Thread: Can a razor pass all the bevel setting test and still not be set?

Can a razor pass all the bevel setting test and still not be set? I have a Hart steel 7/8 that after I "attempt" to set the bevel I drag the razor with spit over my thumbnail and it grabs like crazy to where I can barely pull it, it will cut arm hair at the base poping sensation and very grabby to the thumb pad test. I finished the progression 4k, 8k and 16k using 45 degree heal forward strokes, the razor kills HHT test then real linen, leather and shave with crazy sharpness BBS and yet the shave experience is tuggy the whole shave! I think I am still not setting the bevel completely. Hair pulling frustration here lol

I am at work so I am limited with what I can present thank you for any thoughts

My drawn theory of what I think I am doing wrong! The photo does not describe everything sorry about that. The three layers are super 88 electrical tape, the squishing of the tape is depressed with ample downward pressure and flattens out the angle, never allowing each side to officially meet?

I do not normally use that much tape BTW, this was a test that prompted the above question and theory!

Something isn't adding up

Bevel set you should use ALL the tests

Magnification
TNT
AHT
TPT

But one of those should be your Go/NoGo test

What you are describing for your progression and the test you say it is passing just simply don't add up, Stropping ????
Prep ??? Shave angle ???

Something is not working with your overall technique

You need to narrow it down step by step

First question is

Has this razor performed well in the past ???

Are you using 3 layers of tape as your diagram shows?

Bob

Is that the way Hart Steel hones their razors prior to shipment?

Originally Posted by BobH

Are you using 3 layers of tape as your diagram shows?

Bob

Yes, I tried honing without tape...

Originally Posted by hrfdez

Is that the way Hart Steel hones their razors prior to shipment?

I believe they use 1 layer of 3m tape, the Hart I have is an older one, with little to no jimps.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Something isn't adding up

Bevel set you should use ALL the tests

Magnification
TNT
AHT
TPT

But one of those should be your Go/NoGo test

What you are describing for your progression and the test you say it is passing just simply don't add up, Stropping ????
Prep ??? Shave angle ???

Something is not working with your overall technique

You need to narrow it down step by step

First question is

Has this razor performed well in the past ???

When I first received it had a chip in it and did not shave well!

okay I read your posts


It seems you know how to hone and you know how to shave

So lets look at the Razor itself

Is there anything that seems off ??
You mentioned a chip, does the razor seem like it has been honed or re-contoured down to say 6/8 or 5/8 ??? does the razor look much smaller then it should ??

Down pressure on the spine is BAD it lifts the edge away from the hone

Originally Posted by gssixgun

okay I read your posts


It seems you know how to hone and you know how to shave

So lets look at the Razor itself

Is there anything that seems off ??
You mentioned a chip, does the razor seem like it has been honed or re-contoured down to say 6/8 or 5/8 ??? does the razor look much smaller then it should ??

Down pressure on the spine is BAD it lifts the edge away from the hone

When I bought it I was told to send it back and they would hone it (it had the factory edge on it), I was so pissed that they would ship it to me like that and not offer me any compensation for missing the chip. This is a well known distributor. Not going to bash any names here. Just telling how I decided to start over on this razor...

I have re honed this razor start to finish at least 20 times to zero success lol. Maybe because it is a hard blade I think I must use lots of pressure. I am not sure if the steel is brittle I read that somewhere with older Hart blades?

I have always from the beginning thought I have been using too much downward pressure. Do you have an exercise to correct that bad habit? All my razor are more sharp then they are comfortable.

The spine is 6.35mm thick with the width of the blade at just shy of 7/8. I have nine other Harts

Also if I am using a shapton glass 1k stone and it clogs up really fast is that an indication of too much pressure?

I am really trying to get that missing piece figured out, I don't mind if the truth is I have been doing the bevel set wrong as long as I can learn how to do it right

3 layers of tap seem a lot for a relatively new blade without significant spine wear.

That may be the problem, I’ll try to explain from my own experience

I’ve made a number of razors for myself out of the same type of file (keeping the factory heat treatment). One of them (the first I made) has a spine to blade width ratio of ~2.5:1, the second has a ratio of ~3:1 and the later one that I made has a ratio of ~3.7:1.

All the blades have the same steel and the same heat treatment, but no matter how many times I hone each of them (and I’ve done them all at least a dozen times), the first two never shave as comfortably as the third one. The shaves are close and smooth, but the razor tugs at the hairs as it cuts.

The only major variable between the razors is the bevel angle and the larger bevel angles just don’t cut as easily as they have to drive a bigger wedge through the hair, which gives the same sensation as if the blade were not sharp enough.

The three layers of tape may be raising the bevel angle to where (for your hair, prep and technique) it tugs a bit as it cuts.

It appears from the sharpness tests (and the BBS shave) that you have the razor reasonable honed, so If the razor were mine I would touch it up on the hones without any tape to see if reducing the bevel angle was enough to get rid of the tugging.