Thread: Should I try to tackle this (very difficult, IMHO) challenge?

Originally Posted by Haim

PCM, Gotta say - you inspired me :]
I have a near-wedge Joseph-Allen that gave me so much trouble when I started honing it, that it simply frustrated me and I haven't touched me restore-box since.... But it's nothing compared to what that beast was when you started with it!
Way to go for determination! You got me mentally ready to get back on that 1k....

Thanks! Well, the folks here have been really helpful with collective remote mentoring

I could never do this on my own.

Did some more on the 1K, working only on the stria on the toe, and getting the bevel to meet on the heel. Here's what I have now:

It looks a lot better, but the steel looks a little funky on the tip and the heel just past where it meets the bevel.

On the heel I would have reshaped it and brought the radius further forward and more of a radius, this not only improves the shape of the heel, which will allow you to shave with the curve of the heel, but also remove some of the ragged steel.

The toe may also suffer from the same steel problem but now that you have an edge on it, see if it holds as you polish it. If it starts to chip, joint the toe and re set it. Same for the heel, if it breaks down re-shape it and re-set.

Other than that, it looks good, move on up but you will have to give the toe and heel extra attention on the 4 & 8K.

Here’s a couple photos before and after of a reshaped heel, Glen posted recently. As I said earlier I use toes and heel to shave all the time, so I always give them extra attention. Notice the sweeping arc of the re-shaped heel and how the intersection of the curve and the edge moved forward of the original.

If the heel needs re-shaping, I do it as part of honing, as it only takes a few strokes with a Diamond file or plate. Bevel setting will get it sharp.

Will try the 2k Naniwa SS a bit tonight.

With 5 layers, 2K SS, I did heel forward rolling X strokes, some heel forward X strokes, and did some exaggerated rolling X strokes, lifting the blade at the opposite end of each stroke to get to the toe/heel.

The bevel seems met still, but there is deeper stria, especially at the toe and along the on the right side (stroke towards me). Need to keep at it I think. I need to focus on toe/heel again, and I think I need more time to get rid of more of the 1K stria. THursday (my next session window), I'll work on it more.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Let me see if I can make it clear...

A bevel angle of 15° - 17° is dead nuts normal in fact perfect

Now look at the first pic of the razor in post #1, do you see an issue ???

So obviously this razor is well outside of the norm, the entire geometry has been honed beyond the norm, so the numbers are going to be "Off" unless the razor is reground back into correct geometry..
We have moved beyond the re-grind now, and we are well out onto the experimental limb of the honing tree..

ie: The numbers seem "Off" but he is making progress toward an edge now ..

Hence my statement when I got into this discussion post #6, "I would measure the Bevel angle right now to get an idea of where it is even at, and if there is enough spine left to even do a re-grind.."
It was not even about the bevel angle as it pertained to honing it was in reference to a re-grind possibility...

At post #24 after he was told the bevel angle was high, again I attempted to explain that the bevel angle seemed "off", but he was making progress so to stay at 5 layers and keep honing.
The bevel angle seems "off" because at 17.8° he should need NO tape, or maybe 1 layer to protect the spine, but this razor is not within the norm

In post #30 again I tried to explain that although the bevel angle seems "off", because a 17.8° angle is normal and good, keep the 5 layers because the edge is making progress now..

So again I think we can all agree that the bevel angle seems "off" but he is making progress so stick with it get an edge first, and adjust later if needed..


I hope that helps

Yes thanks. When you said the numbers were off, I thought you were referring to the measurements and calculations of the blade profile.

I had some time tonight to hone more on the 2k. My wife was on the computer, so I'll have to post Picts tomorrow. Visually, I could see less of the stria from the 1k. Heck I might have gotten almost all of it. We'll see.

One concern though,is I'm seeing a second bevel. It's about half of the new bevel that I had made with the 1k. I'm not sure what I did wrong. I checked and I did have 5 layers. I'm not sure if maybe I accidentally had 4 layers last time on the 2k, the last time on the 1k, or if there is a problem with my tape application.

It has been hard for me to align 5 layers evenly on both sides of the spine, one is often longer than the other. Though I would think that would show as an uneven bevel on each side. The width of the new bevel seems similar on each side, however on the right heel it is a bit wider.

Also this newer bevel is more even, with a thicker bevel for the last cm or less at the heel. The older bevel was tapered and increased at the toe, where it was much larger.

I'll try to take shots with the ruler laid on the bevel too.

One good thing, the TPT seems awfully sharp to my uncalibrated thumbs!

Yea, when you get that much tape on there, weird things can happen. Just make sure it is on as tight as you can make it.

Ink it and try 4 layers and see what happens, if you need to, add another layer.

Also try to use as little “English” as possible, to make the strokes as repeatable as possible, but make sure you are reaching the edge.

Take your time, it is looking very good, from where you started. This is not your average honing session. The bevels look good, but the edge is very straight… Good work.

It will be difficult to keep electrical tape at the same tautness, especially compounded over 5 layers several occasions. This falls in the territory of tolerancing and stack up can get bad fast. It might be best to only remove the top layer until all honing is finished.

Originally Posted by dinnermint

It will be difficult to keep electrical tape at the same tautness, especially compounded over 5 layers several occasions. This falls in the territory of tolerancing and stack up can get bad fast. It might be best to only remove the top layer until all honing is finished.

I've been trying to remove only the top layer, but occasionally 2 layers come off. Unfortunately, since it is sometimes 2-3 days at a time, I've had times when I wasn't sure, so I pulled all 5 layers. recently, what I was doing was placing layers back on, when finishing, so that when I restarted, I had 5 layers for sure (versus 4 or 3 and having to add one, before starting). This latest hone, I pulled everything off to ensure I had 5 layers (I did), but I thnk I may have missed a layer before (maybe at the last 1k hone, or first 2k hone session).

Here are shots of the overall razor. You can see the original bevel a tiny bit, then the previous bevel, which is larger at the toe than heel, and the latest hone, which is larger at the heel than toe (but probably more consistent along the length):



I'm not sure if I should continue with 2K or drop back to 1K and try to get a single consistent bevel, or to just continue with the 2K. Took a step back on it I think...