Thread: Is it normal to take so long..

Is it normal to take about one thousand strokes on a norton 4k to set a bevel? I'm up near that figure and still no sharp bevel to start with..

The bevel looks good and seems fairly sharp but it can't shave sh**.

It seems to me that a single high quality stroke can be more efficient than countless poor strokes (the monkey wrench Bart talks about?.) That is what I encounter in my own honing ventures anyway. I too would like to know what a normal time is for this sort of thing!

Any question that begins "is it normal to..." is really hard to answer. In this instance, it depends on...

the particular razor, specifically the type of steel and the grind
the state of the edge at the start
amount of pressure used
probably lots of other things!

The razor is a Frederick Reynolds 5/8 that was shave ready when I got it a few weeks ago. The original owner honed the razor with tape on it. I only learned that after doing some touch up on a barber hone without tape.

I then tried my hand with my newly acquired norton 4k/8k to see if I could set the bevel without tape...

Try adding a layer of tape. It seems when it's taking a ridicolous amount of time and you know your strokes are good you probably need to change the angle by taping the spine. I always start without tape usually and especially with these vintage razors end up adding tape in order to get a good sharp edge.

I'll give it a try tomorrow!

The only way I got the blade decent was by using some 3M sandpaper. What grit would you recommend? I know 3M sandpaper differs in rating from a Norton for example.

No, that is not normal. I also don't recommend re-setting bevels on finishing stones like a 4000 grit anything. Think of honing as a progressive process. You start with a coarse stone and proceed to finer stones. If you're not getting any results, drop back to a coarser stone. I take vintage razors from dull to scary sharp in about 20 minutes if nothing else is wrong with the razor such as a nick or a twist in the blade or a completely wrong bevel. In those cases it takes about 30 minutes. I use Shaptons for much of my honing lately and that 20 minute progression includes taking it out to a 30000 grit edge.