Thread: "Sharpness" - is it a bevel issue?

You are not honing to the edge, photos 4 & 5, really show that.

If you hone on a DMT you will have to do extra laps to set a new edge and remove enough of the steel, that Diamonds chewed up, or simply joint the edge straight, then re-set the bevel to the straight edge.

Add a layer of tape and ink the bevel, make sure you are honing all the way to the edge and removing all the ink. When the bevels are set all then ink should come off in a few strokes. Don’t be afraid if you “think” the bevel is set to joint it, then re-set it, it should only take 15-20 laps. Then you will be sure the bevel is set, fully.

Going to give it another go this weekend if I get the chance. Might pop in to see Gary sometime soon too to get some mentoring. I understand what you mean about honing to the edge, but need to have a think about how to achieve that. I'm guessing it comes down to a pressure issue

To hone to the edge, you have to hone the bevel flat, in your case grinding away the back of the bevel. Or add a layer of tape, to increase the angle, so the edge half of the bevel makes contact with the stones. The razor may have been honed with tape.

Some hands on mentoring will make it all make sense and cut your learning curve, dramatically.

Unfortunately Gary's schedule and mine haven't quite added up to a free day at the same time so far. However, I have had fun tinkering around and getting somewhere (I hope).

I shaved off 3K and 5K. The edge was comfortable and shaved as well as any other edge. I did WTG passes on my cheeks only - not brave enough for the neck.

I took it to 8K, and it it is treetopping hairs nicely. I took it to a JNAT slurry, clear water and then a few passes on lather. Stropped on linen and the photo below is the result. I would appreciate you telling me what you think! To my eyes, maybe there are a few too many residual scratches from lower grits? It looks more uniform however, and looks like I am now honing to the edge?

It really is popping hairs on the arm like no man's business. I think I will shave test this on monday and hope it is smooth!

Yup, looks a lot better.

There is still some deep bevel setting stria on the bevel that should be removed, though the edge looks straight. Spend more time on the 3k, skip the Jnat and finish on the 12k.

You don’t have to remove all the deep stria from a bevel to make it shave, just the stria that will cause problems…

The Jnat is adding an unknown to your learning process, learn to hone on synthetics, then experiment with naturals, your Jnat may not be 12k. Like all naturals… few are finishers.