Thread: Honing a near wedge

I haven't been honing for very long, but have been good comfortable shaves from the razors that I have done. I have never honed a wedge or near wedge razor. So I was wanting a few tips on how I should hone one. It's a Salamander Master Wedge. And also it is only a 1/2"


Thanks for the help guys!

It is a myth

A Heavy grind razor hones exactly the same as a Hollow grind razor

The difference in timing is in the geometry

The myth started because heavy grinds tend to be older razors that tend to have more "Bad Honing" practices over those years..

Trust me on this if you pull an NOS Heavy grind outta the box the bevel will be tiny tight and easy to set..

Look at the spine it will tell you the story of the razor and give you an idea of how much work you may have in front of you

I wish you the best of luck near wedges seem to fight me everytime I have a couple of them and just seem to struggle so one of these days when I finally get to the point of defeat I will be sending someone a heavy box of wedge razors to hone for me

I have a few Koorat razors and they are near wedge razors and honing is the same as any hollow grind. If anything the harder steel requires a few extra strokes but that's about it.

There is a good amount of wear on the toe of the spine but none on the heel. So it looks like this one could take a while. Thanks for the help Glen.

My wedge honing approach, how much wear helps me decide how many layers of tape to use. A razor that has a lot of spine wear leaves me thinking that it have been honed with a lot of pressure that has caused the spine to wear before its time. There is online tables to help pull the geometry back in line for razors with heavy wear. In the beginning I looked at them a lot. I no longer have them. Looking at that razor I would say start with three layers and then assess the blade once the bevel starts to form. I generally don't use more than three layers of tape.

Originally Posted by Paul76

There is a good amount of wear on the toe of the spine but none on the heel. So it looks like this one could take a while. Thanks for the help Glen.

What Shaun just posted if the way to start

3 layers and a Magic Marker test let's you see exactly what you are really up against, see what happens then adjust for effect :P

Thanks for the advice and tips Shaun and Glen! Hopefully it won't be as much work as what I'm thinking.

I have found no difference in honing them. I have two near wedges and a quarter hollow and all three seemed easy to fix. I to have a little salamander wedge 7/16 and found out that tightening the scales made it easier to control. If that makes sense. On a side not that salamander is a little bad a** for the sensetive hard to reach areas.