near an experienced straight razor honer/restorer and I have seen him set bevels so between that and Lynn's excellent DVD I may get it right.

This particular TI must have left the factory like this with the double bevel being on the one side and pretty severe. Must have been ground on a Friday right before quitting time.

Originally Posted by Slant-Fan

Thanks gentlemen for the replies. I worked on it for an hour and a half and got all but a small amount towards the heel out.I started out doing bevel setting circles on a Norton 4K but I wasn't making progress so I went to the 1K. I worked both sides and under magnification I could see light at the end of the tunnel.

Now I am just honing on the 4K again and i will continue until I can pop hairs on my forearm then I will do a pyramid 4K and 8K and then go to a 12 and 15K that I recently acquired. I am finding that a magic marker and a 14 power eye loupe are great assets for sharpening razors. I am lucky in that I live near an experienced straight razor honer/restorer and I have seen him set bevels so between that and Lynn's excellent DVD I may get it right.

This particular TI must have left the factory like this with the double bevel being on the one side and pretty severe. Must have been ground on a Friday right before quitting time.

The edge off a 4k probably won't pop hairs, it'll shave em off your arm, but won't do much of anything to a free hanging hair.

What kind of 15k? That's an unusual grit number.

Originally Posted by Russel Baldridge

The edge off a 4k probably won't pop hairs, it'll shave em off your arm, but won't do much of anything to a free hanging hair.

What kind of 15k? That's an unusual grit number.

It is a Shapton Professional. I got a 12K Shapton Pro from Japan Woodworker and then my honemiester friend and neighbor Chris, (Ranat1 on B&B) sold me his lightly used Shapton 15K Professional as he is getting a 16K glasstone. I went with the Pro rather then the glasstone because of the 15mm thickness as opposed to 5mm honing surface of the glassstone. I have only honed a few razors with these as they are recent acquisitions. I had been using a Swaty for finishing but the Shaptons seem to be working really well for me. I am still developing my skills in honing.