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.

Tape will only bring the edge a tiny bit closer than without it. The only benefit for tape IMO is to save some spine wear gold wash etc. That tiny bit IMO willonot shore up bad steel. Multiple layers will change the angle some more. The blade was designed to wear at the spine and edge the same to keep the angle constant more or less. Im gonna shut up now and see where this goes!

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 bill3152

Tape will only bring the edge a tiny bit closer than without it. The only benefit for tape IMO is to save some spine wear gold wash etc. That tiny bit IMO willonot shore up bad steel. Multiple layers will change the angle some more. The blade was designed to wear at the spine and edge the same to keep the angle constant more or less. Im gonna shut up now and see where this goes!

http://straightrazorpalace.com/advan...-theories.html