Thread: Frameback - from start to finish

Is that a detachable blade?

It looks like a modified lancetedge!

Sometimes still shots help a little bit: http://straightrazorpalace.com/advan...rolling-x.html

The only thing that matters is that the entire length of the edge touches the hone at some point during the pass, the motion that accomplishes that goal is usually the rolling X.

As for the scales, I don't know for sure and scales can be tricky to touch up so I'd hate to give much advice without more info or detail shots. But as long as the blade closes securely and doesn't hit the sides, I'd say leave them as is, they have an charm to them in their current state. Same for the blade, with the little bit of patina and signs of age, polish it if you want to but you don't have to.

I largely agree with David's advice, although I'd suggest throwing another stone in between the DMT and the coticule. In theory, it should be pretty easy to go from the DMT to the coticule if you use a slurry, but I've never gotten it to work. Inserting 50 or so strokes on the Belgian blue, also using a heavy slurry, makes a big difference for me. Then you can finish with the coticule and plain water.

Framebacks don't seem to require much special care. They're easier to hone than most of the other big blades because there's less material in the cross-section. The thing David mentioned about making sure the entire edge touches the hone is crucial. If you don't establish the bevel correctly on the DMT, it's pretty easy to wind up with some spots where you're essentially honing one side of the edge while the other side never hits the hone. Do your work on the DMT properly and the rest will follow.

Keep us posted!

Josh

DAVID!?!?!

David...that's you SRP cover name...we won't tell.

Excellent advice. I will work on this on the weekend. I like the idea of leaving the scales as is or just some cleaning...the blade was just tarnished a bit, no rust or pitting....very nice and shiny now, but it still has the patina of old metal.

The razor over all is in great condition...I looked at it again last night and there is a nice bevel all along the curve of the blade, so it hasn't been butchered.

I am having good luck (knock wood) with honing...all that experience with pocket knives, bayonets, and chef's knives is coming in handy (Boy Scout, Army, Chef)

I will post before and after pics.

I have some pics of before and after...the last three are the afer...a bit blurry (my camera gave up the ghost just after this) but you can see more shiny and the ligh bouncing off the edge.

The pattern wasn't that hard to get the hang of...the pics posted here and HeavyDuty's vid helped. I started with the DMT, then to the Norton 4K/8K, then Belgian with slurry, then Belgian without slurry, then Coticule, then Escher. I have a mirror finish that grabs nicely on the thumbnail. One "oops"...on the back edge of the blade I have less of a visible bevel than on the front. Definite room for technique improvement there...the passes going away from me felt a bit more difficult, as far as hand position.

Then 10 passes on the 1.0 pasted paddle, then 10 on the 0.5 CrO2 paddle, 20 on lether, 20 on Latigo, 10 on horsehide.

Shave: Great! Hot towel, MB's Rose Soap Lather, 2 minutes under the towel, more lather, 3 passes - WTG. XTG, and ATG (including the neck). I did not do the usual "scythe" sweep from the center of my neck under the chin horizontally along my jawline (that's where the "wire beard" is located), but the rest was great! A touch of redness - the blade is really heavy and you don't need much pressure. Near BBS - need to hit a few spots better. Tonic and then balm...feels great!

I think I will hit the Belgian and Coticule again tomorrow...as for the smaller bevel on he back...will it work to go back to the DMT and work my way back up, just on that side of the blade? If it is shaving well, is it needed?

Thanks for all the great advise for this type of blade! Once I get it tuned, I hink it may be added to the faves list!



A neat thing is hearing how the blade sounds as it cuts...and is gets quieter with each pass.

I am glad that everything worked out for you with this one. For what it's worth, I would strongly recommend that you never use the thumbnail test after you get past the 4K level because your thumbnail will actually dull the edge somewhat. When the edge is getting close to shave ready in the 8K level and beyond it is much thinner than a piece of paper so you can imagine how being dragged across something as hard as a thumbnail can be counterproductive to attaining optimal sharpness. As far as the smaller bevel goes, the size is determined by the actual grind of the razor, not your honing or lack of it for the most part (Of course if you wear the razor down this is different. On the other hand, if the heal is not as sharp as the rest of the blade then that is on you and you will have to do more work in this area if you want the razor to be equally sharp from heal to toe (the heal is generally the most difficult because it normally spends the least amount of time on the hone). If your M&W shaves anthing like mine the you definately have a keeper there!

The size of the bevel doesn't mean anything. As long as there is a bevel and the very edge contacts the hone, you should be good to go.

Sounds like you did a great job! I wouldn't mess with it unless you really want to.

Congrats!