Thread: Straight Razor Hell

Hi, I need a little bit of guidance please.
At the moment I'm finding it real hard to get that sticky sharp edge off the bevel setting stones and finish up without microchips. And yet the part of the blade with microchips or a rough edge is the sharpest part of the blade.
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.

The best edges I seem to get are short lived , so I guess I go too far with them honing wise.
On top of all that I'm trying to figure out this new Nakayama I have .

Also ive noticed one of my most hones blades now has an uneven razor edge, its slightly wavy.

Have I ruined that razor?
Thanks

Are you using a slurry to sharpen? What type of razor (full hollow, 1/2 hollow, 1/4 hollow or wedge)? Are you soaking the stones prior to your honing session? Are you using a spray bottle to keep them wet? etc, etc. To many questions and not enough answers. Pictures would be helpful. Start from the begging and walk us through your honing ritual.

Originally Posted by JOB15

Hi, I need a little bit of guidance please.
At the moment I'm finding it real hard to get that sticky sharp edge off the bevel setting stones and finish up without microchips. And yet the part of the blade with microchips or a rough edge is the sharpest part of the blade.
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.

The best edges I seem to get are short lived , so I guess I go too far with them honing wise.
On top of all that I'm trying to figure out this new Nakayama I have .

Also ive noticed one of my most hones blades now has an uneven razor edge, its slightly wavy.

Have I ruined that razor?
Thanks

I would not worry about ruining your razor, either you or someone else can set it back on course. I suggest that you go back and try again. Without knowing more about your technique you might want to look at one of my videos on Bevel Setting and what a fully set bevel looks like under magnification. When I set bevels on razors I try to treat each side of the razor equally so that both sides meet up square/straight. My technique is to use a diminishing stroke count system that if your hand pressure is the same you will end up with matching bevels. Here is a video that might help.



Hope this helps,
Alx

What he said ...... what razor/razors ..... what hones, progression ?

I'm referring to my "Blue Steel, Not a Replica" razor .
I use the shaptons 1/4/8/16k then my new Nakayama Karasu , I have a few different Tomo's and a Nakayama Nagura, im trying thick slurries and thin ones ,thick to thin etc.
First up I lightly drag the edge on the side of the Shapton stone to start from scratch.
I normally come off the 1 and 4k with a perfect bevel sticky sharp to the thumb pad.
Then I do 20 laps on the 8k and check everything looks good under the scope.
Then 10 laps on the 16k and re check under the microscope.
And finally onto the Nakayama.
The problem is , I thought I had it all figured out but ive come to realise that after 50 laps on the linen , the edge is fracturing , meaning it was too weak.

Short lived edges are usually the bevel not being fully set IMO. I would start there (1k) and work the edge till clean of all chips and until it passes the TNT or other test for set bevel. Decrease your pressure as you progress to finish with very light pressure. After TNT if you use it, make sure you do some laps after to get the sharpness back as the TNT will slightly dull your edge. As has been asked, what hones are you using?

We were typing at the same time there. I would start with a thin slurry and break the last slurry with another blade to make sure it doesnt chip up your edge. These particles can certainly become bevel wreckers. Make sure the stone is lapped and that there are no loose particles left on the stone. Light pressure on the tomo to avoid breaking off larger particles.

ok , I am quite violent with the tomo , generating lots of slurry.

Try not using the slurry and just run through a normal progression to see what happens. I very rarely use a slurry.

I was following Lynn's guide to honing with shaptons but he starts with a shave ready razor (I know they arnt really shave ready but still they are not dull)
Where as I start from a dull edge , I just double up on Lynn's guide.