Thread: honing an uneven edge

I recieved a keen cutter a week ago, bought on ebay.The blade was in pretty good shape, with little honewear on the spine.But even if its little, its abit uneven.Since I got it, I've spent several hours honing it, without much result.I 've successfully honed a few razors with great result, but these were fairly new, and without any honewear.I'm using the norton 4000\8000 and a chinese 12 k with a slurry stone.Its not the best setup, but it works.Anyways, I started up taping the spine in hopes of that this would smooth out the spine..Didn't work.I took the tape of after some honing, because I didn't get any results.In the beginning I started with a pyramid of 15\15 and down to 1\5, and did that several times without results.Then I took series of about 30 on each side, and checked with my thumb for any results.Finally after several hours I'm starting to get some sharpnes.And I'm sticking to a low number pyramid with ultra light strokes until I'm able to pop hairs.Then I'm moving to the 12k.Does this sound like a good plan?
My main problem with this razor tough, is that the edge is uneven.By that I meen that the widh of the edge is variable, wider in the middle, and more narrow against both the toe and heel.My question is,is it possible to get a great smooth shave with such an edge.If not, I'm a bit lost here guys.

If by 'edge' you mean the spine, I think that you will either have to rock the blade as you draw it across the hone, or hone the spine flat. If you rock the blade, it will develop a 'smile' - wider in the middle than at either end.

However, if you mean the cutting edge, then its not so unusual for the width of the bevel to vary - any fluctuation in the spine or slight kink in the blade will affect the bevel width. Once again, a rolling action might help (rolling x-stroke) to even the bevel - with the blade slightly lifted to hone the toe or the heel, the middle won't be getting all the cutting action. Takes longer, though, than honing a blade with no issues.

I wouldn't worry too much about a perfectly even bevel - if it shaves OK thats what counts.

Regards,
Neil

Originally Posted by KristofferBodvin

I recieved a keen cutter a week ago, bought on ebay.The blade was in pretty good shape, with little honewear on the spine.But even if its little, its abit uneven.Since I got it, I've spent several hours honing it, without much result.I 've successfully honed a few razors with great result, but these were fairly new, and without any honewear.I'm using the norton 4000\8000 and a chinese 12 k with a slurry stone.Its not the best setup, but it works.Anyways, I started up taping the spine in hopes of that this would smooth out the spine..Didn't work.I took the tape of after some honing, because I didn't get any results.In the beginning I started with a pyramid of 15\15 and down to 1\5, and did that several times without results.Then I took series of about 30 on each side, and checked with my thumb for any results.Finally after several hours I'm starting to get some sharpnes.And I'm sticking to a low number pyramid with ultra light strokes until I'm able to pop hairs.Then I'm moving to the 12k.Does this sound like a good plan?
My main problem with this razor tough, is that the edge is uneven.By that I meen that the widh of the edge is variable, wider in the middle, and more narrow against both the toe and heel.My question is,is it possible to get a great smooth shave with such an edge.If not, I'm a bit lost here guys.

Pictures would help, but it sounds like your blade has a slight smile. This will be simply honed with the x-pattern, and it will shave great once you get it sharp. I would guess you are having more trouble because this razor is much duller than what you have previously honed. A 15/15 pyramid isn't all that aggressive for a razor that probably hasn't seen a hone in decades. The bevel probably needs re-setting. Yo've got a perfectly good set-up for honing a razor. The only thing I would add would be a 1000 grit item, to make doing just what you trying to do faster but you can do it with what you have. You will probably need to resort to a bunch of laps or circular honing on the 4000 before you start to pyramid. Then you would do a 30/5 pyramid going in steps of five all the way to 1/5.

I would agree with Wild 100%. The only thing your lacking is a more aggressive stone to save time and wear on your 4k. I've been successfully using a bar of hone steel that I use for my skinning knives and it works great. The only reason I mention this is you can pick up similiar very reasonably anywhere that sells knives.

think I'll buy the norton 220\1000, and a Nagiama to get a super finish when I can afford it.This is a great hobby! Thanks guys, You have been real helpfull. I was actually able to straighten out the edge, geting closer to the 12k.

Maybe it's not a smile you're dealing with but a slightly "bent" edge. Look at it from tip to toe and there may be a small "C" shape. If this is the case, just tape the spine and hone only the the protruding side C| until it's straight again.