Thread: Honing the razor's toe

Hello everyone, so my honing is coming along after quite a bit of trial and error. Truthfully, lots of trial and lots of error. I am generally trying to bring some 100+ year old razor back into working condition and then getting the satisfaction of seeing how well it performs after putting it to the stones. Anyway, I seem to be struggling with getting the toe of the razor as sharp as the middle of the blade. It seems to me on these older rounded, almost French Point razors that the toe tapers and thins so when the blade is flat on my coticule the toe edge is a bit above the stone. I have recently taken to finishing my hone job by focusing solely on the toe, meaning only working the toe end on the stone. Am I approaching this all wrong? Advice?
Thanks

Can you post a photo of the blade?

Bob

"I have recently taken to finishing my hone job by focusing solely on the toe, meaning only working the toe end on the stone. Am I approaching this all wrong? Advice?"

Yea, may be. If you are not careful you can end up with a faceted tip, which will then require reprofiling of the toe and removing more steel,

Most razors I see, even spikes do not have a fully honed tip. I shave with the whole razor, and like a fully honed tip and heel.

First try a rolling X stroke, the rolling action and the ending curve will end with the tip moving about 45 degrees forward from the edge.

Adding a finger-tip of pressure, (the weight of your finger on the tip). Inking the tip bevel will tell you quickly, if you are reaching the edge at the tip. Instead of a sweeping curved ending X, use a more gradual sloping X beginning the Arc about mid-way across the stone for a more gradual curve and even pressure and bevel.

There are other techniques you can use but are more of an advanced honing technique. Try this first.

I do hope you are taping the spine. Once you have mastered honing then decide if you want to continue with tape, at least your razors will not have further damaged spines.

Thank you for that info. Here are a couple pics of the toe of the latest razor I am working on.

Rolling X strokes will work for that. Or a swooping X Stroke.

A in depth explanation, can be found in the honing section of our library.

Hope this helps.

I'd go along with the others and say a rolling or swooping X stroke should handle that nicely. Let us know how you get on with that.

Bob

I like to hone them around the toe. Took a while to learn.
Some radical swooping gymnastics are necessary on some.

As the others have stated. To get that toe in is going to take some special honing gymnastics. It can be done but for a new guy honning it will be a harder honing job. Not something i would recommend for someone new to honing but not imposible. You might be better off sending that one out for honing and find another blade to learn with. But if you persist to do it yourself, learn the rolling x stroke and watch the contact point on the stone. You will see what is needed to go around the corner in one full movement.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Are those photos pre-honing, because I am not seeing any new bevels on that razor?

You can see where the last owner/honer was heavy handed honing the tip, by the shape of the tip and the spine wear on the spine at the toe.

That tip profile will easily hone up with a rolling X. Do clean up that razor at least with steel wool, WD40 and metal polish, before you hone to remove as much of the oxidization, or it will end up on your strop.

Yes, I just received this razor in the mail. Its my next hone project. I will reset the bevel and then move it through my normal progression of 4k, 8k then onto my coticule starting with heavy slurry, medium slurry and finishing with no slurry...just water on the coticule. My honing set-up is still quite simple but I am able to get reasonably good results. I will do my best to clean up the blade with steel wool, WD-40 and metal polish. From here I am going to look into the sweeping x-stroke. I had a friend that once showed me this technique but I never really got the feel for it. Guess it is time to learn again and see if I can get this razor up and running. Fingers crossed.