My first Gold Dollar honing

Ok. So through this forum I learned of a cheap razor that could actually take and possibly hold an edge called a gold dollar that was good to practice honing on. I ordered one and got it on Monday. I figured for the price I could do just about anything to it without worries and I was right.

I ground down down the high points (including the stabilizer) and went to work with a cheap oil stone I have for knives. It took a few times doing 40 circles and 10 X strokes per side using pretty heavy pressure but I was able to set the bevel rather quickly. I then went to a Guangxi stone and built a slight slurry and progressed to light pressure with only water. Finished with CrOX and leather strop and it was as sharp as my dovo after my first attempt honing that!! I just shaved this morning with it and after 3 passes and a clear water pass I had a DFS going on that was comfortable too. I was very impressed!

Now the razors scales are cheap plastic and don't line up and it closes off center so if I'm not careful it will catch a side so you definitely get what you pay for but it is ideal to learn to hone and try different techniques on. I'm very happy I got it and may get another at some point or maybe a double arrow.

I got a gold dollar for exactly the same purpose. I found it took quite a bit more pressure than I would normally use to set the bevel, it's popping hair well. about to start on the Norton 4k/8k hopefully it will take an edge. Mine does sit nicely in the scales so if it does take an edge then it will be a nice razor

I also got several to practice honing on and other various things. I've played with 4 so far with the results quite varied. One of them is a good 1/8th inch thinner at the toe than the heel, and some have taken a more even bevel than others. I have gotten some good shaves out of them. Good for experimenting with.

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Originally Posted by ne0nblakk

I also got several to practice honing on and other various things. I've played with 4 so far with the results quite varied. One of them is a good 1/8th inch thinner at the toe than the heel, and some have taken a more even bevel than others. I have gotten some good shaves out of them. Good for experimenting with.

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Is the spine straight on the uneven bevel ones? I had to touch a few spots On the spine with the dremmel to straighten the spine better.

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Originally Posted by Steel

Ok...

Now the razors scales are cheap plastic and don't line up and it closes off center so if I'm not careful it will catch a side so you definitely get what you pay for but it is ideal to learn to hone and try different techniques on. I'm very happy I got it and may get another at some point or maybe a double arrow.

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Have you tried straightening the scales? Soak it for a few minutes in hot water (coffee cup works) then get all bendy on them scales, check, repeat until satisfied. NOT guaranteed with modern GD razor but has worked on all my old stuff. Keep the soak time as short as necessary to avoid discoloration of plastic.

Get 6 more and make you a SET! :hmmm:

The hot water method works great, I dip mine in boiling water for about 10 sec, bend to correct shape then set it under cold running water

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Originally Posted by WadePatton

Have you tried straightening the scales? Soak it for a few minutes in hot water (coffee cup works) then get all bendy on them scales, check, repeat until satisfied. NOT guaranteed with modern GD razor but has worked on all my old stuff. Keep the soak time as short as necessary to avoid discoloration of plastic.

Get 6 more and make you a SET! :hmmm:

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Originally Posted by Steel

Is the spine straight on the uneven bevel ones? I had to touch a few spots On the spine with the dremmel to straighten the spine better.

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No, the spine wasn't even on those ones. I sort of 'reverse honed' it into shape. Tape on the edge, lots of high pressure laps on my coarsest stone. It has ugly uneven hone wear on it now, but the bevel's nice. :D

Repinning works also, just put a washer on one side, that will usually center them. The warping is from stamping the tang IMO.

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Originally Posted by WadePatton

Have you tried straightening the scales? Soak it for a few minutes in hot water (coffee cup works) then get all bendy on them scales, check, repeat until satisfied. NOT guaranteed with modern GD razor but has worked on all my old stuff. Keep the soak time as short as necessary to avoid discoloration of plastic.

Get 6 more and make you a SET! :hmmm:

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That's great! I'll have to give it a try! Why not right? It's all a learning experience. ! I like the re pinning idea too. May be my next lesson! :) thanks

Best advice I can give from my own experience is get a glass block.

A good sized optical grade glass block has a few properties that are very useful if your learning about blade geometry. My block is 2 x 3 x 3/4 of an inch.

So how do you use it?

Well the first thing you can do is dope it with coloured oil, then sit the razor on it. If the geometry is not perfect you will be able to see air gaps on the low spots when you look from the other side. You will also be able to pick out any defects in the spine/tang transition.

You can also use the Block as a nagura. In doing this you will frost the face. This will have 2 effects. You can see the face of the stone through the block, and see any air gaps and defects on the stone face. And you know that the slurry is 100% your grinding stone with a little silicone from the glass, This is great when your not sure if the nagura is shedding onto the stone and causing your 6K to act like a much coarser grit.

If you know the stone is flat, and the razor sits correctly then anything else is something your doing wrong. And means your on technique correction rather than questioning the tools.


My first razor is an Artemis, which is basically a gold dollar. Using the block I was able to see that the shoulder was interfering with the blade, The spine/tang grind had a lump, and the blade had a very minor warp.

The shoulder and tang were sorted with a cheap DTM, (draper 400 grit), That I knocked down a little on the edge of a mild steel section of angle iron. The lump in the spine/tang transition was harder to fix, Again it was done on the DTM but it took a lot of checking on the block and far more grinding than I expected.

The warp I didn't fix, I found it was far less intrusive to the edge than the other 2 problems.


So the razor after the work. Well it works and sharpens now. It's not pretty the tang is all ground up, the shoulder is ugly on both sides. It does however shave pretty well. And it gave me enough knowledge to progress onto a better razor, look for defect before I started to mess about, and have an idea of what I should be doing to fix them.



Before I got the glass block I attempted to sort the razor by eye. I found I was having problems right from the beginning, And at first I thought the problems would naturally come out with a little time on a DTM. This put about 1/16 spine wear onto the razor, and made the problems worse. It was only once I could identify the problems visually that I could correct them, because I knew the problem area and could check how grinding in 1 area was fixing a problem on the opposite end of the spine.

Oh and use tape. If you find you have problems on the shoulder then tape the edge, And work slowly on the shoulder with a file that is not going to put a massive hole in the edge that you then have to re-correct. Go slow and check often.

I'm having problems visualising what you're saying. Do you have a few photos??

Im having a hard time figuring out how does one goes from a bevel setting stone, to a Phig and get a shave ready edge?

Most Phig users use 150 laps+- after a normal progression, some even more...

I don't have any pictures ATM, But I can try get some done this weekend and post them up

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Originally Posted by Martin103

Im having a hard time figuring out how does one goes from a bevel setting stone, to a Phig and get a shave ready edge?

Most Phig users use 150 laps+- after a normal progression, some even more...

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Watch Glen's video on YouTube about 'one stone honing' he uses a 1000 grit and then goes to a guangxi stone with a slurry and progresses to clear water. I followed the same path and it didn't take long at all.

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Originally Posted by Steel

Watch Glen's video on YouTube about 'one stone honing' he uses a 1000 grit and then goes to a guangxi stone with a slurry and progresses to clear water. I followed the same path and it didn't take long at all.

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Im totally aware of the "one stone honing" method, going from a small Arkansas to set your bevel to a Phig to finish the razor on a geometrically challenged razor is quite an accomplishment.

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Originally Posted by Martin103

Im totally aware of the "one stone honing" method, going from a small Arkansas to set your bevel to a Phig to finish the razor on a geometrically challenged razor is quite an accomplishment.

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Thank you :) but it really wasn't hard at all. I just followed the same progression as I saw Glen do in the video and of course stropped on crOX and leather and it worked just fine. Those Guangxi or Phigs are pretty versatile I guess.

Ok here's how I've been using the block.

The razor is pretty much set, I've had to pull the block way over onto the tang to simulate the problem. And The Dye I used is also a lot more concentrated than I would usually use. It should give you an idea of how I'm using the block tho.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7351/1...bd66bac1_o.jpg

Iceni, why did you have to modify the tang on that razor?

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why did you have to modify the tang on that razor?

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The shoulder had a shallow grind, That's the good side that didn't need much attention, The other side both shoulders were high at the spine. The main reason I had to modify into the tang was my files were too wide to do the work without touching either the blade or the tang, So I choose to sacrifice the tang. The shoulder on the other side is also not ground perfectly up down, The spine side of that first shoulder sits over part of the shaving edge.

I made the problem initially worse with my attempt at using a DTM to try get back the toe. All I did was cause more of a lump out of the lump that was already there. Without the block I don't think I would have got it.

That razor is now relegated to a letter opener. I have the 2 bismarcks now and have learned my lesson. All honing is now done for me in this order.

Check geometry on glass, Hone with tape, finish on a crox strop. I'll never get another cheapo again but what it's taught me has been very important.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5511/1...6886c934b6.jpg

This is where vintage steel, in nearly any condition, is a bit ahead of the brand spanking new products from some points of the map.

It's all for the hairs on our chinny chin chins! :p

(thanks for the visual, i've been meaning to pick up some glass-but also I have a 24x36" surface plate in the shop.)