Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 17
Like Tree24Likes

Thread: How to hone bad geometry razor?

  1. #1
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Tel Aviv, Israel
    Posts
    653
    Thanked: 174

    Default How to hone bad geometry razor?

    I have a very nice 6/8 Dovo Carre - Bismarck type blade. When I bought it, it arrived shave-ready from some professional shoppe in UK, and indeed it was a great shaver for a couple of years with only minor touch-ups along the road, but recently I felt it was time to hone it again.
    Honing it I noticed (I did noticed it in the past of course, but it didn't matter to me previously) it has quite a messed-up geometry: unequal and not completely straight shoulders. This in turn caused the bevel to be uneven on both sides and along the blade. On the front side it's broader in the middle, while on the back side it's the opposite - narrower in the middle.
    This is how it came to me originally, and this is what I got again when resetting the bevel myself. Now, I honed it this way again (one layer of tape applied), and it shaves well as before. However I wonder whether should I try to correct it somehow or leave it be? And how exactly - if I should?
    Your advice will be welcome.
    Name:  3eIILQe7-0-ENne3NTDLWixl8TaBr53Hg9kiU6OTKKwkkJbdAgCvQ-gwT7T-pyvhDxVcVcpecrtgwcASzoe7zQ0Z-9dFHi81.jpg
Views: 390
Size:  16.2 KB
    Name:  ceEtM1rwnvXCVkV87AYerjslxBoVuIBUV47IDqtrBfe6R5Bw5j5TNxW5Co4kYYc9zYUZVVuUkg3NkMhiDCsnFvzk3q1_ZcUG.jpg
Views: 384
Size:  14.0 KB
    Name:  sLKJsseAOMR5efr6rjbgVxBKx1luAPd9z4nRu5PVtp2V0ywBfCo6XxW8jc622i_Jwr6gOYgRqCfiCWHtCqcX14GtjSB0KSwm.jpg
Views: 387
Size:  9.4 KB
    Last edited by dimab; 11-11-2017 at 12:21 PM.

  2. #2
    Senior Member Brontosaurus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Les Vosges, France
    Posts
    924
    Thanked: 185

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by dimab View Post
    This in turn caused the bevel to be uneven on both sides and along the blade. On the front side it's broader in the middle, while on the back side it's the opposite - narrower in the middle.
    Apart from your other comments and pictures, the quoted remark is pretty characteristic of a razor with a bent spine. You can just keep honing flat with it (which will also move in the direction of evening out the shoulders, used without tape) to get at the good stuff, or you can use a rolling X-stroke to keep the lines even.

    Especially if you are taping the spine, I would just leave it as is and hone it using a rolling X-stroke. This also will prevent it from looking like it's been to hell and back.
    BobH, dimab and Gasman like this.
    Striving to be brief, I become obscure. --Horace

  3. #3
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Tel Aviv, Israel
    Posts
    653
    Thanked: 174

    Default

    So you are saying rolling x-stroke on the convex side, and flat on the concave? Wouldn't it give it a smile eventually?

  4. #4
    Senior Member Brontosaurus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Les Vosges, France
    Posts
    924
    Thanked: 185

    Default

    No, I'm suggesting a rolling stroke on both sides. A narrow hone is very useful in this regard.
    Steel and Gasman like this.
    Striving to be brief, I become obscure. --Horace

  5. The Following User Says Thank You to Brontosaurus For This Useful Post:

    dimab (11-11-2017)

  6. #5
    Senior Member blabbermouth RezDog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada
    Posts
    14,383
    Thanked: 4820

    Default

    An uneven bevel is purely cosmetic. As long as it shaves properly I would not worry about it. It is most likely the spine is bent as previously mentioned. Honing gymnastics is the only sensible solution.
    It's not what you know, it's who you take fishing!

  7. The Following User Says Thank You to RezDog For This Useful Post:

    dimab (11-11-2017)

  8. #6
    Senior Member blabbermouth bluesman7's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Denver CO
    Posts
    4,559
    Thanked: 810

    Default

    I second RezDog. I would say that the problem is in the grind, but whether it's the grind or the spine is immaterial. As long as you can get a good edge don't worry about it.
    32t, BobH and dimab like this.

  9. The Following User Says Thank You to bluesman7 For This Useful Post:

    dimab (11-11-2017)

  10. #7
    Senior Member Steve56's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Knoxville, TN
    Posts
    1,837
    Thanked: 508
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default

    Agree with bent spine, but it could also just be ground not very evenly side-to-side. whatever caused the condition doesn't really matter. The convex side isn't an issue, a rolling stroke will hone that side. The concave side may be a different story in the middle of the razor depending on how concave it is. If you have difficulty bringing up the middle of the concave side, you may have to resort to a narrow hone, using the side of the hone, or the corner of the hone to get into the concavity. Dovo I believe uses a domed hone for the 'problem children', but very few of us have domed hones.

    Cheers, Steve
    Attached Images Attached Images  

  11. The Following User Says Thank You to Steve56 For This Useful Post:

    dimab (11-11-2017)

  12. #8
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Tel Aviv, Israel
    Posts
    653
    Thanked: 174

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by RezDog View Post
    An uneven bevel is purely cosmetic. As long as it shaves properly I would not worry about it. It is most likely the spine is bent as previously mentioned. Honing gymnastics is the only sensible solution.
    Quote Originally Posted by bluesman7 View Post
    I second RezDog. I would say that the problem is in the grind, but whether it's the grind or the spine is immaterial. As long as you can get a good edge don't worry about it.
    Thank you all for your answers! That was what I thought: as long as it shaves - leave it be. But I wanted to hear some advise from wiser and more experienced in this hobby than myself, and I'm happy to see you concur.

  13. #9
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    NW Indiana
    Posts
    1,060
    Thanked: 246

    Default

    Definitely leave it be. The shave performance is the important thing. The problem is due to a razor that is not perfectly straight - whether it's down to the grind or the spine bending. Most likely options are that it was ground a little crooked from the start or that it warped a tiny bit during heat treat. It is not easy to permanently bend a razor blade after it's heat treated without breaking it. Either way no big deal.

  14. The Following User Says Thank You to eKretz For This Useful Post:

    dimab (11-11-2017)

  15. #10
    Senior Member Wayne1963's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    South Carolina, USA
    Posts
    1,181
    Thanked: 162

    Default

    Agree that how it shaves is the important thing. Too fix the geometry means removing extra metal. IMO, if you really want to even every thing out, send it to a true honemeister.

  16. The Following User Says Thank You to Wayne1963 For This Useful Post:

    dimab (11-11-2017)

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •