Thread: When to set the bevel?

Thanks Gents,

So there are a few emperical points to examine:

1. Quality of edge under a loupe
2. Uniformity of bevel under a loupe

Then - if in doubt - set the bevel!

And if those two parameters don't point you in the right direction, you use the Lynn's Magic 8 Ball and ask "Should I set the bevel?" To which it will always reply - "Yes, do so now".

And, from the massive amounts I have consumed about the subject:

1k to set the bevel (some like tape, some do not)
Move to 4k
Move to 8k

Then whatever alchemy you like - 12k, cro-ox, diamond spray, leather etc.

David

Originally Posted by OLD_SCHOOL

You only really need a 1k for removing nicks and chips. The 4k will happily set a bevel for you.

+1. A 1k is really extremely coarse by razor standards. Removing nicks with them is ok because all you care about is getting rid of metal, but once the chip is nearly gone then switch to a 4k for the rest of the work. A 1k hone can actually create problems because those large abrasives can cause chipping and crumbling of the brittle steel, so you really want to switch to a finer hone just before the original chip is gone, and finish removing it and all other chips created by the 1k hone with a finer and more gentle 4k grit hone.

I fall in the 1k = bevel set group, and I'll tell ya why, but first let me say that technically any stone will set a bevel under the right conditions...


In my mind 20 laps is a target number per stone, I am by no means saying that it is anyway correct, for any givin razor, but it is my target number ...When somebody says a reasonable amount of time that is what pops in my brain...

What I mean is that when somebody says you can set a bevel on a 4k or a Coticule that target number of laps just went way higher... Now add in the factor that one mis-stroke during a lap can cause you to have to start from scratch, so by simple mathematics the more laps and flips you do the more likely you are to make a mistake... This is one of the reasons that Lynn's 40 circles for the bevel set works so well, it eliminates 38 flips...

Another factor that comes in by using a higher grit stone is pressure, now keep in mind pressure can be used for good too, but pressure used while becoming frustrated during bevel setting can be bad.

For years all that was ever recommended for sharpening razors was the Norton 4/8 and we set bevels with them BUT there was a much steeper learning curve then there is now.. IMHO that is because so many of those learning to hone never set a proper bevel on the 4k stone... I truly believe that most of the great tales of over-honing were really non-properly set bevels but I digress in this thread, these are some things I have thought about for some time now and probably deserve their own thread at some time..About 2 years ago you began to see Bevel, bevel, bevel, threads popping up, some people on the forum actually went so far as to offer to bevel set a razor for anyone struggling with the honing process... They wanted to show how easy honing really is after you have a properly set bevel... Since that time there is a marked decrease in the "over-honing" incidence.. The simple fact of honing is this, you cannot get a sharp edge without a proper bevel, period...

So with all that being said, I would go with a 1k stone given a choice, to set a bevel every single time...

Again this is just my opinion, it by no means says that a 4k range stone can't set a bevel, or even an 8k using slurry, but I will say it is easier and more efficient and IMVHO more accurate using a 1k range stone... I should also clarify that all this is for a bevel set, not a re-set and there is a difference but if I didn't set the original bevel myself then I don't trust it anyway ...

I am not a honemeisters by any means so may be that they will correct me. Once you have set a bevel, tuned in a razor, and have found it to have a lasting stable edge then I personally drop back to 8K then work up to restore the edge that I like. After about 5 or 6 of these cycles I then drop to a Coticule with slurry and give it enough laps to have the edge give me the right feedback on the stone. Most of the time it is about 15 very light laps. I like Coticules because they give me a tactile feel like no other stone that I have. If I can't get the right feel and sound, I drop down further and go to the 1K. I think by going down after about 6 cycles means that with the Coticule, which is about 4K with slurry, you are stoking the bevel without having to reset and thus not letting it go to hell before you really need a lot of work. There are so many ways to hone that everyone develops different techniques that work for them.

What do you think guys? Sound about right?


Later,
Richard

Every stone & razor feels different, just like all honing techniques will vary somewhat/somehow. If I can't get a SR where i want it at 3K (nani) & minimal effort, I jump straight to 1K (king). I work the 1K until I can shave arm hair along the entire edge before I move back to the 3K & progress up.