Thread: Help with factory edge

A caveat,a partial expaination of my apparant unique success in setting the bevel on my razors with a 8000 NANIMAWA super stone.I always kept the surface clean removing the black marks that form with a small piece of coticule,and when setting the bevel ran with some coticule slurry,when setting i always reverse hone in a circular motion with two hands the index fingers favouring either side never the centre.I have recently found out that a coticule with thick slurry can have a grit of as low as 1000/2000 grit and will remove the fine edge on a razor honing in the right direction.
I reset the bevels on my rotation razors all 8 took less than 20 minutes with a coticule first time ive honed with it,finished gently in the correct direction without slurry just water lovely edge
I understand a coticule without slurry just water can equal a 16000 grit stone.

Sorry must have been more than{less than 20 min}no time at all far less than 1 hr

Do what works, 10 -15 years ago, nobody use a “1k progression” an without all the “rules”, and still scraped the hair from their faces with very little if any blood loss…

Sorry have to apologise to the forum the coticule bevel reset had to be done again this time with the naniwa 8000 super stone,just wasnt there thought i was,showing off i suppose

Originally Posted by markbignosekelly

Hmm. I brought a Taylors eye witness from an antique shop on sat, no visible hone wear. Must be 60/70 years old. 10 laps on naniwa specialty 10k, 15 laps on gokumyo 20k and she shaves like a champ.
Had NOS razors that ive just stropped and were good to go and a few that needed a bevel set. Luck of the draw I guess.

Yep! Got lucky a time or two myself needing to only strop a get a great shave but that doesn't happen very often. I look at all razors I buy as needing the bevel set but I do inspect them first, if by some lucky chance the bevel is good, all the better.....a little luck goes a long way in this sport.

I reset every 6 shaves ideally, do all even if they are still shaving ok,they all have moved from the perfect bevel,never a problem normally unless i rush it ,simple to come back doesnt take long,first time for a while getting careless

Originally Posted by adductum

I reset every 6 shaves ideally, do all even if they are still shaving ok,they all have moved from the perfect bevel,never a problem normally unless i rush it ,simple to come back doesnt take long,first time for a while getting careless

You start with bevel work every six shaves? Each to his own, I guess. I do a touch up maybe every 10 or so shaves with a razor, a touch up consisting of 30-50 X-strokes on a coticule with water.

With a side note that I have plenty of razors, in four years of honing I have had to redo a bevel less than a handful of times.

Just my opinion, others may vary- I have bought a lot of NOS razors with a "factory edge" I found it does not pay to mess with them by starting with a 4k or 8k, just go back to a good 1k and work up. I like to start with a Naniwa Pro 1K, 4k,8k snow white, 12K and I finish with an Apache Strata

The confusion persists,i do not differentiate between touching up and reestablishing the bevel, to me they are one and the same.When i buy any razor new or second hand i establish the bevel which by default when carried out on an 8000 stone creates a sharp edge,so to me sharpening and setting the bevel is one and the same.
One could by bad stropping ,using abrasive paste create a sharp edge with a rounded bevel but as i do not this does not apply to me,i am super careful when stropping to keep the spine and edge on the leather with the same minimum pressure.
I have a microscope for observing the edge but choose not to use it,as said previously i establish or reestablish or sharpen by reverse hone with two index fingers clock wise up and back anti clockwise uo and back which constitutes one pass when a sharp edge is formed i very gently hone in the correct direction often the razor will become quite blunt, this shows me i am almost there,usually one pass reverse honing does it ,only by honing in the correct direction will it show if you are successful usually" im right on the money" a phrase i use when the edge is super sharp.When you sharpen in the correct direction it takes off any false edge created by reverse honing.I am not nor choose to be an expert, just very successful at sharpening my own razors but i have always been good at putting very sharp edges on Knives tools etc

"When i buy any razor new or second hand i establish the bevel which by default when carried out on an 8000 stone creates a sharp edge,so to me sharpening and setting the bevel is one and the same."

Really?? This statement should bring some interesting comments forth