Thread: The Real Learning Curve?

Originally Posted by Bruno

Don't EVER do that again if you value your time.
I did the same thing on a pasted strop, back when I didn't know anything about razors. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

The ONLY thing you can do about it is X ing until the edge is an edge egain and not a butterknife.
You can speed up this process by putting pressure on the blade, but be carefull not to distort the shape of the blade. A wedge will not bend or flex, but a full hollow will.

Yes Sir Lesson learned..

Originally Posted by matt

Yes Sir Lesson learned..

Been there done that. Don't feel bad about it.
Wax in wax out, grasshopper.

Originally Posted by Bruno

Been there done that. Don't feel bad about it.
Wax in wax out, grasshopper.

"Wax on, wax off" actually, and 'Daniel San' is the appropriate epithet, the 'grasshopper' reference is from a different show entirely.

X

Matt,

I read your question earlier, but I didn't quite understand it. I think I get it now.

It sounds like you ground down the edge a bit by raising the spine, and as a result one side of the bevel disappeared. These razors have very narrow bevels, so I can see that happening pretty easily.

To check my understanding: When you hold the razor as you're describing, does the edge look like a side view of a wood chisel, with one side beveled and the other straight?

Raising the spine does eliminate chips more quickly, but the downside is you have to do a lot of work to reestablish the bevel. I typically only raise the spine on a razor with really bad chips--maybe the depth of the bevel--or to flatten out a frown.

Bruno is right. The way to fix this is with X-pattern honing. Make sure you tape the spine with electrical tape first.

You might consider starting with 600 or 800-grit paper to speed things along. Use firm, steady pressure, enough that you're not worried about the edge coming off the honing surface. Do a thumbnail test every 50 strokes or so to evaluate your progress. When the razor digs into your thumbnail, you've reestablished the bevel.

This will take a while. I haven't done this on a Wapienica, but on other razors it might take 30 minutes to an hour using sandpaper. Maybe even more. You'll be removing a lot of metal.

If you get stuck and want some help, just PM me.

Josh

Originally Posted by JoshEarl

Matt,

I read your question earlier, but I didn't quite understand it. I think I get it now.

It sounds like you ground down the edge a bit by raising the spine, and as a result one side of the bevel disappeared. These razors have very narrow bevels, so I can see that happening pretty easily.

To check my understanding: When you hold the razor as you're describing, does the edge look like a side view of a wood chisel, with one side beveled and the other straight?

Raising the spine does eliminate chips more quickly, but the downside is you have to do a lot of work to reestablish the bevel. I typically only raise the spine on a razor with really bad chips--maybe the depth of the bevel--or to flatten out a frown.

Bruno is right. The way to fix this is with X-pattern honing. Make sure you tape the spine with electrical tape first.

You might consider starting with 600 or 800-grit paper to speed things along. Use firm, steady pressure, enough that you're not worried about the edge coming off the honing surface. Do a thumbnail test every 50 strokes or so to evaluate your progress. When the razor digs into your thumbnail, you've reestablished the bevel.

This will take a while. I haven't done this on a Wapienica, but on other razors it might take 30 minutes to an hour using sandpaper. Maybe even more. You'll be removing a lot of metal.

If you get stuck and want some help, just PM me.

Josh

Okay, Thanks for the tips Josh. I will take a look at it tonight and see what I come up with. I have some sandpaper but the problem is I need a piece of plate glass or something. Doing it on the counter top is what caused this problem I believe. The Norton has plenty of fight left in it...

I seem to be encountering resistance on the norton 4k side. It seems I only feel it on the fist pass of the stroke for some reason. Josh, If you would take a look at my wap, that would be cool. Just a set of eyes to see what exactly is needed and then a honing.