Thread: Bevel width

Originally Posted by CrescentCityRazors

Try clearing the edge. Looks like some fin there.

First, the pull strokes. Lay the razor flat on the hone and pull it across, W to E motion, about 3/4" distance. Flip and do the same on the other side. Now 5 more laps like that.

Next, a couple dozen very light laps using a short x stroke. Travel distance about 3" and be careful not to slap the bevel down on the hone when you flip it.

This will strip a lot of artifacts from your edge. You can also try stropping. Some guys swear by linen or canvas for this.

Look at your edge again and see if it has improved. Look at the bevel again. Do you need to go some more? If so, go for it but one or two pull strokes for every 10 laps or so to control the artifacts and do the whole edge clearing routine when you are done.

Stay on the 1k until you have a good precise bevel and a clean, crisp edge. Remember to watch the pressure. Pressure causes fin or wire edge more than just lap count.

Is it happy dance time yet?

I think maybe so! Hard to tell exactly what I am seeing there. Does it shave arm hair easily? Does the bevel look nice and flat and complete? If you can say true to those three things then you should be good for the next level.

Change your tape. Pressure should be less than the weight of your hand. By the time you are on your finisher it should be just the weight of the razor. Go on your 4k or whatever you got (be sure and lap it if it hasn't been lapped in a while or if it is new) and go regular x-stroke laps until you see a difference in how it pushes the honing water and feel a difference in how the stone grabs at the blade and resists the stroke. You can also look at the scratch pattern and at the edge smoothness. The 4k stage should remove all 1k scratches. Along with the scratches, the coarser teeth made by the 1k will be honed away. It may take 15 laps. It may take 80. Don't go by lap count. Go by the indicators. Same with your 8k stage and finally your finisher. When you are done with the 12k-ish finisher stage the razor should treetop reasonably well. Passing the razor 1/4" above the skin should get at least one or two hairs. If it makes a loud ping or tink sound that's okay. This is all you can reasonably expect from a 12k stone or a 1u film. It should shave your face reasonably well at that level of edge quality. To get any better you will need to hit a properly prepared progression of lapped and pasted balsa strops. Leave that be for now. Get your ducks all in a row with standard honing first. The balsa needs a good edge to build upon. It can't make your dull edge sharp. It can only make a sharp edge sharper and smoother. In fact I would urge you to do a test shave after your 4k and after your 8k stage. If you can't shave off your 8k then there is not much point in flailing away with the razor on the 12k. EACH STAGE must FULLY do its job.

So, what does the bevel look like and how much cutting power does the edge have? If you think you are truly ready to bump it up a notch, go for it.

I have just shaved with my new 1K bevel.



A four pass shave, not unpleasant and I had a pretty good shave. Not BBS by any means, in fact I am a bit disappointed in my neck but I would have to say I had a better shave than I did the first 20 times i tried a straight razor (bet a few of you remember that terrified noob that made a vid).

I spent longer than usual on the cleanup but if I don't shave tomorrow I doubt anyone would notice eh.

I am so happy, I think I succeeded, I just hope it wasn't more luck than judgment.

So, guys - I thinks I'm ready for 4K, I haven't stropped the 1K after setting the bevel or after shaving because I wasn't sure if I should.

OK, 4K. How should I approach that one, do I want slurry, do I want torque, should I use the same strokes I used to set the bevel or are there gentler ones I should use?

Thank you for helping to make this journey as painless as possible, I know there's a long way to go but I don't care - I had a good shave with a 1K

Couple of questions, if you don't mind.

If a person put their fingers in the toe and heel while they honed (especially 1K), would they get a smile?

By the same logic, if they put their finger in the center of the blade, would they get a frown?

If a person did get a frown, can they fix it?

No, I haven't made a frown, just asking.

A smile comes from the stroke. I always lean towards a smile. A smirking edge will shave better. Glen shows it well. Heel leading into the stroke with the toe swooping forward a bout 2/3 through.

Originally Posted by RezDog

A smile comes from the stroke. I always lean towards a smile. A smirking edge will shave better. Glen shows it well. Heel leading into the stroke with the toe swooping forward a bout 2/3 through.

I was more wondering if smiles and frowns could be accidentally made by finger position on the blade while honing.

I doubt that you could get a smile that way but I could see center weight and a straight stroke causing a frown.

Originally Posted by STF

I have just shaved with my new 1K bevel.



A four pass shave, not unpleasant and I had a pretty good shave. Not BBS by any means, in fact I am a bit disappointed in my neck but I would have to say I had a better shave than I did the first 20 times i tried a straight razor (bet a few of you remember that terrified noob that made a vid).

I spent longer than usual on the cleanup but if I don't shave tomorrow I doubt anyone would notice eh.

I am so happy, I think I succeeded, I just hope it wasn't more luck than judgment.

So, guys - I thinks I'm ready for 4K, I haven't stropped the 1K after setting the bevel or after shaving because I wasn't sure if I should.

OK, 4K. How should I approach that one, do I want slurry, do I want torque, should I use the same strokes I used to set the bevel or are there gentler ones I should use?

Thank you for helping to make this journey as painless as possible, I know there's a long way to go but I don't care - I had a good shave with a 1K

A satisfactory shave from a 1k edge definitely indicates you are on the right track. It would appear that your razor is ready to meet the 4k now. Yes, you could have stropped. In fact you should have stropped. The shave would have been a bit nicer. But no biggie. So now hit your 4k, refreshing your tape as it wears, light pressure, go until the 1k scratches are gone. You must end up with a mirror-flat bevel again.

Slurry not needed. At the end of the 4k stage, not wanted, either. Remember to add pull strokes and short x strokes when you are done with the 4k. And again in the remaining stages, too. Slurry speeds up a honing stage. It also helps to prevent fin edge but it limits final sharpness. It can make an edge feel more gentle to the face but definitely not an issue with your 4k. So slurry has its uses but from here out you don't want it. Just clear clean water on the hone.

Originally Posted by STF

...I am so happy, I think I succeeded, I just hope it wasn't more luck than judgment...

As Louis Pasteur said, "Luck favors the prepared."

It's a good feeling to know you have accomplished something that has seemed elusive. Especially something that is deceptively difficult. Congratulations Steve.

Originally Posted by RezDog

A smile comes from the stroke. I always lean towards a smile. A smirking edge will shave better. Glen shows it well. Heel leading into the stroke with the toe swooping forward a bout 2/3 through.

This is the wiper pass I was telling you about, Steve. It puts more time/ contact with the heel n toe, on the stone.