Thread: Can't keep an edge

SQZBRX: You have an interesting point. How I have managed all these years I don't know. I guess I have been lucky. Now, how can you tell that you have achieved a bevel on the blade. I have been working the dickens out of a Joseph Allen. Spent about two hours today on a Norton 1000 grit water stone. Far more than 100 laps and I can still stroke it down my thumb pad and not slice skin. Shaving arm hair? All it does is push the hair down. I am getting close to pitching the damned thing.

Thanks dinnermint. I appreciate your in-put. I will give this a try. I am getting weary grinding, so weary. I have been lucky in the past that the razors I got seemed to be in good shape and have been able to maintain even at my level of ignorance.

As suggested, mark both sides of the bevel with a permanent marker then take a normal honing lap and check under magnification with good light. It will become very clear when the bevels are meeting and you will most definitely not be able to stroke it on your thumb without medical attention. Regarding your Norton 1k, try lapping it to refresh the surface - I had to do that every hundred laps or so when I was using one. Also, if you are using tape, be sure to change it when it starts to show wear. As it erodes, it effectively reduces the angle on the hone and causes the very edge to lift. Fresh tape or no tape will keep you honing at the edge.

Tom, you can do a full progression on Arks, (typically a Washita, Hard Ark and Translucent or Surgical Black), but if you have a Norton 1k, use it to set the bevel.

Put 2 layers of electrical tape on the spine and Ink the bevel with a sharpie as said.

Lap your Norton with your medium grit Diamond plate, make sure to bevel the edges.

Do one lap on the 1k and look at the bevel. See if you are honing, (removing ink) all the way to the edge. Then hone the razor in a series of 10 circles on each side, until you are able to hone the complete bevel to the edge.

Keep applying ink as you continue to do circles, once you can remove all the ink in a set of 10 circles, ink the bevels again and now do X strokes to even out the bevels and lay down an even stria pattern.

If you have a hard Ark, you can now move to the hard ark, once you have an even stria pattern and flat bevel.

Stay on the hard ark until all the 1k stria is removed, then move to a Translucent or Surgical Black Hard Ark to finish. Finishing will take 200 or more laps.

If you would like, send me your razors, or at least a couple. I will hone them and send them back as soon as possible. You can then maintain them on your Arks. It will cost you about 6 buck to send one razor or 12 to send 2-3, from the Post Office and they give you the box. PM me if you are interested.

sabxr: Thanks. I believe you said green or red Sharpe?
I know the thumb pad trick is not too bright, but I don't bear down to make a deep cut. I do it when I feel it cut and they are quite light. I have noticed, for myself, the because the edge cuts arm hair doesn't always shave well. I have used a razor when it cut arm hair which is lighter than beard hair for some reason. Beard hair seems, to me, to be more course. I have light hair to begin with, what is left of it.

Thank you for the offer. I will certainly consider it. First I need to make the effort on my own. I really don't have a lot of time. Currently I have seven that are well sharpened. Some times I get lucky, especially if the razor I get is already in good condition, It is just the Joseph Allen I have and a couple of others like the Electric Co. The JA I recently bought, the Electric Co. I have had for years. I had given up on it and recently brought it out along with a few more I never did anything with. Note. The JA was not in the best of condition. Again, thanks for the offer. I will paste your note to keep on hand if I need to get in touch with you for the offer. Again thanks.

Originally Posted by Glock27

Thank you for the offer. I will certainly consider it. First I need to make the effort on my own. I really don't have a lot of time. Currently I have seven that are well sharpened. Some times I get lucky, especially if the razor I get is already in good condition, It is just the Joseph Allen I have and a couple of others like the Electric Co. The JA I recently bought, the Electric Co. I have had for years. I had given up on it and recently brought it out along with a few more I never did anything with. Note. The JA was not in the best of condition. Again, thanks for the offer. I will paste your note to keep on hand if I need to get in touch with you for the offer. Again thanks.

You seem to be having one hell of a time with that razor. You might want to lay the blade flat on your hone, and tap on the corners. That will tell you if the razor is laying flat on the hone like you need it to, or if there is some underlying geometry issue with the blade. If it stays flat, the geometry is ok. If it wobbles, it may need corrective action. You might also want to check for a frowning edge.

Originally Posted by Marshal

You seem to be having one hell of a time with that razor. You might want to lay the blade flat on your hone, and tap on the corners. That will tell you if the razor is laying flat on the hone like you need it to, or if there is some underlying geometry issue with the blade. If it stays flat, the geometry is ok. If it wobbles, it may need corrective action. You might also want to check for a frowning edge.

Geometry issues are certainly worth checking but not many razors lay flat on a hone nor do they need corrective action unless extremely warped or frowning.
Finding the stroke that works will solve most problems.

Marshal,
5mm from the toe of the blade it begins to widen to about 2mm. it then tapers down to a thin heel. This is all on the right side of the blade with the cutting edge facing you. It thickens from here and extends for about 35 to 36 mm in length. On the opposite side the toe and heel of the blade are thicker grinds about 2mm where the rest of the blade appears to be normal. Looking at the spine of the blade it mimics the cutting edge. The right side is a frown and the left side is a smile. Go figure. I am uncertain how much time I am going to spend on this loose and I would not want to lay this task to someone else unless they have the mechanized equipment to make quick work of the issue.

onimaru55.
You mention finding the right stroke will solve most problems. Forgive me of my ignorance, but I only know of one stroke. Starting with the toe end of the blade on the stone and moving it down ending with the heal. On the return it is heel to toe. I sharpen everything this way. When I hone the razor, I lay it completely flat on the stone.