Thread: In praise of micro bevels for problem razors

So far, I have honed something in the ballpark of 50 razors now, from bevel setter to finisher. I prefer not to tape my razors.

Of these razors, I have found only two that I could not get "just right." One was an Ontario 6/8 spike that took hours of work over a few days on the 1k just to get the bevel set. The other is a C. Myers and Sons 6/8 round point. I got these razors shaving well enough, but still not quite up to snuff, so I put them away for a while.

I recently re-visited some threads about micro bevels, so I decided, "Why not?" I threw on two layers of tape and gave both of them 20 light laps on the Naniwa 12k... Wow! Now they are smooth as silk and shave with the best of them. That little change of angle at the end made all the difference.

I know this is not earth shattering information that hasn't been said before. But it's another tool in the honing arsenal to help perfect those problem razors. Just remember to keep track of which razors receive what treatment!

I find using a 6 micron dmt (4K equivalent) perfect for straightening out razors like this. Its well worn and I use some dish soap. Then I dull on glass and re set with my chosera 1k and up from there.ive done what your saying before, I just prefer to stay on it where the tape isnt necesary.

You want to taste defeat and humiliation? I'll send you my TI Damascus. After a few weeks messing with that baby you'll be thinking you can't even spell the word hone and be begging for me to take it back.

Thank you for confirming my decision to use tape all the time :<0) I think it cuts down on a lot of

Originally Posted by 10Pups

Thank you for confirming my decision to use tape all the time :<0) I think it cuts down on a lot of

+1...I've been using tape (1 or 2 layers depending on the blade) since day 1 of razor honing. I'm a firm believer!

WP34

Let throw a question out to the group and hopefully someone with some experience can answer this. I've had more than a few razors that were in this category. I have one right now that I've been struggling with for some time. Now as we say, 90% of the job is in the bevel set right? Ok. So what is actually happening in my estimation is that I'm stripping off enough steel to have set a bevel on any other razor but that steel itself is not holding that edge and crumbling away before I approach the desired result. Or its crumbling away in the subsequent polishing stages. Adding a layer or two of tape increases the angle, allows a microbevel to form, and is thus stronger than it otherwise would be without it. I get that. My question is, why is this happening? Is it a flaw in the blade geometry? Is there something wrong with the steel in that its inferior and doesn't take a good edge? Or is there something the person in front of the hones is doing (or not doing) that could avoid this? Thoughts?

Maybe it got hot and lost it's temper sometime in it's life. I have 2 razors that just will not get shave ready. If I do get them that way they dull before I finish using them. Has to be the steel is ruined. It's like trying to use a sweeny todd.

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

My question is, why is this happening? Is it a flaw in the blade geometry? Is there something wrong with the steel in that its inferior and doesn't take a good edge? Or is there something the person in front of the hones is doing (or not doing) that could avoid this? Thoughts?

Since you say the edge is holding after you apply the tape then that leads the answer to Geometry, however that might not be the entire answer..

If you have exceptional steel it can perhaps hold the edge at a lower angle it would knida depend on what the spine looks like IMO measure the actual angle so you have an idea of what is going on.. If you come up with something on the low side of 15° then you have a pretty good idea of the issue...

As you can see from my answer, often you have to look at the entire situation to narrow down the problem...

Steel
Angle
Hone
Pressure

Originally Posted by 10Pups

Thank you for confirming my decision to use tape all the time :<0) I think it cuts down on a lot of

? Using tape all the time wouldn't create a micro-bevel; it would create a normal bevel with a slightly larger included angle. Do you mean you always finish off with tape?

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

You want to taste defeat and humiliation? I'll send you my TI Damascus. After a few weeks messing with that baby you'll be thinking you can't even spell the word hone and be begging for me to take it back.

I'll take you up on that! Practice practice practice...

Edit: I didn't want this to become a tape battle or a work vs lazy thread haha. I guess this is just a non-taper confessing he has found some good use for tape lately, and trying to spread the word. Why don't I use tape (usually)? I don't know... My first razors weren't taped, and I didn't feel like having to keep track of things, so I just went without...even after I started restoring old guys with major wear. I just hoped that spine wear would work with the shrinking the blade width to maintain the original edge geometry. It's worked so far. I've just had to put in more...well...work.

I've always assumed I'd have to use tape one day on those restore projects that have extreme hone wear. Funny enough, These two razors both seem to be NOS (the C. Myers definitely was; the Ontario didn't show a single sign of ever touching the hones). No pitting whatsoever; the steel doesn't even show the slightest patina or spotting. But hours and hours on the Chosera 1k wasn't yielding bevels that I loved. They would shave arm hair, but with just a tad more pressure than I liked. So screw it, micro bevel on the finisher and VOILA! Excellent shavers!

Some say pastes can be a crutch for poor honing. I see micro bevels as a crutch for people who have a bevel 99% complete, but don't wan't to put in another 6 hours on the 1k for that last 1%. Still, some swear by micro bevels. For now, I'll see how these edges hold, but I'm very happy with the results thus far.