Thread: Best grit progression?

Most likely explanation is your bevel was not set.
To see the apex, look almost straight down on the edge with a loupe and a bright light.

Hmmm, you mean angle the blade flat (parallel to the floor) and look down the blade or turn the blade perpendicular to the floor and look down the edge?

I was checking the edge by holding the blade as if I was looking at it's face (or back) and then using the loupe to check the edge.

Down on the edge. Until you have a fervent apex it will never shave well

Back to square one then. This blade took an hour

It was a Rapide blade in great condition, probably hadn't been used in many decades though.

The way it goes with creating the bevel and the perfect apex, there is no way to tell how long or how many strokes it will take. Also, with wedge blades you should flip them end for end to keep the wear straight and even.

Yeah, as Shaun and others have noted, your bevel may not be all the way set. One thing that is often recommended here (though I don't think I have see it in this thread) is the need for a beginning honer to have a "reference edge" from an experienced honer to compare your own efforts to.

This really helped me out in the beginning, and before long I was outdoing the reference edges from a well-known pro honer (though to be fair, I would spend a lot of time tweaking and testing my own edges, and that pro honer was cranking out many blades daily just to keep up with demand, mostly finishing on a Nani 12 if memory serves-he just didn't have time for an extra hour of tweaking and testing post 12k!). Test shave with both in the same session after identical stropping regimens (that is assuming your stropping is spot on!), and feel how you're progressing. This makes a world of difference; we call them exemplars in the classroom when I show them the best student essays as models, for example.

Anyway, I would be happy to send you a razor with my best Norton 8k edge so you can compare apples to apples-no charge. I'm no pro, but I get excellent edges and shaves off the Norton 8k-just did one in fact. Or I could tweak it all the way on my Arkies or the thuringian/Escher I am currently getting great edges off of. Just pm me if interested. Or if you would prefer a real pro honer with an established rep, many of our members have done the same thing for others before. Let one of us know. Aaron/SHD

Originally Posted by RezDog

The way it goes with creating the bevel and the perfect apex, there is no way to tell how long or how many strokes it will take. Also, with wedge blades you should flip them end for end to keep the wear straight and even.

Shaun, you mean when I get to the end of the stone flip the blade over on it's spine and then pull the blade towards me?

Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad

Yeah, as Shaun and others have noted, your bevel may not be all the way set. One thing that is often recommended here (though I don't think I have see it in this thread) is the need for a beginning honer to have a "reference edge" from an experienced honer to compare your own efforts to.

This really helped me out in the beginning, and before long I was outdoing the reference edges from a well-known pro honer (though to be fair, I would spend a lot of time tweaking and testing my own edges, and that pro honer was cranking out many blades daily just to keep up with demand, mostly finishing on a Nani 12 if memory serves-he just didn't have time for an extra hour of tweaking and testing post 12k!). Test shave with both in the same session after identical stropping regimens (that is assuming your stropping is spot on!), and feel how you're progressing. This makes a world of difference; we call them exemplars in the classroom when I show them the best student essays as models, for example.

Anyway, I would be happy to send you a razor with my best Norton 8k edge so you can compare apples to apples-no charge. I'm no pro, but I get excellent edges and shaves off the Norton 8k-just did one in fact. Or I could tweak it all the way on my Arkies or the thuringian/Escher I am currently getting great edges off of. Just pm me if interested. Or if you would prefer a real pro honer with an established rep, many of our members have done the same thing for others before. Let one of us know. Aaron/SHD

I might take you up on that! I sent a really old wedge blade to Glen. It might not be salvageable; if it isn't it would be great to have a reference blade as I have no freshly-honed blades around.

I suggest you take SHD up on his offer. Then you will have a basis for comparison.

... and, yes, you need to look at not only the bevel but also the edge. The edge needs to be up. if you can see a flat area along the edge or a reflection of light then you do not have an apex created in that portion of the edge. Continue with the coarse stone until you have a definite apex on the edge.

Originally Posted by animalwithin

Shaun, you mean when I get to the end of the stone flip the blade over on it's spine and then pull the blade towards me?



I might take you up on that! I sent a really old wedge blade to Glen. It might not be salvageable; if it isn't it would be great to have a reference blade as I have no freshly-honed blades around.

Animal-If you've got a blade coming back from Glenn, you are set for a reference edge. If he can't save it, it is probably beyond saving (Tom/Sharptonn makes wind chimes out of those!). The offer stands if it can't be saved. Either way, let us know how things progress.

I'll let you guys know about the blade I sent Glen. It's about 130 years old and had a lot of rusting and pitting, hopefully he can save it though.

I'm definitely still learning the difference between apex, bevel, and edge and this reflection of light that's spoken of I'm afraid I'm not sure what that is eluding to. Should have asked about this when my friend was showing me