Thread: First honing question - Thiers-Issard

Hey guys, I've read a bunch of the FAQ / watched a few videos on the process and decided that I want to try maintaining by blade using a strop + paste & a naniwa 12k stone.

I have a Thiers-Issard blade (picture below)


I have read a decent number of "first-time" honing posts where, after using the 12k stone, the blade is actually much duller and the bevel is messed up.

I guess my question is, how do I know if my factory bevel is at the correct angle for me to start honing by blade on the 12k stone? I was planning on NOT using tape on the spine, but I can if needed. I just don't want to ruin the bevel since I don't have any other stones besides the 12k (i.e. I don't want to completely re-make the bevel) - any suggestions?

ALSO - I have also read some of the stones do not come perfectly flat from the factory and may require some tweaking before using on the blade. Is there a cheap way to do this? I don't really have the budget to go and buy another expensive tool.

I apologize if these answers have been answered already. I looked briefly but did not find any specific answers.

Appreciate the help!

I don't know about folks messing a bevel up with a 12k Naniwa - I think not unless the technique is bad.

As far as knowing if the bevel is correct without tape, Sharpie the bevel, let it dry a minute or two, then make one pass each side across the stone and examine the bevel with a hand magnifier. If the Sharpie is removed all the way to the edge, the complete bevel, you're ready to go. If the Sharpie is only removed on the upper (toward the spine) part of the bevel, it was honed with at least one layer of tape. You may need two passes but try one first.

To see if the hone is flat, put a pencil grid across it and lap on plate glass or polished flat graniteand wet-dry sandpaper (wet) until the grid marks are gone, then re-apply them and do one or two light passes on clean wet sandpaper on glass and inspect. The reason you do this is that the wet slurry can erase the pencil grid without the stone being flat.

Let us know how you do, and good luck!

Cheers, Steve

You will usually be able to tell is the bevel is right if the razor came shave ready. If it did then maintaining it is as simple as that. There are quite a few threads and several videos. If your razor did not come to you shave ready then you need to either have a whole lot more hones or send it to a pro. Unless you are doing restore work your best bang for your buck is sending them out, and doing the maintenance. There are sharp tests that you can do for checking the bevel, most of them take some calibration or experience in order for them to be accurate. As for the tape or no tape question it is a matter of personal. As far as lapping hones go you can lap on wet/dry paper and a solid flat surface.

AOS razors are not shave ready. Its a factory edge that needs a 1k stone first.

Having done a few of that model, I believe they are final honed with the spine off the stone, so even a layer of tape may not reach to the edge.
Put a layer of tape on the spine, ink the bevel and do one lap on your 12K. See if ink is removed all the way to the edge from heel to toe on both sides.

Depending how far from the edge the ink is removed, another layer of tape may increase the angle enough to reach the edge.

I have never tried this, and just re-set the bevel on a 1K. Next time I get one in, I will give it a go.

I always break the edges of the stainless steel scales, with a fine grit diamond file, as they are very sharp, enough to cut you.

Be careful with those scales they are heavy and make the razor awkward to hone and especially strop.

You can lap the 12K on a piece of 320 or 400 wet and dry and any flat surface if you do not have a diamond plate, bevel the edges of the hone lightly.

Once dialed in, they are nice shavers.

The easiest thing to do is send the razor out for honing. Then you know the bevel is set & can be maintined on your finisher.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

The easiest thing to do is send the razor out for honing. Then you know the bevel is set & can be maintined on your finisher.

+1 TIs are not the easiest to warm up on.

TIs takes a little longer to hone. you should start from 1k and progress up to 12k, 1,4,8,12...

Onimaru gave the 100% solution to start with a correct bevel.

*Update*

I tried the sharpie trick, and it worked wonderfully. Turns out my bevel was already set WITHOUT using any tape (Yes the Art of Shaving one). So I went ahead and tried to hone it with the 12k stone for the first time, right out of the box. First shave - felt great, definitely noticeable difference from before. I didn't lap the stone at all before using it, so I'm not sure if I got lucky that it was already flat or what... So thank you all for the advice, really helped.

I did find one TINY nick in the very upper corner of my blade, it's barely noticeable to the naked eye (I mean you really have to look to see it) and it hasn't (for the past few shaves) affected my shave experience at all (no cuts etc...). I'm debating whether or not I should even get this fixed, because honing with the 12k did not completely fix the nick.