Thread: Getting my Bismarck to pass the Hanging Hair Test

You might consider one of these loupes. Mines a 40x. Works like a champ!



with lights--

Today I re-honed my Bismarck starting with setting the bevel. I have to admit, it is much harder for me to hone a Bismarck than it is to hone a Best Quality because the Bismarck's edge does not have a stabilizer and also is shorter in width.

I used:

Step 1: Chorsera 1k to set the bevel
Step 2: Norton 4k to hone
Step 3: Norton 8k to polish
Step 4: Naniwa 12k to finish

Norton 4k was almost as abrasive as the Chorsera 1k (if not more) but I think that's because I did not lap it down sufficiently (apparently, people say you need to lap down at least 1/8 of an inch off).

The hardest part of the experience was that no matter what I did (circle method, X-strokes, other techniques I saw on the Internet), at the end my Bismarck still was not able to pass the hanging hair test (HHT). Then I noticed that the part near the shoulder area of the blade was passing the HHT and had a taller "strip" of thin mirror finish than the rest of the blade. Then it occurred to me that maybe I wasn't setting the bevel enough so I put three fingers near the edge to hold down the edge to prevent it from bending while honing and started from Step 2, using the Norton 4k to set the bevel.

Then at the end, the bevel was taller throughout the edge and my razor is now passing the HHT 50% of the time. I think as SirStropalot mentioned, setting the bevel is 90% of the work, indeed. I also taped my spine in the last honing attempt to see if it would make a difference.

Originally Posted by spacex

Then it occurred to me that maybe I wasn't setting the bevel enough so I put three fingers near the edge to hold down the edge to prevent it from bending while honing and started from Step 2, using the Norton 4k to set the bevel.

I would respectfully suggest that finger pressure has likely had the opposite effect to what your plan was.
Go slowly, use a light touch & one hand as much as possible. Pressure is the most greatly misunderstood thing in the straight razor world.

Sounds like you've seen a bunch of different folks honing. I watched two, checked out a 3rd guy, but didn't care for his style. I picked a fave and I watched everything he ever put up on honing. As boring and awful as that seems, it gave me a consistent source of information and I learned what was most important by how regularly he emphasized particular parameters and parts of the procedure. This approach also kept me from getting a head full of conflicting information, which often comes down to personal preference but isn't always mix and match compatible.

Then i was free to learn and pick up on the finer nuances (still am) _after_ i had firm foundation in razor honing. I'm not saying that one guy was right or another was wrong, but that there are many ways to get there and it's best not to try to cram too much and often varied info all at once.

Bevel set, pressures, slurries are the basic keys in my mind. (at this point...)

Also, you stated that you had no good test for a bevel set. This is where i use a "hair test", it's the "arm hair test" (AHT). I can decipher about 5 different levels of sharpness with the hairs on my left arm and i can isolate areas of the blade that need more work. The first 3 of those are determining bevel-set (cutting is not enough, incomplete bevels can cut hair/feel sharp). The last two come with finishing stones.

keep after it. it all comes together after a while.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

I would respectfully suggest that finger pressure has likely had the opposite effect to what your plan was.
Go slowly, use a light touch & one hand as much as possible. Pressure is the most greatly misunderstood thing in the straight razor world.

Hi onimaru55, thank you for your suggestion. One question I have is that, without pressure, I would have to do many passes on my Chosera 1k to get enough metal particles to come off the edge of the razor. So should I just do as many passes as necessary to set the bevel with a light touch & 1 hand?

Originally Posted by WadePatton

Sounds like you've seen a bunch of different folks honing. I watched two, checked out a 3rd guy, but didn't care for his style. I picked a fave and I watched everything he ever put up on honing. As boring and awful as that seems, it gave me a consistent source of information and I learned what was most important by how regularly he emphasized particular parameters and parts of the procedure. This approach also kept me from getting a head full of conflicting information, which often comes down to personal preference but isn't always mix and match compatible.

Hi WadePatton, thank you for the encouraging note. I plan on becoming better and better. I own two razors: a 6/8" Best Quality and a 6/8" Bismarck. Because of their different styles (Bismarck has no shoulder, shorter edge), the ways I hone them also have to be different to produce the same result... It is very difficult for me at this point. I just need to keep practicing and learning.

Originally Posted by spacex

Hi onimaru55, thank you for your suggestion. One question I have is that, without pressure, I would have to do many passes on my Chosera 1k to get enough metal particles to come off the edge of the razor. So should I just do as many passes as necessary to set the bevel with a light touch & 1 hand?

Give it a try. You may find it goes quicker than you think. Without getting all mystical, just focus your attention on the edge. A little torque helps too but like the law of diminishing returns there is a point where pressure is self defeating. Your aim is to hone the edge unless you require to thin the bevel some. You can remove chips in no time with the right ie light pressure using circles then x strokes.

If your blade is slightly warped that is another challenge.

First you must determine if the bevels are set, coming togeather evenly all the way across the edge.

Here

Here is a simple, 100 percent effective test. If you see shinny spots, those spots are where the bevels are NOT meeting. The edge should be a grey blur under magnification, shinny is not good. Make sure the stabilizer is not hitting the hone and holding the edge off the stone. Put marker ink on the stabilizer.

Once you have, for sure set the bevel, do 10 more lite laps on the 1K then move up to the next stone.

If the bevel is not set and you think you are not making full contact, use the magic marker test. Ink the bevels with a marker use colored ink, red is good. Check to see if ALL the ink is removed all the way to the edge, if not do another lap. If not remove in 3-4 laps you have a problem, find out why.

Sounds like your blade may be warped a bit and not making full contact. Use ink to monitor your progress. Downward pressure, will cause more problems, later in the progression with micro chipping.

You do not have to remove a 1/8th inch from the 4/8K, just make sure it is flat and smooth.

What are you using to lap your stones?

Once the bevel is set it is just a matter of removing the stria completely from the previous stone. Do not move up until the stria is removed, alternate the stria pattern by using a 90 degree and 30 degree heel forward at the final strokes of each stone so you can easily see the stria.

You may also try adding an additional layer of tape and ensuring that your tape is not worn through.

If you can, post a photo of the razor with a close up of the bevel on both sides.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

What are you using to lap your stones?

Also how much pressure are you applying in lapping. It is easy to embed paricles into a Norton. See ? the 'pressure' thing again.

Originally Posted by spacex

Hi WadePatton, thank you for the encouraging note...

It may help to stick to one or the other and get real good with it. Then learn the other. But then i've never considered these things for honing. I don't mash on 'em either.

I have found it beneficial to kill an edge when reworking a bevel. Three or four TNT's will kill it-such that it won't cut arm hair, then start over until you have arm hair popping bevel for the length of the blade. Check with magnification too. The bevel set has to be perfect for a best edge.