Bowed Blade- Am I on the Right Track?

Hiya folks. This Geneva Cutlery is my second vintage razor that I'm working on. It has a bow that I wasn't able to see when I sighted down the blade, but it is significant when on the hone. The picture shows the concave side of the blade with a straight stroke to show how the middle doesn't hit. I honed the razor to "barely adequate" on my shave test the first time around. Reading the other honing threads on bowed blades I see recommendations to do more of an X-Stroke or use a narrow stone. All of my stones are 3". I was able to hit the whole blade by doing a more exaggerated X-Stroke then what I normally see on Glenn & Lynn's instructional videos. I'm using Chosera 400 & 1k, Suehiro 6k, Naniwa SS 12k, Crox, Paddle Strop (planning to buy more stones budget allowing but I had the choseras and suehiro prior to straight razors). I also have a Veho usb microscope. There was no trouble getting a good shaving edge on my other razor. I know that the 1k to 6k to 12k are bigger jumps then recommended, but they are what I have and I use slurry to clear water to ease the jumps. Any insights?


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Go to the SRP library and check out the "rolling X" if you haven't already seen it. If you happen to have a hone that is 1" thick you can turn it up on edge and use it. You don't need a narrow hone if you can do the same with a wide one, but some guys find it easier in the beginning. A PITA when you have a bowed blade but it is rewarding when you get it shave ready.

Should you find the rolling x-stroke too difficult initially, circles as normal and then light circles focused over the smiling (bowed) tips can also work until you've got the hang of the rolling x.

perhaps you could look at a video or two on smiling blades. Although it is not dramatic it looks to me that that blade has a slight smile. There are a few strokes that will help you get a decent edge without loosing the smile. Also it may help to pick one honer and stick with that one technique until you get a bit better. It will save you a little confusion as there are many roads that lead to shave nirvana, and they are all correct. I am presuming that the marker line on the opposite side of the blade is exactly the same in this situation

By no means am I an expert as I'm less than two years old at this. But, for what it's worth, I think Glenn (gssixgun) also has some videos he's made where he deals with slightly bowed blades during honing. He doesn't tackle the subject specifically, but he does "hint" at how to handle evening out a small amount of bow when honing to capture an edge from toe to heel. He places his fingers down further on the blade to make better, or more even, contact with the stone.

If you haven't already done it, I'd encourage you to search out his videos in addition to Lynn's. I found them both to be incredibly helpful, and still do. Also, it appears that the "trick" is knowing just how much additional pressure to use, and to ensure that pressure doesn't cause additional honing wear on the spine. If you do experiment with using additional pressure, I'd also suggest thinking about taping the spine with a thin mil electrical tape to protect it while you develop your technique.

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Originally Posted by RezDog

perhaps you could look at a video or two on smiling blades. Although it is not dramatic it looks to me that that blade has a slight smile. There are a few strokes that will help you get a decent edge without loosing the smile. Also it may help to pick one honer and stick with that one technique until you get a bit better. It will save you a little confusion as there are many roads that lead to shave nirvana, and they are all correct. I am presuming that the marker line on the opposite side of the blade is exactly the same in this situation

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No smile in the above pic. More like a potential to create a frown.

Rolling X is needed or you can grind the heck out of the spine to compensate for the warp or add tape in all the right places.
More info here:
Honing: Troubleshooting Guide - Straight Razor Place Library

I think Corin isn't talking about a smiling edge but a blade that has a slight bend that will not lay quite flat on the hone. I'm not sure how to proceed honing this type of blade. I also have a blade with a slight bend and I'm thinking of putting it in a shadow box for display.

onimaru55 is absolutely correct. I was way off. Jury strike that last remark.

Thanks guys! I watched Lynn's rolling X video and gssixgun's smiling wedge video. I was able to improve the edge :)

Toe leading rolling x stokes starting with the blade mostly off the stone seemed to hit the middle on this side. The other convex side responded well to the normal heel leading stroke.