Thread: What's Happening?

Yesterday I got my next razor in the rotation ready to rumble. It is a K-3 Fon Golden Star. It is about a 1/4 hollow and has a 2 1/8" cutting edge. I laid a straight edge along both sides of the blade when I was struck by the uneven hone wear along both sides of the spine. Both sides exhibited the same imperfect spine thickness. They are both concave and the hone wear reflects this. The question I have relates to the bevel. While the hone wear is uneven (wide..narrow..wide), the bevel is uniform.
I run this razor in every way possible to hone it, but I can't figure out how the bevel is uniform and the spine width is not. One more factor: I don't use tape on this razor.
I am getting good results, I just don't know why, and this is bothering me some.

Souns like the spine's thickness was uneven and honing levelled it out, revealing the varying thickness. Now both the spine as well as the edge are levelled and more importantly, co-planar.

The spines thickness is still uneven as the straight edge indicated. Both surfaces of the spine are convex but the bevel does not reflect this. Ci-planar is above my pay grade, I'm still working on my 9's.

I think Japanese barbers sat and did circles, back and forth strokes in between customers in the relentless pursuit of perfection.
Just quit analyzing the thing and hone it, Bill!

*laugh* Yeah sorry; I go a little "engineer" sometimes.

So if when honing the edge lays flat but the spine only touches at one point then the edge bevel will remain even. Three points define a plane, right? (There I go again...)

If it's a hollow ground razor, the grind is done in more than one step. It sounds like it's ground evenly at the edge, but unevenly ground at the spine.

Watch the dovo video and watch the cutlers working the razor, they lift it up and down as it goes between the grinding wheels, so it's possible that even using the same wheel, the grind might not be perfect at the height but could be fine at the edge.

It could also be a forging die issue. But it shouldn't be any problem in use.

Originally Posted by sharptonn

I think Japanese barbers sat and did circles, back and forth strokes in between customers in the relentless pursuit of perfection.
Just quit analyzing the thing and hone it, Bill!

Yep, did yesterday and shaved today...I really enjoy the 2 1/8" blade and the heavier grind. Just out of boredom I did the hanging hair test which I haven't done in a couple of years...Pop, pop...eesey munny mane!

Originally Posted by JeffR

*laugh* Yeah sorry; I go a little "engineer" sometimes.

So if when honing the edge lays flat but the spine only touches at one point then the edge bevel will remain even. Three points define a plane, right? (There I go again...)

Yes if they are in the right places (both ends of the spine and the whole edge)...little tricky though, but I'm a real novice honer.

Originally Posted by Haroldg48

Yes if they are in the right places (both ends of the spine and the whole edge)...little tricky though, but I'm a real novice honer.

bet you are not! but yep, the high points are on the ends of the spine (toe and heel), both sides, and I place a finger lightly on the toe of the spine when honing....so possibly at the end of the X stroke it is a two point definition of a plane....

Originally Posted by WW243

bet you are not! but yep, the high points are on the ends of the spine (toe and heel), both sides, and I place a finger lightly on the toe of the spine when honing....so possibly at the end of the X stroke it is a two point definition of a plane....

Sounds as though the spine has a smile and it was honed without a rolling stroke.