help me set my bevel pics included in post

the razor is a merx ebay special its vintage and had a frown in it which i have removed and tried to set the bevel with no luck it wont cut hair at skin level.
here are some pics:
side a:
Attachment 152025Attachment 152026Attachment 152027Attachment 152028Attachment 152029Attachment 152030Attachment 152031Attachment 152032Attachment 152033
side b:
Attachment 152035Attachment 152036Attachment 152037

how far off am i from getting this bevel set?
im using the chorsera 1k its flat and the sides have been chasemed.

i have hit the edge of the razor on the hone a few times by dropping the razor:banghead:

i have been doing 100 circles each side then 15 x strokes but not conventional x strokes i have been leading with the heel and going in a curve bringing the tip to meet back up with the heel at the end of my stroke.

i have seen people do this on you-tube. i am doing this instead of conventional x strokes because i find it difficult to keep the blade flat on the stone when doing x strokes, i always seem to catch the blade on the edge of the stone when performing the x stroke.

how much pressure should i be using on the x strokes? i have been not using much but i could go lighter if needed.

any input would be great thanks in advance guys

I look for a shadow at the edge (dark area) to see if both sides met. Try stropping the blade and see what happens. I've also had blades not cut hair at the 1k level and have moved on to higher grits and still ended up with a great shaving edge IMO. I'm sure someone who's honed thousands of razors will chime in....
I think most people will tell you that it should cut hair at the 1k level....

What is all this doing to the spine? Are you getting uneven wear on the spine? Also, if I'm looking at the pictures properly, it seems as if the heel is catching - if that's the case, it may be lifting the bevel off the hone slightly. These two areas may need attention before you will get the bevel set.

To me it looks like the bevel is not quite there yet. And you are definitely honing into the shoulder (stabilizer) on both sides. That could throw your geometry off until its ground down even with the rest of the plane. To stop from honing the boulder keep your blade at a 45° to the hone heel first. If you look at your edge the dark like on the very edge looks to me like the edges aren't meeting yet.

thanks for the replies
i have been using tape on the spine i should try doing it without catching the heel.
anything else?

When you do the 100x circles is that 100 on one side then 100 on the other or are you doing say 30 each side then repeat?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by meleii

To me it looks like the bevel is not quite there yet. And you are definitely honing into the shoulder (stabilizer) on both sides. That could throw your geometry off until its ground down even with the rest of the plane. To stop from honing the boulder keep your blade at a 45° to the hone heel first. If you look at your edge the dark like on the very edge looks to me like the edges aren't meeting yet.

---

That would be my thoughts too. Leave the tape on the spine, that is perfectly OK to do. Use the 45 degree heel forward to miss honing into the stabilizer at the heel.

Bob

20 - 30 circles each side then repeat

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BobH

That would be my thoughts too. Leave the tape on the spine, that is perfectly OK to do. Use the 45 degree heel forward to miss honing into the stabilizer at the heel.

Bob

---

i have been honing with 45 degree angle but i must of been honing the shoulder ill try take more care.

You guys have good eye's I didn't even see that the heel/stabilizer was hitting the hone.
Definitely would throw you off

bevel set! (i think) i had another honing session this morning (making sure i missed the shoulder) i was testing the sharpness by trying to cut arm hair which it cut a few but not much when i did what another member suggested on another thread by trying to cut leg hair it took all the hair off where i cut cleanly without leaving any hair at all.
i have 2 cleanly shaven squares on my leg now.:D

but it is in no way popping arm hairs or even shaving them cleanly i find that a bit strange:confused:

so do you think the bevel is set or should i keep going?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stevenn21

[...]

but it is in no way popping arm hairs or even shaving them cleanly i find that a bit strange:confused:

so do you think the bevel is set or should i keep going?

---

The arm/leg hair test, as you have just proven, does not produce the same results for different people and different types of hair. It even differs between arm and leg hair. I would suggest moving up to the next hone and see if you can get a notable improvement with 20-40 circles or strokes. If you don't, the bevel was not ready.

Typically when a razor starts cutting arm hair for me I do another 10-15 x-strokes on the 1k just to make sure and set the bevel in there a little bit more.

my 4k norton feels coarser than my 1k chosera but i had the 4k professionally lapped by a honemeister thats weird

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stevenn21

my 4k norton feels coarser than my 1k chosera but i had the 4k professionally lapped by a honemeister thats weird

---

I read that before, for some reason the 4K Norton feels coarse. Don't worry, it still leaves a good 4K finish.

Personally, I have found that in setting the bevel for first time on an old or new to me razor, I like to raise a burr. Before doing this I was really never confident I had set the bevel and was done with that step. I would often go to the next hone without really setting the bevel and was often frustrated down the line. With a SLIGHT burr on a 1000 grit stone, I knew I am ready to continue honing. That being said, once you raise a burr the first time on your razor, there is no reason to do so on additional honing in the future, as you already know you are close when you start. I know some say this is a waste of steel but for those few microns of steel to know I am there is worth it for me.

I hate to do it but an intentional dulling might be helpful in this case. Run the edge over the lip of a glass twice with light pressure and the ensure that it's dull by trying to shave arm hair. Then go back to the 1k and get it back to shaving arm hair with very little effort - the edge should pop hairs at the slightest touch at skin level. If you find yourself scraping your arm to get it to shave you're not there yet. The better your bevel is the better your final edge is going to be.

-john

i went back to the 1k i watched "Bevel setting on a Chosera 1000 grit" by lynn on you tube he was using a lot more pressure than me so i followed his pressure but it took him 12 minutes i was at it for an hour before i decided to use less pressure again.

the thump bat test says its not sharp enough but i am not sure about that either. it cuts hair off the arm as long as the blade is touching the shin with slight pressure. it does not pop hair at skin level on the arm. i dont think i will ever get it to do that should i go to the 4k now?

How did you take the frown out?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HNSB

How did you take the frown out?

---

i used a few methods first i held the razor at about 40 degrees on the lowest grit stone i could fing (125 aliminium oxide) and went forward and backwards quickly after this i put it flat on the hone with tape on the spine and went fowards and backwards quickly until it leveled out i then went up through the grits (250 ali minium oxide, 400 waterstone, 1000 cheap waterstone) i used the 1000 grit for ages to make sure to get all the scratches from the previous grits removed. then i honed on the 1k for 2 hours. at this point i moved onto the chorsera 1k.

Fixing a frown taught me how sharp a razor can get from a 1k stone after using gssixguns breadknifing method. Now I use that knowledge as my 1k benchmark.