Thread: Honing a bevel on a smile?

Sorry I took so long to get back. I was working on the razor. I don't have a camera, so used my web cam to take snapshots. Hope they are good enough. I have been looking at this article:http://www.razorandstone.com - Sharpening thoughts for new honers.
In setting the bevel it says to mark the edge and you should be able to wipe the marker off in 3 strokes. Is this realistic? Maybe this is for a straight edge. Mine is a slight smile (about 1 millimeter or so). I have been trying to do this, but not successful( trying to use as light a pressure as I can and keeping the pressure even across the edge). Usually takes 5-10 passes to get it off. On the blade I'm working on I am having trouble getting it all off at the heel. I am using the swooping rolling x. Maybe I need another stroke for the heel.
How much pressure is needed?

On the top side when pushing the edge away there is a wider bevel for about half the edge starting in front of the heel. The other side has a wider bevel in the middle and slight hone where on the spine.

The razor is a full hollow about 9/16
The W.Bingham Co.
Cleveland
Made in Germany
On the other side it says Blossom

I think you will find that a narrow hone will help, and with practice you'll be able to do the same stroke on a wide hone.

3 strokes in a perfect world, no bad honing by someone else, and being an accomplished honer might be enough to remove a marker all along the blade, but we don't live in a perfect world, the razor is vintage and may have been less than properly honed by someone else and you may not have honed damaged smiling edges long enough to fix them in a few strokes (and I say that tongue in cheek). The easiest way to deal with this is taping the spine and working on a narrow hone. You don't HAVE to use a narrow hone, it's just easier to get it right when figuring the stroke out.... once you've "got it", you can do the same on a wide hone.

Don't have a narrow hone? If you use something like a Naniwa or a King water stone, you can use one side as a narrow hone. Just flatten it as you have done with the usual surface and make sure you round the edges so they don't dig into the edge of the razor if you are a bit off. Stand the hone on it's side and now you have a 1/2" to 3/4" narrow hone to use. It's a handy trick to have in your toolbox. The only hones that don't work are hones like the Coticules and Shapton Glass hones as they are a thin stone glued to a sheet of glass or slate stone, so the side is not really usable.

And lastly, sometimes the blade is slightly warped.... again, it's easier to deal with on a narrow hone.

Regards

Christian

So, the smile on that razor is so slight to be almost negligible, a normal X stroke will hone it just fine.

You should clean the razor of active rust, before you hone it, or you will contaminate your strop with the rust, which is very abrasive and will scratch your bevel. If you clean it after you hone it, you will ruin the edge.

Which hones are you using?

So it doesn't really matter if you get all the marker off. The next hone will also take care of it?

I tried to make the smile larger, but it didn't work out, but I think the spine isn't that much more.

I don't think I have active rust. I have a little black on the sides. Do I need to take that off? Would sandpaper work?

I am using Norton hones 1K, 4k and 8k

I also read in that paper I linked to use soapy water to hone. I noticed that the Norton 1k and 4k can be hard at times to get a smooth stroke especially if trying to use one hand. Will the soap help with this? I thought of trying it, but thought it would slow down the cutting. What concentration would I use?

Thanks

As Euclid said, the smile is almost negligible. Still there is a little bit there. How much marker are you putting on ? If it is up above the bevel it isn't going to come off. If you are only watching what is on the bevel a couple of strokes should remove it, if you are doing correct strokes. If a couple of strokes do not remove it you need to change your technique until it does.

Have you ever sharpened a clip point pocket knife ? At the end of the stroke, towards the point, you have to lift your hand and keep the bevel on the stone, following the curve of the blade.



This is basically like the rolling X referred to early on in this thread. No matter where you are from heel to point the edge and the spine are parallel on the hone. Here is an excerpt from the 1961 barber manual, a PDF file out of the SRP library that has illustrations and a description of honing a razor with the type of blade profile you've got. A profile that is preferable to a straight end to end profile I might add.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...t_-_Honing.pdf

The black stuff is rust, you want the blade as clean as possible. The majority of it will come off with 000 steel wool and WD40, you can go to 1,000 grit Wet & Dry sand paper and polish with any good metal polish.

If you do it now, then hone you will save the edge and your good strop.

You do want to set the bevel, make the bevels flat, in the correct plane and meeting on the 1k stone. Then just polish out the stria from each stone.

Read the first 3 post in the honing forum for more information.

Do not use soap with Norton hones, it will eat the stone binder and there is no benefit, use plain cold water, and tape the spine.

I probably already messed up my strop. Is there a way to clean it. I have been using old razors on it for a while.

Originally Posted by binder

I probably already messed up my strop. Is there a way to clean it. I have been using old razors on it for a while.

Depends on what you mean by messed up. My main strop looks like 60 miles of bad road and I'm still using it. Mainly to avoid messing up those that still look good. A light sanding of divots that stick up, glue any flaps from cuts with contact cement. Strops are mighty tough critters. Post a photo and people will be able to give you an informed opinion.

Yepp, no worries... my dad's strop (barber back when straight razor shaving was common) is full of sanding spots... and nicks..... Dad had a shop on the main drag of Winnipeg, his customers, back in the 50s, were not the types who would shave themselves.... they would stop by dads shop downtown and get their daily shave before going to work. If dressing the strop with sand paper was acceptable to him back then... I'm sure we can can accept it today.

Just because you nicked a strop, it's not ruined.... it just needs some tender loving care. It'll serve you for decades to come!

Start with a clean damp paper towel, give it a wipe and see what comes off. You can clean with saddle soap, you don’t need much and use water sparingly.

Problem with leather is once it is contaminated it is in for good. You can sand or scrape with a cabinet scraper to remove a thin layer of leather along with any contaminates.

But first polish your bevel, look at it with magnification then strop on it and see if the strop is scratching or polishing the bevels.