Thread: a little honing stress

Hi guys, could someone help me out a little with some honing issues i have.

I'm using a Dovo ebony handle straight, which i honed just after christmas. At the time i noticed a slight dull patch that ran about the last 5mm of the edge toward the point. Now, at the time, i wanted to get a few shaves in, which i did, and strated to have very good results.

But now i'm getting the hang of it, that damn dull spot is really annoying me. On one side of the blade, i have great hone contact all the way along. On the other, i have good hone contact except for the end which i just can't get. I own a range of hones, and got so frustrated, that i lapped up my 240 waterstone and got to work. Still no good, but i went right up through all of the grades to 8000, just to see where the polishing was good. I'm back at square one now, with what i started with.

My honing feels good to me. The thumb nail test is smooth and seats well on the nail, apart from that end. I'm wondering if there is a slight hollow in the blade?

Actually, putting a straight edge up to the blade (very gently) shows the end running slightly away from the problem spot. My hones are flat.

which brings me to the question i guess, of how to get the edge dead straight right the way through to the end so the hones can get the whole edge?

Hope you can help, i really want this to work as it was a present, and my only straight at the mo, and i AINT goin back to a mach 3!!!

Thanks for reading!!

Pea

Pea,

Others will probably disagree with what I'm about to say, but...

I've been able to overcome this problem by altering the honing stroke. Sometimes I'll pull the blade through the stroke to the point where the tip runs off the edge (not the end) of the hone. Sometimes I might try tipping the blade at the end of the stroke so the problem spot hits the hone. Usually it's better to keep the edge supported by having the blade resting on the hone, but in this case you'll probably have to use a less than ideal approach.

You'd likely have to remove a lot of steel to even the edge out. My advice would be to do what it takes to get that part of the blade making contact. Sometimes you can hone just the trouble spot, tipping the blade so only that part makes contact...

Usually I find if you can get the edge established at the 4K level it's easy to finish it off.

Donning flame retardant gear,
Josh

I'd take it to a rough stone 1k or wet/dry sandpaper will do. Do some circles, about 50 at a time on both sides and check again. Once it's straight, a full pyramid up to 15 or 25 strokes on the 4k and back down again. I recently bashed in one spot on my DD Special with the scales (nothing major, only about ½mm) and this is exactly the process I followed. It now shaves like a dream.

X

I would try Josh's suggestion first and Xman's after that.
Personally, I use Josh's method. You wll seldom find razors that are perfectly straight. The X pattern is what works to hone those razors.


Just my two cents,

thanks guys,

i did need to apply some pressure to that end, it just needed a little help, but it honed up beautifully. Just need to test it......

I did most of the leg work on a 1200,

then x's on 4000, 6000, 8000. The middle 6000 stone is a king, and i find it really helps get the edge polished before reverting back to the norton combi for the final 8000 buff.

cheers

pea

Originally Posted by pea

The middle 6000 stone is a king, and i find it really helps get the edge polished before reverting back to the norton combi for the final 8000 buff.

I do something similar with my Tam O'Shanter (which is also about 6k) before going to the 8k Shapton.

I have started doing Norton 4K, then Belgian Blue, Norton 8K, Belgian Yellow - speaking to your idea of an intermediate 6K or so hone between Norton 4k/8k

I am not sure I detect a difference, but it makes sense conceptually

Cheers
Ivo

The 8k shapton is 1.84 micron, which is quite a bit finer than the 8k norton (~3 microns), about the same grit size as boron carbide. So the low-grit but fine-polishing tam o shanter is a handy thing to slot in the middle. And the 15k shapton (.98 micron) is a really nice stepping-off point for the chrome oxide :-)

Since I've stopped leaning on my paddles so much I've really fallen in love with the Shaptons. I used to reserve them for my Friodurs and Heljestrands, but now I use the 15k on everything but the sheffield razors which generally stop at the 8k Shapton or boron carbide.

Yeah i figured the 6000 could do no harm, just remove a few more scratches before going onto the norton 8000, which seems to cut more than the king 6000?! Maybe the type of stone. I think the king clogs more, which might explain some of this.

Just wondered where you guys get chromium oxide, i want to try it but don't know where to get it. I live in UK so any places here would be good!!

Thanks again for all replies. Very helpfull. I'm now de stressed!!

pea

The best source is www.handamerican.com