Thread: help setting the bevel

so the 1k paper didn't work too bad. the bevel isn't bad and pretty even. my problem is that i think i should have bread cut a bit farther. in the middle i have some pitting and discoloration which is now allowing for chipping in that area, AKA a not so decent bevel. s i have a decent bevel but also a bunch of chips in the middle. i was trying to take the least amount of metal away as i could and i think i cut it too close. it is even though so that is promising, though it isn't very wide, but i imagine that is because the spine has absolutely no hone wear (as it was never honed) so compared to my Boker that has a lot of hone wear ( not from me though) the bevel is narrower.

i am making progress which is good. i'm still figuring out the norton 4/8k, but i do have razors in various stages of sharpness to experiment with which could be bad or good i' not sure yet. ha! as far as keeping at it goes, i'm addicted, theres no going back now.

A narrow bevel is good. The narrow bevel means it'll be easier to remove any rounding that might occur, since you'll have less metal to hone away.

You'll want to stay on the sandpaper until all that junk is gone and you have a nice clean edge to work with.

Sounds like you're making progress, though.

Josh

i'm definitely making progress and i guess it is better to discover the chips now than have it happen later on when i had gone through the higher grits and would have to back track. for now i concentrating on keeping th bevel even. if it takes time, i don't mind.

+ 1 on not using the 1200 grit DMT to lap. I tried it once just to make sure my belgian blue was flat and you have to put too much pressure to actually make it remove material. The 1200 is so fine the water creates a cushion between the two hones and when you do put enouth pressure to make it cut you end up with them stuck together. But for bevel setting I love the 1200 DMT, for me the feedback it great.

i'm kind of leaning towards the norton 220/1000 combo. i have a tools store that carries it, the price isn't bad ($37). the DMT's sound like great products as many members praise them, but i don't know where to get them in Canada, plus they are a bit pricier.

i would definitely welcome any opinions or comparisons to help me make my decision. or if someone knows where to buy them in Canada that would be great also.

Chee, I was thinking of getting the Norton 4k/8k, then a seperate Norton 1k. But then the cost of a lapping stone came into play. So I'm rethinking...

This place...DMT Dia-Sharp 8x3x3/8 in. Diamond Plates sells the DMT Dia-sharp 8EE for seventy bucks U.S. Supposedly, this thing is 8k grit equivalent, but cuts as fast as a 4k. So it kinda does both jobs of the Norton 4k/8k, and it's about the same cost. So it has the following advantages over the Norton 4k/8k: You don't have to lap it, it cuts as fast as the 4k, it finishes off like an 8k. Disadvantages: some guys say it doesn't finish off very smoothly until it's "broke in".

So the other thing I/we still need is a 1k-1.2k solution... The DMT Dia-sharp 8E (1.2k grit equivalent) from that same place is 45 bucks. And again, it doesn't need to be lapped. I have heard that it cuts *much* faster than a Norton 1k, and again needs no real maintenance.

So now we've spent 115 bucks. Pricing out the individual norton pieces and an additional lapping stone comes out to be a few dollars more than that at all the places I've price shopped at.

So with SWMBO's permission, I'm gonna get the two DMT stones and call it good... at least until I'm no longer happy with the finish off my swaty stone and pasted strops... then it'll be time to niggle her for some finishing hones...

my big problem is shipping. when ever it comes over the border it costs me an arm and a leg (plus the Canadian dollar isn't too good right now) so i think i am gonna try out the 220/1000 norton for now (plus i really like the 4/8k so far) and i will see where i get. i managed to get my Puma (i think that it had a wire edge, and needed the bevel reset) to be shave ready, not done totally, but i shaved with it today and it wasn't bad at all, i just think a little more refining will smooth it out. i can't wait til my 12k stone comes in, i will be set. the CrOx smooths it out but i can't wait to fool around with the 12k.

so it would be great if you kept me posted on how you make out with the DMTs FloorPizza. i would be very interested to get your impression. and i will post my progress obviously.

BTW i lapped my norton really easily with some good quality 600 grit paper (less then a buck a sheet) and it worked great. i may get a lapping stone eventually but i know i can wait for a bit without it being a hassle or too much cost.

Originally Posted by chee16

my big problem is shipping. when ever it comes over the border it costs me an arm and a leg (plus the Canadian dollar isn't too good right now) so i think i am gonna try out the 220/1000 norton for now (plus i really like the 4/8k so far) and i will see where i get. i managed to get my Puma (i think that it had a wire edge, and needed the bevel reset) to be shave ready, not done totally, but i shaved with it today and it wasn't bad at all, i just think a little more refining will smooth it out. i can't wait til my 12k stone comes in, i will be set. the CrOx smooths it out but i can't wait to fool around with the 12k.

so it would be great if you kept me posted on how you make out with the DMTs FloorPizza. i would be very interested to get your impression. and i will post my progress obviously.

BTW i lapped my norton really easily with some good quality 600 grit paper (less then a buck a sheet) and it worked great. i may get a lapping stone eventually but i know i can wait for a bit without it being a hassle or too much cost.

Sounds good, Chee. SWMBO released funds from Escro today, so I ordered both the Dia-sharp 8E (1200 grit equiv) and the Dia-sharp 8EE (8000 grit equiv). Hopefully, she won't notice the Shapton 16k I slipped in there, too. Actually, I haven't slipped that Shapton in there quite yet... think I'll do some more research and ask a few more quesitons about what I should get to complement the two Dia-Sharps, my four pasted paddle strop (1.0, .5, .25 and bare), as well as my three line Franz Swaty stone.

What are your plans to finish with after the Norton 1k/4k/8k?

Originally Posted by chee16

my big problem is shipping. when ever it comes over the border it costs me an arm and a leg (plus the Canadian dollar isn't too good right now) so i think i am gonna try out the 220/1000 norton for now (plus i really like the 4/8k so far) and i will see where i get. i managed to get my Puma (i think that it had a wire edge, and needed the bevel reset) to be shave ready, not done totally, but i shaved with it today and it wasn't bad at all, i just think a little more refining will smooth it out. i can't wait til my 12k stone comes in, i will be set. the CrOx smooths it out but i can't wait to fool around with the 12k.

so it would be great if you kept me posted on how you make out with the DMTs FloorPizza. i would be very interested to get your impression. and i will post my progress obviously.

BTW i lapped my norton really easily with some good quality 600 grit paper (less then a buck a sheet) and it worked great. i may get a lapping stone eventually but i know i can wait for a bit without it being a hassle or too much cost.

Doh, I was mis-reading that as 1.2k. I see you've got a 12k stone ordered... which one did you get, a Norton? I'm really having a hard time deciding on a finishing stone.

Originally Posted by FloorPizza

What are your plans to finish with after the Norton 1k/4k/8k?

i already ordered one of the narrow chinese 12k stones that Chris L made up.. it hasn't arrived yet but when it does it will complete my set for now. i think this will be good for what i am doing. maybe eventually i will upgrade but i don't plan on getting into it to that degree at this point. i am all about functionality at this point, not luxury ( i just opened my own business so buying what i have now was a stretch). i have 7 razors now and one on the way from ebay. only 2 are shave ready and only one is due to my honing. two that are test subject razor that i don't mind messing up. two new pumas that have really weird rusting ( they were stored for abotu 25 years and rusted funny) and a couple that just need to be touched up. so i have the full spectrum to work with as far as honing goes. i have banned myself from ebay until i get all my razors shave ready. we'll see how my will power holds up.

after the 12k i have a CrOx strop and then a linen/ leather Illinois 206 ( i actually like how short it is). so far they have served me well but the Wade and Butcher i got is going to be a good learning experience. it looks really cool though.