Thread: Advice/Suggestions Needed--Losing Bevel After Initial Setting

After you have the bevel set to your satisfaction, take a felt pen a ink the bevel before going to the next hone. Do a few strokes on the next hone and inspect the bevel with your loupe to see if you are getting all the way from the bevel shoulder to the edge. If you are not then possibly you are using too much pressure and flexing the blade just enough to lift the edge and hone more on the shoulder of the bevel. The more hollow the grind the less pressure is desired because of how awful easy it is to flex the blade.

Bob

Are you using tape? Do you re fresh the 5k surface before honing? Do you use the refreshed slurry or wipe it off?

I also agree with above pressure kills after bevel set. I use to think I was using light pressure until I gained more experience honing many razors and slowly but surely realized I could go even lighter than I was and found with lightening the pressure a whole new level of sharp and comfortable was revealed.

Strop it and shave test. Do it after the 1K and then after the 5K. If the bevel was truly set it should shave at both times.

Originally Posted by RezDog

Strop it and shave test. Do it after the 1K and then after the 5K. If the bevel was truly set it should shave at both times.

Interesting. I'll have to try this. What's the explanation though, for example, if I can strop and shave off of the 1K but then can't shave off of the 5K level? How do I know if I don't have a good bevel set at the 1K level vs. doing something wrong at the 5K level (such as too much flexing as BobH mentioned)?

Originally Posted by jseitz

Interesting. I'll have to try this. What's the explanation though, for example, if I can strop and shave off of the 1K but then can't shave off of the 5K level? How do I know if I don't have a good bevel set at the 1K level vs. doing something wrong at the 5K level (such as too much flexing as BobH mentioned)?

If you are able to get a decent shave off the 1K (there are threads) but you are not able to shave off of the 5K the the most likely problem is too much pressure. At which point you would have to ink before the 5, as suggested, and chase a solution there. Personally I check after the 1K for my bevel set indicators and do not try sharp tests at each progression, but rely solely on the loupe as to when to progress. The ultimate judge is the shave test and I can get a comfortable shave from 1K up, and the 8K is very good. After the 8K it is more about the feel of the edge than a significant change in performance.

Originally Posted by dshaves

Are you using tape? Do you re fresh the 5k surface before honing? Do you use the refreshed slurry or wipe it off?

I also agree with above pressure kills after bevel set. I use to think I was using light pressure until I gained more experience honing many razors and slowly but surely realized I could go even lighter than I was and found with lightening the pressure a whole new level of sharp and comfortable was revealed.

I am using tape, just one layer of 3M. Would 1-2 more layers help, especially against blade flex and honing on the shoulder of the bevel as BobH pointed out as a possible problem? I do clean the 5K surface with my DMT 325 and use the refreshed slurry. Use it plain or keep the slurry?

Originally Posted by jseitz

I am using tape, just one layer of 3M. Would 1-2 more layers help, especially against blade flex and honing on the shoulder of the bevel as BobH pointed out as a possible problem? I do clean the 5K surface with my DMT 325 and use the refreshed slurry. Use it plain or keep the slurry?

An added layer or two of tape can be helpful if the edge is not holding. Changing the angle just a tiny bit can sometimes give it enough strength to hold. But I'm not sure that is your problem. Slurry at 5k can back the edge off. Slurry can be useful. But the effects it has can be confusing. If you are evaluating the edge before you finish on the 5k clean (no slurry) you might be getting a false reading. Slurry backs the edge off. If you use it, you have to finish that stone on clean water before you see the full effect that the stone has to offer. You may already know that. I don't know. If you're truly losing the edge, a second layer of tape or even a third may help. But it won't change the need to use less pressure. Pressure is pressure.

I totally agree with above, if using synth slurry with each stone then finishing with clear water is a must if you want to truly see that stones potential. Otherwise the feel and performance of the edge with synth slurry will drop back a bit even though it is technically more refined at that stage.

I would re fresh the tape after bevel set. Just to rule out the potential of the problems that come with the wear from bevel setting.

Try just laying the razor flat on the stone with no additional pressure other than the pressure it takes to keep the spine and edge on the stone and do a few more than normal X strokes and see what that does.

Trial and error really helped me more forward even though sometimes I felt like I was going backwards.

Originally Posted by BobH

After you have the bevel set to your satisfaction, take a felt pen a ink the bevel before going to the next hone. Do a few strokes on the next hone and inspect the bevel with your loupe to see if you are getting all the way from the bevel shoulder to the edge. If you are not then possibly you are using too much pressure and flexing the blade just enough to lift the edge and hone more on the shoulder of the bevel. The more hollow the grind the less pressure is desired because of how awful easy it is to flex the blade.

Bob

Good tip. I'll try that too. Thanks!