Thread: bevel setting and ford medley

Hello all!

I have been reading you for months and decided to post as i am stuck.

I have a ford medley which dull like a butterknife.

I havd been trying set the bevel on a naniwa 1000 with no success. I have tried to mark the edge to ensure all the edge was getting honed and it does!

I use the40 circle method and then do about 20 laps and stillnot sharp.i even tried to see if i could cut myself with it...

I am very frustrated to say the least. Can you please kindly share some tips? I am sure my skills are the problem

Thanks
Romain

Pictures will help ,and sending it to a pro even better , maybe just need to find out if it's even worth shaving,, Good luck. Have you shaved with it before? Do you have other razors that you have honed that you shave with? How many razors have you honed ? I know a lot of questions , but the pics and info may help you get some answers. Tc

Originally Posted by tcrideshd

Pictures will help ,and sending it to a pro even better , maybe just need to find out if it's even worth shaving,, Good luck. Have you shaved with it before? Do you have other razors that you have honed that you shave with? How many razors have you honed ? I know a lot of questions , but the pics and info may help you get some answers. Tc

I ll take some pictures later once i put my son to bed


The razor wasn't shave ready when i got it but the edge was in good condition ( no pitting or chip, no frown)

i have 2 other razors that were made shave ready by pro. This one i kept to learn honing on it.

This is my first razor i fully hone ( i have maintained my other 2 with a polisher hone)

thanks a lot!

A few pictures of the trouble maker

I use a 1K Nani also and it can be slow with some blades I found when I started using it.

do you tape the spine if not try it.
also mark the cutting egde not just the bevel, as the bevel face may get removed but the actual edge may still need more to go to get sharp.
magnification is your freind here also

reduce the presure a bit as you might be flexing the blade also, which causes you to grind the beval faces/sides but not the bevel edge.
your blade has a bit of a smile to it, so the circles method will not get the edge fully I find, as I also use the circles method most of the time for straight blades,
so you will need to go back to an Xstroke to ensure the full edge is betting set,
I would do cyles of 20-40 Xstrokes until the bevel is set,
I find the Thumb Nail Test (TNT) the best indicator for me, if the blade slides along my nail smooth in any spot it is not set yet, if it grips a bit the full leangth it should be right & should shave arm hair by this point also.
I would then do sets of 20 to 40 Xstrokes again but very light blade only weight pressure for the rest of the polishing through the grit ranges until I am happy strop at 8K shave test then if happy proceed to finisher if to harsh go back throught the grits again

if at any stage you make a mistake & roll the edge on the hone or lift the spine it & it digs in etc,
STOP,
don't kid youself,
your previous work is gone,
so start again & save a lot of time then having to go back to start anyway
see how you go

+1 to Substance' suggestions above.
It might also help if you amend your profile to include your location so someone local might be able to offer some help.

You might also consider acquiring an illuminated loupe in the 60X range so you can actually see the apex of the bevel. If you are using too much pressure when you hone, this pressure can flex the blade enough to raise the apex off of the stone. If it loses contact with the stone, it can't get sharp. JMO

Judging from your pictures, I am seeing uneven pressure being applied and more pressure being applied to the back side of the razor. It also looks like you are wearing the bevel more than the spine which could be several problems. Take a break and come back at it a little at a time. Make sure the razor is staying flat on the hone throughout the process and try more X strokes after your circles. Firm pressure is all you need with that blade, not heavy.

Have fun.

Wohaaa thanks for all the advices. I am amazed at what you can see on pics. I think lynn is spot on. Thinking about my honing session this makes totally sense.

I have a cheap magnifying glass but i found it hard to interpret what i am seeing TBH.

I ll give try and check back. One question though what kind of pressure should i be targetting at ? Very light ?

The razors own weight