Thread: TNT and AHT question???

Originally Posted by dshaves

I do use tape when I hone. I have not refreshed the razor with a new piece of tape during the 1k bevel setting.... I do lighten up pressure when nearing the end of the 1k.

What are your reliable test for bevel set? Just curious

In that case you have a new problem...

Tape slightly lifts the spine and so slightly changes the angle of the blade relative to the hone. As the tape wears, which it is most prone to do on your lower grit bevel setter, the spine gets closer to the hone and the very apex of the bevel (aka the edge) lifts up away from the hone. So as the tape wears you are constantly lowering the angle of the bevels. Putting on a fresh piece of tape and doing maybe 10 more laps ensures that the edge actually is making contact with the hone.

As Rezdog described with using a loupe, I assess my edges with a stereomicroscope.

Originally Posted by Utopian

In that case you have a new problem...

Tape slightly lifts the spine and so slightly changes the angle of the blade relative to the hone. As the tape wears, which it is most prone to do on your lower grit bevel setter, the spine gets closer to the hone and the very apex of the bevel (aka the edge) lifts up away from the hone. So as the tape wears you are constantly lowering the angle of the bevels. Putting on a fresh piece of tape and doing maybe 10 more laps ensures that the edge actually is making contact with the hone.

As Rezdog described with using a loupe, I assess my edges with a stereomicroscope.

Quick question, even if I torque the blade down the worn tape will still cause this issue you mentioned?

The razors that are in question are my Hart steel razors, which the angle from spine to edge is too shallow so I use two pieces of tape, so far that has helped the edges strength. What you said makes total sense to me about changing the tape during bevel setting!!! I do always feel like I am chasing the edge...Thank you!

I have been using my loupe more often...

Originally Posted by dshaves

Quick question, even if I torque the blade down the worn tape will still cause this issue you mentioned?

The razors that are in question are my Hart steel razors, which the angle from spine to edge is too shallow so I use two pieces of tape, so far that has helped the edges strength. What you said makes total sense to me about changing the tape during bevel setting!!! I do always feel like I am chasing the edge...Thank you!

I have been using my loupe more often...

That is an excellent question!

I wish I had an excellent answer but here goes with what I've got...

YES--MAYBE! I'm not sure. Torque on the blade in favor of the edge will reduce that effect both because you will, or should be, causing less wear on the tape and because you are focusing the pressure on the edge. Of course, if you torque it too much you can flex the blade and cause the edge to lift up that way.

Proper torqueing of the blade is always a good thing. I still replace the tape to overcome this angle issue anyway.

Originally Posted by Utopian

That is an excellent question!

I wish I had an excellent answer but here goes with what I've got...

YES--MAYBE! I'm not sure. Torque on the blade in favor of the edge will reduce that effect both because you will, or should be, causing less wear on the tape and because you are focusing the pressure on the edge. Of course, if you torque it too much you can flex the blade and cause the edge to lift up that way.

Proper torqueing of the blade is always a good thing. I still replace the tape to overcome this angle issue anyway.

Hmmmm. Recently I have been working with one Hart razor in particular that after the bevel set I was using just enough torquing pressure to keep the edge down on the 5k and could see with my loupe that the scratches were not reaching all the way to the edge the very edge was hazy and had the look of a jnat kasumi finish. I put fresh tape on and the scratches still wouldn't go to the very edge, I was pretty puzzled??? Maybe the scratches did go to the edge but I spent too much time on that stone thus the tape wore out and lifted the very edge??? I am now wondering if I was to change the tape before finishing on the 1k would that remedy the length of time spent on the removing the scratches from the 1k???

I might be spending too much time with the synthetic slurry???

It could easily be that you are torqueing the blade too much on the next hone after the bevel setter. If you replace the tape after your bevel is set that raises the spine slightly and puts the apex of the bevel in more contact with the hone and less on the shoulder of the bevel. You should easily reach the very edge with the scratches and less so toward the shoulder of the bevel. If you apply too much torque/pressure to the edge the edge may lift and not be in contact. After the bevel setter very much lighter pressure is used.

Bob

I will definitely try refreshing the tape before I finish on the 1k and see if that bumps the razors edge up to passing the AHT. One definite is when the razor does pass the AHT test the final result of the shave test always passes with flying colors!!! I was mainly asking for what I am doing by refining the bevel set to that point of "AHT" made sense to the pros. Now I might have a way to expedite that process and save some time. Thank you

On the issue of my recent Hart razor honing I figured out what I am doing wrong from another thread lol. Now that I think about it I was using the Shapton glass diamond lapping plate which is very very very mellow and recently I switched to using the DMT325 because it raises more slurry probably too much slurry? This little hazy thing didn't start until after using the DMT325, this didn't dawn on me until right now!!! I'm an idiot lol . I will refresh the surface and wash off the slurry for now...Thank you

The quality of discussion never ceases to amaze me!

Thank you to you all. There are so many small details that are discussed that are very helpful.

Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by dshaves

....One definite is when the razor does pass the AHT test the final result of the shave test always passes with flying colors!!!...

I think this says it all right here. You are more than likely saving steel in the long run. A properly set bevel more than likely never has to be re-set again which saves the razor as opposed to fiddling around trying to hone it again and again. My early morning thoughts are continue to go with the AHT as that seems to be closer calibrated to a set bevel for you.

I was reading through this thread and noticed someone saying to look through the loupe at the apex whether they are meeting all the way. Is the visible with a 20x triplet and bright light? For now I can only look at the scratch pattern, and can't yet tell the difference between the scratches relative to the grits yet...

Sounds to me like you have too many variables going on here. Taped spine, slurry on a synthetic, torqueing, different hair cuts...

Hart steel is tough enough (In my experience) to handle a wide bevel. No need for tape. No need to slurry a synthetic. Torque should be so minimal as it's nothing to really speak of.

Don't make this out to be harder than it really is.