Thread: When did Breadknifing get popular?

Its funny that we have guys wanting to shave with a straight but use wild new honing methods . . . er, restoration methods.

I agree that its not a honing method. Most of the honing problems I've had were spine related.

But, its a fast way to get rid of a bevel.

It reminds me of interior decorating with handgrenades.

Most of the guys I've seen on here lately have a good handle on whats going on. I think we see a lot of "whatever" works for you when guys say something is working for them. Very few people want to buck success.

I think where we need to head is a series of pictures that show what a chip is that gets honed out and what a nick is that gets "breadknifed". Being rather traditional I'm not even sure I should actually be using the term "breadknife". I don't really bother reading the forums anymore, I assume that when someone recommends breadknifing that they are also emphasizing the need to recreate a bevel. Recreating a bevel would take me hours and hours.

It sure is true that we have a lot of underhoners too.

I think the diagnoses of honing issues is a big part of the "honemiester" moniker. I wonder if we could build up a better common set of instructions for fixing bevels and assessing sharpness.

Very productive thread though I'd say.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

Its funny that we have guys wanting to shave with a straight but use wild new honing methods . . . er, restoration methods.

... I think where we need to head is a series of pictures that show what a chip is that gets honed out and what a nick is that gets "breadknifed". Being rather traditional I'm not even sure I should actually be using the term "breadknife". I don't really bother reading the forums anymore, I assume that when someone recommends breadknifing that they are also emphasizing the need to recreate a bevel. Recreating a bevel would take me hours and hours.

It sure is true that we have a lot of underhoners too.

I think the diagnoses of honing issues is a big part of the "honemiester" moniker. I wonder if we could build up a better common set of instructions for fixing bevels and assessing sharpness.

Very productive thread though I'd say.

A while ago Lynn was asking about what type of web cast we would like to see in the future. THe end decision was one to demo a complete edge restore w/ a less than perfect EBay special. The second was a demo of a person giving another a shave. This was a while ago so hopefully they will be presented in the near future. I'm sure this would help a lot.

There is a lot of good advice on how to hone and/or repair an edge in the forums here on SRP. I can't understand why newbies are trying to deviate or alter methods that work before they get their first good shave in. I guess they are looking for something other that the good straight shave.

I've had to remove nicks out of old razors to make them serviceable.

Basically you have to remove a lot of metal and the process I found was made easiest by using a low grit hone and honing in the usual way but with a heavy action. In this way, the spine bevel and the edge bevel are kept in line, geometrically. If the metal removal is more than 1/16", the feel of the razor will start to change and the better route would be to send the razor for a full regrind.

Bread knifing is a new one for me, but if you saw away at a chip, surely, it's difficult to saw the extremes of the bade at the toe and at the heel and surely you are likely to put a frown on the blade. Also, whatever time you save removing the chip from the edge must be spent later re establishing the Spine bevel. Strikes me as poor way to go about things.

Now for removing a frown, I can see how you have to grind down the edge and I accept the experience of the seasoned honers and I am proud of them in going to such trouble to save a blade. I however do not enjoy using razors that have been resized by so much. I believe that when a razor gets to such a point of break down, it should be reground.

But it's a free world and it's just a shame that some high quality razors are relatively so inexpensive that they can be ruined by the non caring or inexperienced. The supply of vintage razors is not endless and will eventually dry up.

Here you go gentlemen a nice older Boker.... In for complete restore....

Now please, let's hear your prognosis, look close because the edge is waving at ya !!!!!




Lets see, do I just tell the customer" Gee it sux, the shaving geometry is going to be off, I tossed it out, buy a new one"

Or" Gee I'm sorry it is no longer a nice spike, and the spine looks all worn out, I had to keep honing until it was right"

Come on gentlemen let's get real here, how would you fix that edge??????

BTW just for information, some expert in the past honed it that way.....


PS: The rest of the story, Failure here is not an option, this belongs to one of the gals I work with, it was her Grandfather's, she wants to give it to her husband for Christmas, custom scaled in Tulipwood.....

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Here you go gentlemen a nice older Boker.... In for complete restore....

Now please, let's hear your prognosis, look close because the edge is waving at ya !!!!!




Lets see, do I just tell the customer" Gee it sux, the shaving geometry is going to be off, I tossed it out, buy a new one"

Or" Gee I'm sorry it is no longer a nice spike, and the spine looks all worn out, I had to keep honing until it was right"

Come on gentlemen let's get real here, how would you fix that edge??????

BTW just for information, some expert in the past honed it that way.....


PS: The rest of the story, Failure here is not an option, this belongs to one of the gals I work with, it was her Grandfather's, she wants to give it to her husband for Christmas, custom scaled in Tulipwood.....

Here is the after pic of the corrected edge on the Boker

i came close to breadknifing one of my razors i got recently, which wasn't flat, or a nice smile, had a kind of wave about it in the middle, but rather than starting again i taped it up and just took some time on a 1k until it was fixed, unsure if thats what would normally be the go, but it worked well

and the good news is that an x pattern isn't needed . . .

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Here is the after pic of the corrected edge on the Boker

very nice work!

With all due respect to all the members here, especially the experianced ones, I find that people go overboard with a lot of techniques described on this board. Let me explain...When most of these razors were new, that could be any time in the 1700s, 1800s, or 1900s, they were used for shaving exclusively. They didn't have Mach3s in 1898 or electric razors, the straight razor was your only choice really. Anyway I'm sure that when it came time to hone their razor that the owner didn't have 5 seperate stones to their disposal. They probably had a barber hone and a strop, possibly another strop loaded with mild abrasives. They likely honed it and stropped it and if it shaved half decent that was good. I feel blessed to have a Norton in 4000 and 8000 grit, that is more then they would have had to use. I can see if you are going at it as a hobby and your goal is to have the ultimate shaving edge, by all means become and honemiester and have 5 or so stones at your disposal while honing. If all you want is a good shave then something like a
Norton works fine. Personally I have breadknifed a razor, it kept chipping on the edge while honing it. Breadknifing it worked well and although it took me a long time to get the bevel back, it was worth it in the end. I'm by no means an expert, I'm just a beginner, but I use common sense and I have found honing a razor to the point of getting a good shave to be way easier then it is often made out to be in the forums here, maybe I've just been lucky with the five razors I've honed so far.