Finally getting somewhere learning to hone...and then......

[shawn]

So I have been working on learning to hone.

First attempts months ago were trying to bring back an ebay W&B using the Red Trader barber hones. There was some pitting right on the edge so I needed to hone that out. Needless to say I got nowhere *sloooowlllyyyy* and spent far to many hours on this. It was kind of sharp but not nearly shave ready and I didn't have the microscope to see the edge yet. I kind of left this be for awhile since I wasn't shaving with the straights yet anyway.

Since switching to straights I figured I'd start working on learning honing again. So I went back to the same W&B but this time was armed with a Norton 220/1000 to get a good bevel. Took quite a bit of work with this as the pitting was deeper then I thought. I was getting a little fed up and got a little aggressive with this. I finally got through the bad metal on the edge (as seen through the RS microscope) and then moved onto a Blue/Yellow combo stone but still couldn't get a decent edge on it. I think the bevel isn't even from my aggressiveness earlier and I also put on a lot of hone wear.. probably should have taped the spine while I was honing out the bad metal. Live and learn.....

So I figured I'd move onto what should be a smaller easier honing project. A LeGrelot I bought a few weeks ago. It shaved nice the first day but then pulled and was uncomfortable ever since so I haven't used it much. I started on the couticle and gave it 5 nice easy passes. Edge didn't seem any sharper. Five more.... still not sharper. Repeat several more times. Under the 'scope I could see I was basically polishing the top edge of the bevel (nearest the heel) not the edge itself. The top edge was nice and shiny but the edge was still darker.

So I taped the spine and started over. Immediately the feel of the razor on the stone changed. Now it felt more like it was getting sharper and starting to stick to the stone. After I number of passes I checked it on the scope again. One side looked pretty good the whole way across but on the other side some areas the edge was getting shiny (and loosing the little bright dots it had earlier) but in other places the edge was still dark and I was polishing slightly lower down the bevel not the edge.

OK... so I took it down to the blue with a little bit of pressure for a few passes to see about setting a good bevel. Every five passes I checked it under the scope and was making nice progress getting the edge to look flat/shiny and it was starting to get really sticky feeling on the TPT. The front of the razor would pass the HHT but not the rear. So I worked on the back more and got it looking/feeling sharper but still not passing HHT. I didn't want to overhone so I then took it to the couticle again. Made 5 passes or so and checked it under the scope and the edge was getting polished up pretty nicely. Another 5 passes or so and it looked better then I had ever gotten an edge before so I figured I'd call it a night (been working on it for maybe 2 hours slowly and I'm getting tired) and try it in the morning.

I bring it over to the sink to wash off the slurry. Then dry it carefully with a paper towl, close the blade and set it on the counter top. As I'm moving my hand away the paper towl (in the same hand) snags on the monkey tail of the LeGrelot and pulls it to the abyss. I watch in slow motion as it falls to my tiled floor. Hits the floor (blade closed), bounces with the blade now opened and hits the floor again.

I stop breathing... I can't look.....

The blade is partially in the scales again sitting on the floor. The blade didn't shatter, the scales are intact. I slowly put the paper towl down and reach for the LeGrelot to check it out.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The blade had bit into a scale on the second bounce and a small chip of blade is imbedded in the scale. I'd much prefer it still be attached to the blade itself. Right out of the middle of the blade. It is small chip.... the metal itself on the broken edge is slightly curled out where the chip is. Other then that and the bite in the scale the rest of the razor looks OK.

I think it can be honed out but obviously I will be making the LeGrelot a little skinnier. For course stones I have the Norton 220/1000 combo stone and a DMT8C.

Any suggestions on how to proceed?

I assume while I am working on getting the chip out I keep the spine taped to avoid loads of hone wear?

Should I backhone at least until the curled part of the chip is gone?

Should I work on another ebay special to figure this all out before touching the LeGrelot again?

Comments, suggestions, rude remarks?

Thanks,

Shawn

[Kees]

Sorry to read about your misfortune.
It sounds like the initial bevel wasn't very good and needed work anyway. Now you will have to hone the chip out. I would start with the 1000 Norton you mention. I use a 1500 Shapton for a job like this (because I don't have a Norton). I'd do 10 laps on one side followed by 10 laps on the other side of the blade going on till the chip is gone. If you like to spare the spine you can tape it. If the chip is gone take it to the Belgian blue unless you have a hone that is grit wise between the BB and the 1000 Norton. Do your pyramids till you're ready to go.

[jnich67]

You have my sympathies. I know what you mean about the slow motion drop. I did the same thing with my 6/8 Revisor, but it survived unharmed - thank gawd.

I'll let the more experienced restorers address the technical questions.

Jordan

[albertpotash]

The only thing worse than the slow motion drop is impulsively reaching down and successfully catching it.
Al

[shawn]

Kees,

Thanks. Yes, I think the initial bevel on the LeGrelot wasn't very good. I do think I had improved that quite a bit last night, only to totally wreck it later.

Thanks for the tip on the 10 passes per side to speed up that part of the honing.

Shawn

[shawn]

The only thing worse than the slow motion drop is impulsively reaching down and successfully catching it.
Al

Ouch, I am very glad I didn't try and do that. The other thing I might have done if I wasn't tired would be to put a foot out to try and break its fall....

Shawn

[gssixgun]

Ohhhhhh man that just soooo sucks....

The only bright side is that now you get more honing experience

Oh BTW the foot razor catch thing,,,, ummmmm yeah not a good idea....

[jnich67]

Maybe I'll start wearing steel toe workboots while I shave

That would be a sight.

Jordan

[tjiscooler]

Dont be scared to go to a real low grit, as long as you are careful it will speed the process up a whole lot.

Hmm...I think id try to catch it unless i had to grab the edge to get it, it you do it before it gets to much speed I dont think youd get injured too much. But then again my safety is ont always priority no.1...

Has anyone tried to catch one?

[shawn]

Update on this. I spent awhile last night taking the LeGrelot to the Norton 1000 grit side with the spine taped. After maybe 200 or so passes I had the chips basically gone.

From there I took the tape off to get what was left of the chips out and to set the bevel. This took many passes too and turned up what I think was throwing off my initial honing. One side of the blade ended up with a nice even bevel with light even wear along the spine.

The other side of the blade showed heavier hone wear right in the middle of the spine and that was really the only place then ended up with a good bevel. The front edge got a very small bevel on it but the back third of the blade almost wasn't being honed at all and the spine wasn't really showing any wear above those points either. The edge doesn't really look like it is warped. Looking down the blade from the edge it looks like the spine is uneven on the side that isn't honing well. There was sort of a high spot on the spine near the back of the blade and the grind looks a little uneven side to side. The contact point on the hone is different side to side on the blade.

I basically tried to hone the spine itself a little on the bad side to flatten it out. I took it to the 220 side and held it so the spine was on the hone with the edge just slightly above the hone and gave it a 10 or so up/down passes. That expanded the area showing a little hone wear but it is still showing more wear in the middle. Taking it back to the 1000 to try to get a full bevel on that side helped a little but still isn't there. I didn't do too many passes this way as I wanted to see if I should wear down the spine more on the bad side or if that is the wrong approach.

Any thoughts?

BTW, most of the passes on the hones were simple straight even passes since the whole blade fit on the Norton.

Thanks,

Shawn