Thread: Frustration honing journey

Thanks for the input guys, I guess the main thing confusing me is all the razors I've done till now I haven't had much of an issue, if at all. It's just this one that is giving me problems and it happens to be the first stainless one I've done. At first I thought I had it too hard because it was taking forever to get the bevel set, then I thought maybe it was too soft because once it would get really close to where I wanted it, it seemed to degrade after I went a little further. Then there were so many other factors that went through my head, well my brain just started to swim in confusion.

And another note, I'm getting close to finishing another razor, this one is a carbon 1/2 hollow, and I barely had to touch it to a 1k to get it popping hair... so I know I can't be that far off on my honing.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

If you feel it is getting closer after you increase the angle with more tape, that's suggestive of the bevel not meeting at a close enough point before you've moved up from the 1K stone in the past. Assuming of course that there's nothing wrong with the blade in terms of temper.

Stainless can take more work; quarter hollow definitely will take more work; and I am pretty sure that guys who make their own razors (or even those that restore old junkers) have coarser hones than a 1K that they use in the early stages. I myself will sometimes use a 400 grit hone on recalcitrant wedges to avoid having to sit there for a day trying to get the bevel close.

So, a hand-made stainless quarter hollow having its bevel set from scratch with a Norton 1K hone - my money is on the bevel not being quite there.

James.

Sorry I suppose I wasn't quite clear, the 1k is where I really get my bevel set perfect (or what I can achieve that's close, I wouldn't be so foolish to call my work perfect)

I have a 220 and 675 as well I use during the grinding process to get everything ready and pretty much set. I can't imagine using just a 1k from scratch.

Well I solved atleast one of my issues, I had heat treated two blades of 440c at the same time. One of which is the topic of discussion, the other I got finished up yesterday. Coming off the grinder it took me literally 20 minutes to get it shave ready. So I know it wasn't the heat treat atleast.

I don't know the exact problem but I've narrowed it down to the initial grinding/pre-bevel setting process.