Thread: Razor shoulder catching on hone

Hi guys,

My razor was first honed many years ago by a friendly chap on a forum (so long since I can't recall which). I've only ever used a plain leather strop, except for a few passes on an 8k.

It's not been a great shave of late, so I thought I'd get my ass in gear and buy a 1/4k Norton and a 12k for finishing.

My main problem is that the shoulder of the blade is thicker than the rest of the razor. I can't do an x-lap without the shoulder sightly bringing up one side of the blade.

Looking at what is left of the bevel, it's obviously been like this a long time. What does one do in such a situation? Hone straight and reset the bevel, or grind the hell out of the shoulder to make it flush?

Here's one way to correct the issue: http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...file-heel.html

If this is too extreme, then you simply resort to "honing gymnastics" to overcome the issue each time you hit the hones. You can also search for "shoulder" or "heel" in the Honing or Advanced Honing Topics sections to see what answers others have provided over the years.

You can knock the shoulder back some with a dremel, it's not really hard to do but if it's a quality piece it might be better to send it off to someone in you area that has the skills to address, I have done it several times on practice razors or razors I pick up and do light restores to.

You just need to keep the heel off the stone,my strokes work still. If you don't you might wind up with a heel hook. If you watch any videos of the guys who know, you will see they don't run the heel up on the rock, it's either learn the stroke or get a shoulder less razor! B the way what are you doing for a stone after 4K, I think I would have gotten the 4/8k combo. Tc

Are you doing a straight x stroke meaning blade straight across your hone or heel leading x stroke?

Place a photo up for us to look at & before you break out a Dremel on it.

Unless that razor has been restructured before, then probably the issue is the method of your stroke & not the fact that your razor has a shoulder.

Originally Posted by Speedster

Here's one way to correct the issue: http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...file-heel.html

If this is too extreme, then you simply resort to "honing gymnastics" to overcome the issue each time you hit the hones. You can also search for "shoulder" or "heel" in the Honing or Advanced Honing Topics sections to see what answers others have provided over the years.

Thank you, I'll have a proper read through that thread!

Originally Posted by ejmolitor37

Are you doing a straight x stroke meaning blade straight across your hone or heel leading x stroke?

Just a straight x-stroke, not an angled sweep.

Originally Posted by tcrideshd

You just need to keep the heel off the stone,my strokes work still. If you don't you might wind up with a heel hook. If you watch any videos of the guys who know, you will see they don't run the heel up on the rock, it's either learn the stroke or get a shoulder less razor! B the way what are you doing for a stone after 4K, I think I would have gotten the 4/8k combo.

Looking at it in the morning light, after coffee, I think you are probably right; I'll need to just end the x-stroke at the heel against the side of the stone. After the 4 I'm just going straight to an 8k; the first stone I bought was an 8 on both sides, so I've got a 1/4, an 8, and a 12.

Originally Posted by Jnatcat

You can knock the shoulder back some with a dremel, it's not really hard to do but if it's a quality piece it might be better to send it off to someone in you area that has the skills to address, I have done it several times on practice razors or razors I pick up and do light restores to.

I admit it was probably not a smart idea to start learning to hone on my one and only blade; I should pick up some old pieces on ebay to have a crack.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

Place a photo up for us to look at & before you break out a Dremel on it. Unless that razor has been restructured before, then probably the issue is the method of your stroke & not the fact that your razor has a shoulder.

I have no doubt it's my stroke, and in hindsight I shouldn't have even tried to get the shoulder across the stone; here are a couple of pictures of the blade:

https://tinyurl.com/yagxvge8
https://tinyurl.com/y7sgu5sd

Keeping the stabilizer off the stone try a heel leading x stroke. The heel forward ending with the toe half of the blade still on the stone, heel off the stone.
Going straight up and down the stone can give you a frown in your blade meaning the center creeps back from the heel and toe and ya don't want that

Originally Posted by ejmolitor37

Keeping the stabilizer off the stone try a heel leading x stroke. The heel forward ending with the toe half of the blade still on the stone, heel off the stone.
Going straight up and down the stone can give you a frown in your blade meaning the center creeps back from the heel and toe and ya don't want that

Cheers! Do you mean like the second animation on this page? I'll give it a crack tonight.

Originally Posted by Grenage

Cheers! Do you mean like the second animation on this page? I'll give it a crack tonight.

Art work is not for sale so don't be asking. My computer is being super slow today so this was quicker.
Stabilizer off the stone blade at 45 degrees, bring blade toward you and across the stone. Repeat other direction. Sorry the second picture turned sideways.
Also check out the library on here there are way better images of honing along with video. Or YouTube gssixgun or Lynn Abrams great videos.
I hope my crappy pics help