Thread: bevel scratches mostly on one side of razor

So, I've been noticing a perplexing result of my honing. First, I have a 1K king to set my bevel, then a Norton 4/8K. What is strange is I'm finding the scratches almost always seem to be more prevalent on the side of the "pull stroke" of my razors. Which is to say that the "push stroke" side of my razors always seem to be more polished.

I'm using a 16x loupe to observe my progression under a flourescent ceiling light. I've been trying to think of what might be the issue/issues. Is it that the light is reflecting off the bevel differently? More pressure on the push stroke than the pull stroke that is reducing/causing the appearance of the scratches? Is it that there really isn't a difference in the amount of polish between the two bevel sides, but merely the angle at which I'm observing the bevel on one side compared to the other?

I just find it strange, and I'm wondering if anyone else has ever experienced this?

Yes. Any of the above or a combination of all of the above.

Managing the pressure/torque comes with time and experience.

The light playing tricks on you is hard to eliminate. My light sources almost always seem to be off to one side and it's hard for me to achieve consistency. A dedicated vertical lighting/viewing station would solve that, I'm sure. It's just not a big enough deal for me to create one.

I find light and viewing angle can play tricks on you. Typically my main light source is the light attached to my loupe, which means I can rotate or pivot the loupe and change the angle the light is hitting the blade at to get a better idea what's going on. Angle of observation can make a huge difference in how readily apparent the scratches from any given level of honing are.

That doesn't rule out a pressure issue, which is entirely possible too. The only way to know for sure which one it is would be to mess with the angle you're holding the razor and loupe relative to the light source until you're certain that what you're seeing on each side of the blade is different.

IF it's light then you should be able to find an angle that shows scratches on both sides. IF you can't see that then you have to look at what your doing on the hone. If it's to much pressure (especially on a hollow ground) then your bevel might also be taller. If it's not then you may have just done more on 1 side than the other in which case you should drop down and get them the same. Hard to tell without pictures but that's what pops into my head for now :<0)

scratches are visible on both sides. Just that on one side, they appear more prominent. Which is to say on the other side, the bevel appears to be more polished. could be light source, could be angle at which light is reflecting...

Are you talking about deep scratches or a uniform scratch pattern on the bevel?

When are you seeing this, after 8K?

Pressure is a common issue for new honers, use some pressure, to set the bevel, then lighten up on the finishing strokes for each stone. On the 4 & 8 use some to remove the previous stria, then lighten up to polish and lay down new stria.

The pattern should be identical on both sides. More importantly, what is the edge like, how does it shave?

This might help out, if you haven't seen it or tried it out yet: