Thread: A bit confused by my results? ?

Well here is an update, after studying the blade a bit with my magnification I decided to just go back to the stones with 2 layers of tape as suggested. Doing rolling X strokes I was able to get a bevel. But I am throwing in the towel for a bit on this blade, I am now getting micro chipping about mid blade and back towards the heel. Basically the front 1/3 of the blade is maintaining its bevel, the back 2/3 is chipping out and I can not take any more Tom Foolery. I tried the lightest strokes I can muster and still maintain a solid rolling X stroke and still fail. The bevel on the back 2/3 would get so close then just go to hell.
Thanks so much for your questions and advice to help me along I really appreciate the help and guidance. I just need a break before I throw this blade out the window.

Walking away and coming back another day with a fresh outlook is a very real solution. Although chipping tends to show in the higher grits, I believe it is related to pressure in the lower grits and also from subsurface damage from drops, dings, buffers and also from diamond plate stria going deep into the steel. Of course those are theories or opinions, I have no science for that. At the first sign of chipping I tend to lightly kill the edge and back up one hone, unless of course I am on a 1K at the time in which case I do not back up.

I found my chipping (and loss of a good bevel set) was using to much pressure on the higher stones. Especially with the rolling X, it is easy for me to use too much pressure and degrade what was a good bevel set. When I learned to use a feather light touch, most of my chipping issues went away. Just my 02.

As I said earlier, this is not uncommon, after edge work has been done.

You will have to, remove some of the edge to get to good steel. You can do it by honing or just cut to the chase, joint it straight and re-hone the edge in a few laps.

I had this same issue, yesterday, with a nice, hollow ground, White King, Sure Edge and had to joint and re-set the edge, 3 or 4 times before it held, and it was only lightly buffed.

I did it on a 2k, but sometimes you just need to bite the bullet and go to the 1k to remove “enough” steel.

Originally Posted by RezDog

I hone most old sheffields with two layers of tape and typically get good results. Sometimes the bevel is a little wide and it looks funny but they all seem to shave well. If ayour razor had excessive hone wear but still a lot of width that many layers of tape might be called for, but your blade looks good. Personally I would reset the bevel with two layers and if the shave was not great ad a third layer for a microbevel

The most tape I've used was 3 layers of Scotch 3M 88 vynal electirc tape. It is .0085 thick. and the blades spine was very warn. On yours from the photo I agree with RezDog 2 layers. That is a good looking old blade.

I stop at three layers myself, it's to much of a PITA above that.
Once it start to chip, edge the blade and start again eventually you will get to strong steel

Originally Posted by rhensley

The most tape I've used was 3 layers of Scotch 3M 88 vynal electirc tape. It is .0085 thick. and the blades spine was very warn. On yours from the photo I agree with RezDog 2 layers. That is a good looking old blade.

I've had a few blades chip, but also at high grits. I have no other explanation, but to assume the steel is too brittle on those. I must have retried half a dozen times on one of them. I even removed around 1mm of steel, ground the edge back on it with a diamond plate, reset the bevel, and went on to the finish. Same thing happened again, just couldn't hold the edge. Could it be that the bevel angle is too small, combined with mediocre steel, and it just can't hold it? Not sure to this day, but I'm not wasting any more time on those.

Thanks guys for the encouraging words. I have been thinking about this blade most of the day ( I believe it is from the tense feelings in my shoulders after honing and sitting so much yesterday) the more and more I think, I agree Rez, it is best to walk away which maybe in a couple days I will get back at it or maybe months like the last time. I have made more progress this time than I thought I had made in previous attempts. The contact point when honing with tape is actually lower than the spine. Where the blade is stamped fine India steel is about where the hone would contact with 2 layers of tape of course. So what I have been thinking; could this be why there is edge degradation? I will run through what I did yesterday I will apologize now for how winded this may become.

So I decided to skip another shave with this blade and go to hones. I went with 2 layers and actually went to 600 grit lapping film on a granite slab to speed up my work. I then went to 1k Norton and after loads of work I could tell just by the change in sound that the toe section was coming in. Finally getting some where I was working a bit and checking with my pocket magnifier and toe was beautiful last 2/3 of the blade was getting there but rough looking so I continued. After I noticed the edge was looking good and just shy of meeting on the back 2/3 I then actually went to my 4k and things went ok. Then the edge just went to hell, last 2/3 chippy and under magnification just shinny spots all over!

Jointed the edge, went back to 1k and once the bevel started coming in on the last 2/3 I stuck with the 1k and boom lost the last 2/3 of the edge. I went through this process at least 4 to 5 times I even got it so close to set then went to my 12k with 3 layers of tape to attempt the micro bevel and same end result. That is when I hung my head and called it a day. Literally hours in front of the stones with 1 blade and kept getting disappointed.

This is what I know, the blade is warped a slight bit, the blade previously had to be honed like a knife the way the heel was worn when I got it and the way it is still difficult. I really like the blade it is in great shape for its age it cleaned up well and I have had this thing a year and still have only shaved with it once. I wont quit it is now personal and it may end up being a 5/8 blade when all said and done but I will get it. Just time to put her back in the closet until I have the patients and time again.

Thanks again guys I really appreciate all the help.

“Where the blade is stamped fine India steel is about where the hone would contact with 2 layers of tape of course.”

If that is where the bevel ends, you have massive spine wear.

Measure the thickness of the spine in 3 places, toe, middle and heel. Now measure the thickness of the tang, where the wear ends, using a micrometer or calipers.

The spine should be close to the tang thickness. If it is much thinner, that may be part of your issue.

You can make a temporary faux spine, with a short piece of plastic or brass hose or tubing the thickness of the tang or just a bit thicker.

The bevel in photo 1 does not look that big, the spine wear is hard to tell, how bad it is.

Ill check that in the next couple days and post my results. I don't believe there is much spine wear. But ill get numbers and show you what I got. Thank you