Thread: problem with tip

so ive successfully honed one razor now no problem, so i tried honing a expensive thiers issard and im now worried i messed up my blade....everything on my blade is real sharp, smooth and passes HHT, but the tip is not as sharp, and i can see the blade isnt as polished as the rest...but, ive made a concious effort to keep the blade even and look at the water distribution, and do X strokes to keep it even. what am i doing wrong? did i mess my blade up?

No you didn't mess it up. It may possibly have a slight smile to it. You might try using a rolling x stroke. That way you will be sure to get the end if the blade. Also look for gssixgun he has a pretty good description of this stroke. Also look for his YouTube channel.

New blade? Can you put a couple of pics?

Each blade is different. MINOR adjustments in your stroke may be needed. Use the magic marker test to make sure you are hitting the whole edge.

Michael

You pretty much described your issue. Your strokes aren't getting the entire razor. You need to modify things depending on the geometry of the blade. You might very well need those rolling strokes. A picture would help.

I have several TI razors and they all require a rolling stroke to get even wear and sharpness.

-john

you guys were right i watched lynn abrams video and he showed me how to tell if it had a smile and sure enough....im learning how to hone with it now and i got the tip a lot sharper than it was before but still not as sharp as the rest of the blade....what about stropping how do i cope with the smile while stropping

On the strop, it is just another razor.

Originally Posted by Splashone

On the strop, it is just another razor.

IME a really pronounced smile requires a sweeping stroke on the strop.

Michael

If the smile is pronounce, you may want to strop it in two sections the heel half first then the tip half, do equal amount of laps. If you are new to stropping and try to do fancy sweeping strokes you are guaranteed to nick your strop.

Get used to stropping technique first. The two section technique will get all the edge overlapping the middle especially with a 2 inch strop.

Once you have mastered that, then progress to an x type stroke.

Photos always help when asking for help, the razor condition may show something you are unaware of.

And… we just want to see your stuff.

I strop my smiley blades in two stages - I concentrate on the tip half and then the heel half - works for me. I then finish up with x strokes but, as previously mentioned, this is a great way to scratch or nick your strop.

John