Thread: Flat honing a frowning blade

Thanks Olivia, that is very cool. How could a hone addict resist.

Great thread Guys
Just wondering if the 45 degree hone would work correcting a smiling blade? seems like a good halfway point between flat honing and breadknifing?

Originally Posted by tat2Ralfy

Great thread Guys
Just wondering if the 45 degree hone would work correcting a smiling blade? seems like a good halfway point between flat honing and breadknifing?

Why would you want to correct a smiling blade? A lot of blades had smiles on purpose, and they can be easier to shave with. I would just leave the smile. To hone a smiling razor, I think the rolling X-stroke would be your best bet, take a look at the different strokes here: Strokes for honing a razor - Straight Razor Place Wiki. I've actually found that using a slight rollong X-stroke on any razor beneficial, even if it doesn't have a pronounced smile.

Thanks I am happy with a slight smile myself, just never heard of the 45 degree trick

Originally Posted by tat2Ralfy

Thanks I am happy with a slight smile myself, just never heard of the 45 degree trick

I've actually found holding the razor at an angle to the stone while honing quite comfortable. I don't think it's quite as pronounced as a 45 degree angle, but I do have a sort of a hybrid between the 45-degree (maybe 30 degree, never measured ), rolling X, and the swooping stroke usually. As long as you get the entire length of the razor to touch the hone, do whatever stroke is the most comfortable and repeatable/consistent for you.

Olivia- that is sooo neat! It feeds my love of razor work AND old tools...

*drool*

I love the grinding wheel. I want one.

Originally Posted by Lynn

It's actually pretty easy to fix the frown on either the wheel or belt. Just need to make sure you will end up with enough razor to enjoy............

Another method is to hold the razor up at a 45 degree angle or so and do circles on a coarse stone to flatten/even out the edge and then go back and set a bevel and hone it up. Don't know if this makes sense to you. Might have to take a picture.

The breadknifing can take a while.

Excessive pressure in the stroke particularly in the middle of the stroke or the soft part of the stroke so to speak will definitely cause frowning too. I have found this more with people who have 1 or 2 inch wide stones as well.

Have fun,

Lynn

Yes please. I have a frowning blade I want to fix...I'mhaving trouble imagining this one.

And Lynn, have you ever noticed any link between frowns and swaybacked spines? I've gotten several frowning razors that all had swaybacks, and I SWEAR I read somewhere here that there is a link between swaybacks, a certain honing stroke and frowns, but I can't find it again...

Jimmy, thanks for posting a very useful method that most guys can use. Bk'ing a blade is fast but as you said the back end work is substantial.

Using a narrow hone and honing only a short segment of the blade can also be used but it must be alternated with using a full stroke for each of the segment strokes. If that is not done then a person ends up with a "step" in the bevel ( learned this the hard way!).

If I understand Lynn correctly he is referring to raising the spine off the hone so that only the wide portions of the blade are touching the bevel. Then, by honing, the widest portions are worn down to match the blade width at the area of the frown.


Just my $.02,

I am working on a blade right now that has a pronounced smile - to the point where it was almost a V. It also has a frown in one leg of the V. Even raising the spine, it is taking a long time to fix this. I elected to try and fix the V before fixing the frown. It is better, but I have to be careful, because it still wants to form a frown in the side of the V nearest the shank.

I decided to just use my wider hones to help me avoid that.