Can I set a bevel with a 4K Norton?

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Originally Posted by Euclid440

If you know how to hone a razor, none really.

But if you are new to honing, there are tons of examples of excessive abuse.

The Op’s question was, “Can I set a bevel with a 4K Norton?”
And the answer is yes.

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So for those of us starting out with films, is it better to start with a 5 micron film, which is equivalent to Primo's 4K Norton, to help in being overly aggressive with setting the bevel or would you suggest the 14 micron (1200 grit equivalent) for bevel setting if we have both?

5um is about 4k, .5um is 30-50K, watch that decimal point. Grit charts are kind of all over the map.

5um (4k-ish) or 3um (8k ish) are good starting points, for a refresh. It all depends on the edge condition.

Film is also more aggressive and durable than folks think. Your substrate can make a big difference, if using glass, lap it flat with some 220 or a diamond plate. Glass is not dead flat.

Dead flat is not critical, but flat will put more grit in contact with the razor and make it more efficient. And it just takes a couple minutes.

You can do a full bevel set on film, or for $20 buy a King 1k.

I have set numerous bevels on the 4k side of my trusty Norton, especially when I was starting out, using Lynn's circle method. I used to have the problem of getting close to a bevel on some of the softer Sheffield smiling blades, then somehow I would lose it, blow past it, or whatever it was I was doing. I found that if I got close on the 1k and continued "sneaking up on it" on the 4k, it fixed the problem (usually-sometimes it still happens).

But I have also set them from scratch if the edge was basically sound and chip-free, no frowns, etc.

+1 on the king 1k. Get that and 325-600 grit diamond plate for flattening and refreshing hones, also good for heavy bevel work and knives. If you see yourself keeping any kind of interest in razors and honing it would be money well spent and cheaper in the long run than setting bevels with film. After the bevels are set it shouldn’t take too much on your film progression to get a comfortable shaving edge as you learn what you’re doing.

Euclid and gssixgun both post some really useful and informational links and videos.

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Originally Posted by lightcs1776

A thread where folks sign up to willingly kill their edge???? That's hard to wrap my head around, but hey, maybe it isn't so bad if you are really good at restoring the edge.

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I think the point was to showcase via sample size just how versatile those white & yellow bricks most of us have can be. It's also a perfect example that honing can be as cheap and simple or as expensive and complicated as we choose to make it. I like to point newbies back to that thread so they can gain an idea what a Norton 4/8 is capable of, and what kind of results they should be aiming to achieve from it.