Thread: Dead spot?

Hi folks. I'm scratching my head over a honing situation I've run into. I hope someone can help shed some light on this for me. To provide some background, I'm not the worlds best honer but I'm very comfortable with the task. I have a few new razors and I've done a few minor restoration projects of auction razors, etc. and have have gotten comfortable shaves from them all. The situation I've run into recently is with a Gong razor that I picket up at an antique store. I have gotten this razor hair popping, hanging hair cutting scary sharp along the entire edge except for a 1/2 inch section toward the tip. At first I suspected I hadn't set the bevel properly so I went back and set it again starting from a coarser stone... and then again when there was no change. I can clearly see the entire bevel as well as the progression up the stones from hazy to completely polished but that one small section toward the tip remains pretty dead. Anyone experience something like that before?

Thanks in advance!

Some photos would be of help on this one but I suspect that you have a little upturn/curve in the razor toward the tip and in your honing stroke , may not be be hitting it much if at all. You may try a slight roll/sweep as you come toward that point but must be consistent to hit it right each time. Just one suggestion. Regards Ken

Thanks Ken. I'm not at home at the moment so I can't post. I'll follow your suggestion when I get a chance and report back.

Thanks!!

I'm blind too but I envision a toe that is honed a bit more than the rest of the razor. You may have to lift some on your way off the stone or at the end of the pass to get at it.

This is a very common issue.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

This is a very common issue.

Thanks for that. So in your experience would honing as advised above do the trick? Alternately, would it be advisable to set the bevel further till everything flattens out completely?

Pic ?????

You are asking us to give advice on an unknown situation...

Being as we are shooting in the dark perhaps you should shed some light for yourself on the problem,,, Try the Magic Marker test color the edge and bevel with a Magic Marker then do just one or two laps and look at the results under Magnification.. That test will tell you if the "Dead Spot" is even being touched with the hone...

Caveat:

If you do this test and push the edge and try and make the test "Look" good you are only cheating yourself do the same stroke you have been doing to see what is going on...

If you are hitting the spot consistantly then it is time to consider alternative issues

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Pic ?????

You are asking us to give advice on an unknown situation...

Being as we are shooting in the dark perhaps you should shed some light for yourself on the problem,,, Try the Magic Marker test color the edge and bevel with a Magic Marker then do just one or two laps and look at the results under Magnification.. That test will tell you if the "Dead Spot" is even being touched with the hone...

Caveat:

If you do this test and push the edge and try and make the test "Look" good you are only cheating yourself do the same stroke you have been doing to see what is going on...

If you are hitting the spot consistantly then it is time to consider alternative issues

OK. Here ya go. Admittedly not the best pics in the world but I hope it gives you what you are looking for. Despite the fact 1 side shows the area in question (tip) a little OOF you can see it is shiny. The bevel is being hit. I'm getting the bevel pretty much everywhere. This was 1 pass on a Naniwa 10K. On one side it looks like I wasn't hitting a lot toward the heel but this was my butterfingers mucking things up after the pass. The marker was removed very consistently from heel to tip.

From the pics,,, I agree it looks like you are getting good even contact, the heel is going to need a small bit of correction probably on the next time honing..

I would work the bevel set a bit more, I would also try adding 1 layer of tape more, this will effectively create a double bevel and a slightly steeper bevel, see if that gives a shaving edge
I will link a good thread with some ideas on getting past honing issues also it might give some more ideas for you


http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...bing-over.html

Originally Posted by gssixgun

From the pics,,, I agree it looks like you are getting good even contact, the heel is going to need a small bit of correction probably on the next time honing..

I would work the bevel set a bit more, I would also try adding 1 layer of tape more, this will effectively create a double bevel and a slightly steeper bevel, see if that gives a shaving edge
I will link a good thread with some ideas on getting past honing issues also it might give some more ideas for you


http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...bing-over.html

Thanks so much for the info. Much appreciated. I'm not a fan of using tape but I'll give it a shot. To make sure I was evenly beveled and not actually sharpenng behind the edge, on my last try I did something that makes a lot of razor guys cringe which is burr creation. I'm 100% positive I'm getting the edge. I tried a lot of thigs in your linked post as well. Changed stones, tried different level of finish, etc. too. I'm wondering if there is something on a more technical level that might be causing that section of the razor to not take the same edge as the rest? Do you suppose it is possible that something might have happened on a metallurgical level? Say, during the hardening or tempering process? It is a really strange thing. It is almost like the tip is made of a different metal than the rest and won't take the same edge. It even sounds different when I run my thumb across it.