Thread: Tough razor to hone .

I had one also that was very hard. 'Threw me off for a while. My Gencos have been about like the Avg soligen - harder than Sheffield, softer than Shumate or the Wackers. If I do a micro bevel w/ 1 added layer of tape, Sheffields take about 7-8 strokes on a bone dry c12k. The Shumate, wackers take 30. Stones vary, but it does give an impression of the difference the steel makes.

Thanks for all the replies . I've honed out frowns , and small chips on other razors , so I know how long some edge restorations can take . But this Shumate , and the other one I restored seem to have extremely hard steel . Since they are both stamped "For Barbers" on the tang , I was wondering if they were made of harder steel than other Shumates , because they were made for barbers , and needed to be more durable .

Whenever you get into a razor that has a lot of uneven flattening on the spine and it is not the same on both sides, you are in for a long ride. I alot of cases, the amount of metal removal is simply not worth it to me. You have to decide that on your own however. There is a reason you can get some razors for $10-$20.

Have fun,

Lynn

I own and have honed quite a few Shumates, I can tell you it isn't the hardness of the steel in general, that doesn't mean you don't have one that missed the tempering process a bit back in the 20's...
But all the "Barbers" from Shumate that I have done have been easy, no special tricks...

I would think the problem is more what Lynn has already said, in the previous honing... There is a very small chance in bad hardening from the factory...

i have experienced with 2 blades. One was 8 years ago i was just learning how to hone.blade was wedge and i honed for a month and didnt get nowhere.then i send pro.s to hone . took him to hone this 1 more months and didnt get noweher ether. Blade was sharp but not shave ready. Recently i got blade in nos condition name says english best silver steel. I have been honing this blade now more then 8 hours. It is only a little above 8 k level. I wouldnt waste any more time on it but i just dont give up . Will get it done but how long time i am not sure. I do think Lynn is correct there is may be factory issues in such hard blades.gl

I've run into some vintage blades, can't specify brand, that I did Lynn's full pyramid on (following bevel set) and still didn't get there. Had to repeat the full pyramid. (here) The second pyramid would do the trick nine times out of ten. More often than not an abbreviated pyramid, here, would bring a razor up to the finishing level but we don't hit a home run every time we go up to bat.

I never thought much about the temper of the steel in razors until reading a small booklet from the late 1800's. This person actually separated razor brands by temper. A light bulb went off for me when I read that information and at least for me it explained why some razors are so darn difficult to hone and such time consumers to get a decent edge.

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

i have experienced with 2 blades. One was 8 years ago i was just learning how to hone.blade was wedge and i honed for a month and didnt get nowhere.then i send pro.s to hone . took him to hone this 1 more months and didnt get noweher ether. Blade was sharp but not shave ready. Recently i got blade in nos condition name says english best silver steel. I have been honing this blade now more then 8 hours. It is only a little above 8 k level. I wouldnt waste any more time on it but i just dont give up . Will get it done but how long time i am not sure. I do think Lynn is correct there is may be factory issues in such hard blades.gl

Have honed quite a few razors , including many wedges, but none can compare with the 7/8 Rogers wedge I have been working on. Cleaned razor , set bevel finished with nortons4/8, then coticule, co strap, leather strop, cuts some hair but not sharp. Re-set bevel, same process but aded shapton 16000, co, then stropped. Some better but not sharp. Razor shaves hair but not sharp enough for me.
Giving up is not something I do very well. Quess repeating the process is the only way to get sharper? Hate to put this razor up because they are great shavers when they are right! Appreciate all the information on this thread, just had to vent! Ideas appreciated!

Same story with a W&B wedge I have. I have worked on this thing in every way I can think of and it gets to a point and that's it. Not shave sharp by any means. There are some out there that are just that way.