Thread: Inefficient hair removal after honing

From the picture, the spine doesn't seem to worn, I would start with two layers of tape and skip the extra bits and read up on rolling x-stroke. Use the 1k until it cuts hair easily at skin level then move up

Felt marker is a must. It will help you get your tape quantities spot on.

I would do a thumb pad and arm hair test after each stone apart from the final stone.

Also,.... Never give up...fight... *face slap*
Good luck to you

"I think part of the x2/x3 bevel is the original one I had set before - and I was trying to get it a bit thinner/evener this time."

So, why do you want a thinner bevel? The bevel is so thin now, at the toe, it almost looks like it does not reach the toe.

The problem with 3 layers of tape is, it has to be on tight or it will get squishy and then you get the irregular bevel you have. And you have to replace it often, as soon as it gets squishy.

Try 2 layers with an inked bevel and see where it hits the stone. You should be fine.

Use some pressure and cut an even, single flat bevel from heel to toe and from the edge to the back of the bevel, or you will never be able to replicate the bevel in the higher grit stones. The bevel will never get polished and the edge straight.

“This time I used 3 layers of tape and a couple addition bits of tape in the middle to try to get the bevel evener.”

Don’t worry about the width of the bevel, all you should care about is the edge. You can control some excessive width by controlling your pressure.

You probably have so much tape on the spine it is causing an uneven grind on the bevel, because it is not sitting on the stone the same with each lap.

Perfectly even bevels are a knife sharpening thing, it is not how you Hone a razor. Sometimes you have no control of the bevel, because of the warp of the blade or the thickness of the spine.

You also might want to clean the tarnish off your razor. Every time you strop that razor on your good leather strop, you are imbedding it, with the oxidation and rust, which is very abrasive, you are making an abrasive strop of unknown grit.

000 steel wool and wd40. It will leave some tarnish, if you want the look, steel wool and metal polish will remove the tarnish if you want more of a polished look. Either way remove the tarnish and active rust, before you hone.

I'm learning here, so I'm going to throw this question. Wouldn't be better to bypass the whole tape thing and just work on it from scratch?

What do you mean?

Honing or restoration?

Originally Posted by Euclid440

What do you mean?

Honing or restoration?

In his case honing correct?

Yes, he needs to set a whole new bevel.

It sounds like, he is trying to make an even bevel, which sometimes for razors you have no control over, if you want a shaving edge.

The OP needs to cut a new bevel, and set it fully. It is a common misconception for honers new to razors, it is a 100 year plus, old razor that can be made to shave well, but the bevel may not be pretty.

There is very little spine wear, so the razor is likely, warped, twisted, the spine of uneven thickness, or all three.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Do you have any other razor that needs to be honed? I ask because it may be enlightening for you to shave off of a 1k edge. I consider it to be an excellent learning experience for beginners to try and you may be surprised to find how little the upper stones contribute to the shave relative to the 1k, or whatever you have for setting the bevels.

Yes, heaps. Yeah I'll try setting another one on 1k at some point and just shaving directly.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

I" think part of the x2/x3 bevel is the original one I had set before - and I was trying to get it a bit thinner/evener this time."

So, why do you want a thinner bevel? The bevel is so thin now, at the toe, it almost looks like it does not reach the toe.

The problem with 3 layers of tape is, it has to be on tight or it will get squishy and then you get the irregular bevel you have. And you have to replace it often, as soon as it gets squishy.

Try 2 layers with an inked bevel and see where it hits the stone. You should be fine.

Use some pressure and cut an even, single flat bevel from heel to toe and from the edge to the back of the bevel, or you will never be able to replicate the bevel in the higher grit stones. The bevel will never get polished and the edge straight.

“This time I used 3 layers of tape and a couple addition bits of tape in the middle to try to get the bevel evener.”

Don’t worry about the width of the bevel, all you should care about is the edge. You can control some excessive width by controlling your pressure.

You probably have so much tape on the spine it is causing an uneven grind on the bevel, because it is not sitting on the stone the same with each lap.

Perfectly even bevels are a knife sharpening thing, it is not how you Hone a razor. Sometimes you have no control of the bevel, because of the warp of the blade or the thickness of the spine.

Ok - in my beginning days, I had just done it that way, not worrying about the profile of the bevel as such. I had been lead to believe, since then, it was better to have an even bevel. The thin bevel you see now is my last attempt - you can see the first bevel is not very thin.

When you say control width of bevel with pressure, so in this case, more pressure on the heel and toe bits and less in the middle?

You also might want to clean the tarnish off your razor. Every time you strop that razor on your good leather strop, you are imbedding it, with the oxidation and rust, which is very abrasive, you are making an abrasive strop of unknown grit.

000 steel wool and wd40. It will leave some tarnish, if you want the look, steel wool and metal polish will remove the tarnish if you want more of a polished look. Either way remove the tarnish and active rust, before you hone.

I had originally cleaned off the active rust but left the tarnish. You think it would still be worthwhile to remove a bit more tarnish?