How do I hone a soft GB anchor razor?
I scored a big 10/8" GB anchor earlier this week and I got around to rescaling and repairing the damaged edge: it had a big chip and I ended up with 9/8".
Yesterday and today I tried honing it, but this razor has got me stumped. It seems incredibly soft, perhaps too soft to hold an edge, though I am pretty sure I did not ruin the temper myself. Could it be the 1/8" removal of the edge exposed a slightly softer steel?
Here are a couple of notes/clues:
- The blade has a small warp, so I use X strokes.
- It's very heavy, so "weight of the blade" is much more pressure than usual. As such, I supported some of the weight, to no avail.
- The toe always gets "there" first, center second, heel takes very long. "There" means pretty sharp, but definitely not shaving sharp.
- The devil spat at the center and I found a few microchips at the edge. I managed to hone one out with a pretty slow Jnat with little pressure.
- No matter what I try, past the 1K I cannot get a sticky edge. I tried super gentle 4/8K pyramid on Shapton GS, but it feels like they are too aggressive.
- I tried natural stones and somehow got a burr from a slurried coticule. I used just a little added pressure and half-strokes. Jnat and Roszutec both could not get me a sharp edge.
- I honed 50, maybe 100 razors and I use TPT and HHT mostly. It fails both consistenly and I don't even bother trying a shave test when it hesitates to cut arm hair.
- The feel on the DMT8C and Shaptons is very different from any of my other razors. It produces large amounts of swarf, even on the 4K. That could either be because of the wide bevel and hone wear on the spine, or because the steel is too soft.
- The razor is beautiful and I really want to shave with it. I've already put it down twice after a honing session and walked away.
- I have never honed very old or soft blades before.
What are your thoughts and what should I do? I hope you can help me out with this! I'm on vacation now, but when I get back, I'll make some pictures of my new love. She's really pretty in what I think is rosewood, which I got from a friend.
Thanks!