Thread: honing a tally-ho

been trying to hone a Fenney tally ho with not much luck. seems it keeps developing small chips up by the toe. is that an indication of over honing? keep trying to dull it with a glass and then starting with the pyramid with a 5k and 8k naniwa. always ends up with small chips.

Usually bad steel, (Cell Rot), bevel set with an aggressive stone low grit stone or Diamond plate and or too much pressure.

You may have to remove some steel, lightly Joint on the corner of a high grit stone and re-set the bevel.

You may have to do it a couple of times to get to good steel.

Many early razors that I have have the same troubles. For a long while many of the razors had a hard skin to about 1mm in from the surface due to the hardening and tempering methods in use at the times.. When that is honed through, the steel is too soft to support and edge.
I have four that have a problem. 1780s -1830 or so. Usually it is the toe that goes. Rolling X does them in.
Good luck and I hope your results are better. Go at the toe with a few layers of tape and you may save it as a shaver.
Enjoy!
~Richard

If its chipping, it is brittle and either compromised by corrosion and/or too hard. Lighten way up on your pressure and see if it holds together. If it were soft it would bend and the edge wouldn't last.