Setting a bevel!!!! I get it now!!

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11-19-2013, 05:26 AM
Boxertim

Setting a bevel!!!! I get it now!!

Ive watched every video i could find and logged about 15hrs over my stones and then today i thought.....'maybe i haven't set a bevel yet.'

I was sure i set a bevel. I brought home a microscope and sure enough....no bevel. I spent way way long on the 4000 i have and finally set the bevel.

Within 10 min of getting a good bevel i was able to take hair off of my arm.

lots of fine tuning and stropping and i have no hair on my arms, chest and legs!

So no matter how many times i heard it .... Setting the bevel is very important! I get it now.
11-19-2013, 07:46 AM
Jimbo

Congratulations!

Well, you can say "set the bevel" and people can hear "set the bevel", but until you actually do "set the bevel" for the first time it's just a concept really.

Now you know what it is you are actually aiming for, your honing should really take off.

James.
11-19-2013, 09:34 AM
ScottGoodman

Yes, setting the bevel is about 80% of honing a blade, the rest is just icing on the cake.
11-19-2013, 09:45 AM
BobH

Congrats on the epiphany about setting a bevel. I remember having one of those and how much my honing improved after that. If I can easily shave arm hair all along the blade edge off my bevel setter I am usually good to go up the progression.

Bob
11-19-2013, 10:05 AM
ScottGoodman

FYI: When Bob is talking about shaving arm hair he is talking mid-upper shaft, not near the skin.
11-19-2013, 03:10 PM
Boarder277

Congrats!

I too just recently learned to hone my own razor to absolute shave ready awesomeness! Like you I had been honing and honing some more on my Norton 4k/8k and polishing on the 12k and endlessly stropping but with no real luck cutting arm hair.

Then finally I decided to drop down to my a Norton 1k and do 1 set of Lynn Abram's circle method with pressure, then another set on my 4k and BOOM, cutting arm hairs perfectly!

It was certainly one of life's " AHHAAA" "OHHH I GET IT NOW" moments lol.

Since I had that first epiphany I've been able to kill the edge and re-set the bevel a couple of times with absolute success...always being able to shave arm hair, albeit not perfectly off the 1k or 4k stone...when the experts say "it's all about the bevel" they are absolutely correct!
11-19-2013, 03:16 PM
BobH

Quote:

Originally Posted by shooter74743

FYI: When Bob is talking about shaving arm hair he is talking mid-upper shaft, not near the skin.

No I do not mean tree topping if that is what you mean.

In any event, it is good the OP found a way to verify if his bevel was set or not before continuing up the progression. In a previous post it was pointed out that there are several methods/tests that can be used to validate a bevel set. I am sure that there are individual variances of these tests that are tuned to the individuals using them. The biggest point being to find a method that works for you or everything else after the bevel set could easily be a wasted effort.

Bob
11-19-2013, 03:31 PM
mjsorkin

I always like to say that one test can fool you, so always do two or three tests. My three bevel tests are the arm hair test, the thumb pad, and the look test.

After 1k this is what i look for. The razor should cut arm hair effortlessly all along the blade with no pressure. The edge should feel super sharp and stick to my thumb. The edge should look polished without magnification; and under a magnifier the very edge should look very straight without reflecting light.

Michael
11-19-2013, 03:51 PM
sheajohnw

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boxertim

Ive watched every video i could find and logged about 15hrs over my stones and then today i thought.....'maybe i haven't set a bevel yet.'

I was sure i set a bevel. I brought home a microscope and sure enough....no bevel. I spent way way long on the 4000 i have and finally set the bevel.

Within 10 min of getting a good bevel i was able to take hair off of my arm.

lots of fine tuning and stropping and i have no hair on my arms, chest and legs!

So no matter how many times i heard it .... Setting the bevel is very important! I get it now.

Until the thin bands being abraded by the stone on each side of the blade intersect to form a fresh edge, there is no edge to refine with the higher grit stones. Until that intersection (bevel set) is achieved, the high grit stones are only polishing the bands rubbing on the stone, not refining the razor to a shave-able keen edge.
11-19-2013, 04:32 PM
ScottGoodman

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobH

Congrats on the epiphany about setting a bevel. I remember having one of those and how much my honing improved after that. If I can easily shave arm hair all along the blade edge off my bevel setter I am usually good to go up the progression.

Bob

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobH

No I do not mean tree topping if that is what you mean.

In any event, it is good the OP found a way to verify if his bevel was set or not before continuing up the progression. In a previous post it was pointed out that there are several methods/tests that can be used to validate a bevel set. I am sure that there are individual variances of these tests that are tuned to the individuals using them. The biggest point being to find a method that works for you or everything else after the bevel set could easily be a wasted effort.

Bob

I guess I don't understand your arm hair testing then. I understand what you mean about testing the entire length of the blade to make sure it will all shave, but I am not understanding if you shave close to the skin or ???
11-19-2013, 04:44 PM
BobH

Quote:

Originally Posted by shooter74743

I guess I don't understand your arm hair testing then. I understand what you mean about testing the entire length of the blade to make sure it will all shave, but I am not understanding if you shave close to the skin or ???

Yea, closer to the skin. I think, not certain though, that if the blade will cut arm hairs all along the edge off of whatever bevel setter you are using where exactly on said hairs is not too important. As Michael said in post #8 it is very useful to do some other tests also before carrying on.

Bob
11-20-2013, 11:50 AM
eddy79

Congrats on the bevel. It really does start there. Now the fun of refining while keeping it smooth. That sounds like one of the worst cases of razor mange Ive heard of. Hopefully your set for a while and don't need to resort to other areas of hair!
11-21-2013, 02:00 AM
JimBC

Loss of hair is one thing, but the unhappy rubbing on "the important other" in the bed with all those stubby hairs will not keep you happy for very long. Ha. Ankles seemed to be the most acceptable spot for me "us". Happy honing!
11-23-2013, 12:25 AM
Bamasamson

Quote:

Originally Posted by sheajohnw

Until the thin bands being abraded by the stone on each side of the blade intersect to form a fresh edge, there is no edge to refine with the higher grit stones. Until that intersection (bevel set) is achieved, the high grit stones are only polishing the bands rubbing on the stone, not refining the razor to a shave-able keen edge.

Well how do you take into considerations on a smiling blade on this statement?
11-23-2013, 02:45 AM
BobH

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bamasamson

Well how do you take into considerations on a smiling blade on this statement?

There are different honing strokes that work with a smiling blade or a warped/twisted blade and it really gets interesting when they are both smiling and warped/twisted. It is really an art form at that point but it can be done.

Bob