Thread: Straight Razor Hell

I'm curious, when people talk about setting the bevel I don't think I've ever seen raising a burr mentioned (I could and probably are wrong). At 1k I can feel a deffinate burr.

I am new to razor honing but to be sure I've set the bevel what I have been doing is raising a burr on one side then the other. I follow up with a few alternate strokes to even the bevel out and to make sure there is no wire edge. Of cause after the 1k I can't feel a burr. Is this not commonly done with razors ?

I don't want to sound like the bad guy here but just based on what I'm reading it sounds like you really don't know what you are doing and to make it worse you have too many hones you don't know what to do with.

A razor needs to be evaluated and you need to decide exactly what needs to be done to it. You won't hone a razor through serendipity. You can't tell if a razor is sharp by looking through a magnifier. You need to shave as you found out.

You first need to decide if the bevel is good. That's step one and go from there.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I don't want to sound like the bad guy here but just based on what I'm reading it sounds like you really don't know what you are doing and to make it worse you have too many hones you don't know what to do with.

A razor needs to be evaluated and you need to decide exactly what needs to be done to it. You won't hone a razor through serendipity. You can't tell if a razor is sharp by looking through a magnifier. You need to shave as you found out.

You first need to decide if the bevel is good. That's step one and go from there.

Too many hones? A Shapton range and 2 jnats.
I know how to set a bevel .
My microscope doesn't tell me if the blade is sharp , shows me the condition of the bevel and edge.
I can tell if a blade is sharp without shaving, just by touch.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I don't know what to tell you , but Randy gave me a tip some years ago, shave when it is ready at the 8k level If the shave is good, go on up the grit ladder. If it is not, the razor needs more work before progressing. This was good for me because, at the time, I was honing by rote and would take edges past 8k that weren't really ready to go there, and I'd be trying to figure out where I was going wrong. I don't know if that is where you are but it is amazing how good an 8k shave can be.

The guys that give credit where due and talk about when they weren't getting it right are really helpful to all of us that don't think we know it all. I have alot of respect for this - and gratitude. Most of what I think I've learned, I owe to Jimmy & Glen & a great Coti method from Lynn. 'Can't thank them enough.

Originally Posted by mike1011

I'm curious, when people talk about setting the bevel I don't think I've ever seen raising a burr mentioned (I could and probably are wrong). At 1k I can feel a deffinate burr.

I am new to razor honing but to be sure I've set the bevel what I have been doing is raising a burr on one side then the other. I follow up with a few alternate strokes to even the bevel out and to make sure there is no wire edge. Of cause after the 1k I can't feel a burr. Is this not commonly done with razors ?

When I first came around to SRP, whether there is a 'burr' raised when honing razors or not was a great controversy. The advocates on either side argued strenuously for and against. IIRC.

Originally Posted by JOB15

I just under honed a blade so that it was sharpish and under the microscope the edge was perfect, tried a shave and got as far as one stroke, it was too blunt.

I am a beginner at honing but could you be misreading what the microscope is showing you? I mean what you visualize in your head as a perfect edge is wrong. I am sure any of my edges if viewed under a microscope would scare the hell out of me but they shave well enough. Like trying too hard for a perfect edge rather than one the shaves well, not perfectly but well? I dunno just a shot in the dark.

Bob

Your bevel is not set.

Add a layer of tape and ink the edge, by running a sharpie on the edge lightly. Colored ink red or blue is easier to see.
Do you feel any snagging, if so the bevel is not set.

Now reset the bevel on the 1k. Don’t care if you don’t use tape or already have a layer of tape, just trying to find out if you are hitting the edge. You may be feeling the edge of the edge, not the true edge. Your eyes will tell you.

Use Alex’s method but look at the edge straight down on the edge with magnification, any shiny spots or ink are where the bevels are not meeting.

Some photos might help.

As said your problem is at the bevel set.

Its 1 am time to hone I thought.
It went well and I created a super sharp edge , unfortunately I have a chip..
Check out the pictures .
1k
4k
8k
16k
Jnat
Jnat.

What level of magnification is that ? If it is 40x (I'm sure it is 10x that) but if it is 40x and the chip is minisucle, or not visible, I'll shave away without a second thought. Maybe even if it is visible at 40x .... but that is just me. Anything over 40x and my honing goes downhill fast.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

What level of magnification is that ? If it is 40x (I'm sure it is 10x that) but if it is 40x and the chip is minisucle, or not visible, I'll shave away without a second thought. Maybe even if it is visible at 40x .... but that is just me. Anything over 40x and my honing goes downhill fast.

I think its x400 ..
You cant see the chip with the naked eye.
I think the Hart steel razors are quite brittle so maybe more prone to chipping.
Making a light slurry has helped a lot.
I think that was the problem.. Too much pressure and vigour when making slurry.
That chip I have is quite rare . I'll re hone it tomorrow.