Thread: Advice for killer edge on friodur

Originally Posted by BigBubba

I can only assume that Ken meant that the ideal angle of the bevel on a stainless blade is softer than the angle on a carbon blade.

Nope, I mean a steeper angle on the edge and I find as a rule SS softer then quality carbon steel. Glen (gssixgun) has the right of it. I spend more time on the finer grits with SS. Tim Zowada did a great study about taping the spine and how much it changes the angle. The Friodurs that I have had to wrestle with have been the large 7/8 or 8/8. A layer of tape changes the angle very little on a wide blade. One layer of tape on a 5/8 is comparable to about three layers on a lager blade because of the distance between the edge and the spine. The wider the blade the less effect of tape. The first part of this month, I did a Friodur for a member was a real problem child for him. I honed it with four layers of tape and I shaved with it for a week. It shaved very well all week long. Under the microscope showed that it was holding a very good edge. I was pleased that it also gave a comfortable shave. SS tends to give me a less then comfortable shave compared to my carbon steel blades. The Friodurs will eventually work, you just have to figure out what will take to get it right.