Thread: Wanting small bevels

I use the very small bulldog clips, such as this one:
http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/x/bulld...p-10506456.jpg

During my experimenting/playing around, I ground away at the lip at the bottom where the levers attach, which reduced the angle. This still gave an angle that was too high, so I hammered down the top part which looks slight crimped, which served to thin the clip down. The resulting angle is easily below 20 degrees but to be exact, I'll have to measure it later on this evening.

The clips are no longer easy to apply since they have to be crammed open with a screwdriver and then applied to the spine area of the razor. There are also issues if the razor has a hollow spine area that is not straight, since the clips do not follow exactly the curvature; although, they can be bent under heat or just cold, so that they do.

I'm not entirely happy with the solution although it does help a lot for honing true wedges and razors with crazy spine-wear. The clips have the advantage that you can flatten them to adjust the angle that they give you but it does tend to mean you have to repeat the task for individual razors. I'm kind of tied for time on the bench so I haven't been able to try it on any other razors than the true wedge I've been experimenting with - I do hope to be able to continue with them soon. An engineer could likely make an adjustable version of this idea, would be an interesting project.

Originally Posted by coachschaller

I have gone through a few edge restorations now and am looking at getting better. How do I achieve those small bevels? Is it purely the spine wear or the grind? Tape? I would appreciate a few lessons on how to keep those bevels small.
Thanks

thickness near the edge. From a geometry standpoint, the only way to get a small bevel is if the blade is thin enough near the edge, and the spine is thick enough. Usually, the problem is with the thickness near the edge.

I've wasted quite a few hours on a huge blade that had a wide and uneven bevel - at the owners request I breadknifed it away and then set an new bevel - which was just as bad as the first. Of course the problem was uneven grinding on a blade that was no more than a quarter hollow - so regardless of how much tape used, I was not going to get an even and small bevel.

I overcame the problem by removeing excess material using a 6" flapwheel - I don't have a grinder. Making sure that the blade wasn't getting too hot, I managed to erase the uneven bevel line down to something much smaller. Tonight will tell just what it looks like when I re-hone.

Originally Posted by pfries

I would agree the angle is a bit much,
although 5-10 is low 15-20 and 17 on average and there are several write ups and posts with measurements available if you choose to search.
I will be interested in hearing about the results.

Is that 15-20 inclusive or per side ? Im probably completely wrong and willing to accept the opinions of much more seasoned razor honers. Its just that my razor doesn't look like it has a 40 degree inclusive edge, but one thing I have learned with bladed objects is that looks can be deceiving

Originally Posted by mike1011

Is that 15-20 inclusive or per side ? Im probably completely wrong and willing to accept the opinions of much more seasoned razor honers. Its just that my razor doesn't look like it has a 40 degree inclusive edge, but one thing I have learned with bladed objects is that looks can be deceiving

That is inclusive if I am understanding you correctly.

Here is a good read for you

http://straightrazorpalace.com/advan...vel-angle.html

Originally Posted by coachschaller

Thanks guys, I have been letting the razors dictate anyway..... I am lazy. But in other words, I just need to order a new custom !

Just Wow! That's certainly a way to deal with the issue. I like the way you think.

And, yes, what Utopian said. I wouldn't worry about it at all. I've had edges that area nearly no viewable even with the 30x loupe.