Thread: Can't seem to set a straight bevel

hey everyone, I've gotten some great advice on this forum so far so I thought I would put this one out there...

I've been trying to reset the bevel and re-hone my grandfathers old H.R. Christensen 5/8 razor...I've been following Slash McCoy's YouTube tutorial on honing with Lapping film, I've started trying to set the bevel on 30u film, about 150-200 half laps with pressure on one side until a burr forms on the edge, then the same number of half laps on the other side until a burr forms....then removing it with about 50-100 regular laps...

but my result is that wavy bevel you see in the pictures above, and I'm keeping a finger on the blade to ensure full contact with the film...

not sure what the heck I'm doing wrong.

Keeping your finger on the razor is creating a frown. Allow the blade to lie evenly on the hone when you hone it.

crap your exactly right, i think i just had one of those "ahaaa" moments

thanks for the reply, i thought it was just that lapping film doesn't always work, I'm gonna give it another try today on the 30u film, I'll go through the whole process of creating the Burr on each side and then removing the Burr with regular laps

If the surface on which you are honing is flat, no further manipulation of the blade is required to get a straight edge and an even bevel. Use one hand, keep your elbow raised above the level of the razor and allow the blade to rest evenly on the honing material as you hone.

The blade may be warped. Flat honing doesn't always work out if the blade geometry is off. I hone to the blade meaning if the blade is warped or short at the heel or toe, I rock it on the hone to follow the contour of the blade. This would be very hard to do with film as you would tear it up. I have used film and stopped for that reason. If you want to continue to use it, I would recommend a dmt 600 for heavy work and 1200 for bevels as they will cut fast and will not dish or tear as film does.

I'm seeing a few potential problems here. First --the spine isn't worn evenly, and there is quite a bit of wear. Second -- it looks like the stabilizer is interfering with how the blade sits on the honing surface. Third -- before you can go further, the frown that's there needs to go, and that's further trouble, it seems to be a good-size frown. Removing the frown is a frustrating process that involves lifting the spine off the homing surface and simply grinding away the blade using mostly circle strokes. Frankly, from what I see in the pictures, you're in a bit of a tough spot, some better pictures might help.

i think it might be best to go with a stone, I'm probably going to order the Naniwa stones from SRD, which ones do you recommend?

FWIW I bought a lapping plate made of granite from woodcraft and it would be perfect for using film. It comes with a diagram and read out of it's thickness at different spots. And for my 12"x8"x2" plate it only is .003" from one end to the other out of being perfectly flat. So u might wanna look into picking one up. Also they sell them smaller and larger for whatever you want or need. I think mine was under 50 bucks but don't quote me. And their shipping is super reasonable ( free for mine that weighs about 40lbs)

it seems like the films are a valid alternative at the very fine level for refreshing, so maybe I could get away with just the coarser grit stones