Thread: Uneven Bevel

I purchased a TI from TAOS about 5 months ago and very lightly touched up the factory edge, which shaved nicely. As it is one of my daily go-to razors, it was time to put an edge on it again, and I wanted to take this opportunity to go down to the 1k.

To start with the bevel was not 100% even, which is to say that it was wider on one side of the blade than the other from the factory. It took quite a bit of time on the 1k to get the bevel reset (no tape). The same condition exists now as it did before, although a bit less pronounced now. Having gone through the progression, the blade really is "stupid" sharp and passes anh form of hanging hair test one can throw at it...
in fact I am pretty proud of this one as it came out so well despite my skills!

so back to the real question here...

is, or can this be considered a normal problem? I see most of my blades from professional honers that seem to be SO even...but I am assuming the blades began that way.

Your thoughts are appreciated.

-Ted

The short answer is that if the blade shaves well it is not an event. There are a few factors that can play into the appearance of the bevel. Most of the have to do with the evenness of the grind. If it shaves well it is unlikely that it has any major issues. If the bevel is ground uneven and the apex is not true but leans one way it would create a scenario where you could have a sharp edge but a larger bevel on one side than the other. I would not stay awake at night wondering about it.

Originally Posted by RezDog

The short answer is that if the blade shaves well it is not an event. There are a few factors that can play into the appearance of the bevel. Most of the have to do with the evenness of the grind. If it shaves well it is unlikely that it has any major issues. If the bevel is ground uneven and the apex is not true but leans one way it would create a scenario where you could have a sharp edge but a larger bevel on one side than the other. I would not stay awake at night wondering about it.

It is exactly as you describe it. Fact of the matter is it took a superlative edge and shaves very well. I was just curious as this is the first like that I have seen...and knowing what I do now versus when I purchased it...I may have passed on that particular razor for another with a better factory grind, though this is purely appearances and certainly not a functional problem in this case.

Thank you for the input. I really enjoy the honing aspect thus far as it really appeals to my meticulous nature. It is a STEEP learning curve and the is a lot to take in!

What Shaun said is spot on. I've seen many like that, new and vintage. The grind dictates the bevel on either side. Some are not the same from one end to the other. You do the best you can with what you have, and it will usually be fine. A normal state of affairs in razors IME.

Not all straight razors are.

Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated.

Be content that it shaves well. At the end of the day, that's what you're after anyway. However, new TIs seem to come with wide bevels so you might consider a couple layers of tape IF the edge isn't holding. But I wouldn't worry about it being uneven.

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

Be content that it shaves well. At the end of the day, that's what you're after anyway. However, new TIs seem to come with wide bevels so you might consider a couple layers of tape IF the edge isn't holding. But I wouldn't worry about it being uneven.

Oh I think it will hold well. I considered taping, but when I laid it on the stone it was immediately apparent none was used when the factory edge was ground as the bevel on both sides was dead flat. I didn't have to take very much metal off for the most part, but the C135 was notably harder so it just took a bit more time to get the bevel even across the board.