Uneven honing on a wedge

Hi,

I'm honing a Wade and Butcher wedge that I cleaned up and its not going well. It's honing much more in the middle of the blade than the toe and heel. The new bevel is coming out curved (fatter in the middle than the ends) rather than straight. I'm using a norton 4000 that I just flattened on my norton flattening stone and it looks perfectly flat with a straight edge.

This is the first wedge I've done. I've done multiple hollow ground without this problem. Is this normal with wedges? Do I need to adjust my stroke? (I do an x pattern like in Lynn's video)

Thanks,

Doug

Sorry I put this in Workshop instead of Honing. Moderator, you may move it if you wish.

Pictures of the blade will help the honemeisters make a better determination for you. There are several possibilities as to why this is happening.

you probably have a blade with a slight (or even pronounced) smile to it. You will have to do a rolling x if you want to keep the bevel equal. The wiki should be able to help with what a rolling x is and how to do it.

Here are pics of both sides. The pen is pointing to the widest part of the new bevel.

Thanks a bunch.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dnjrboy

you probably have a blade with a slight (or even pronounced) smile to it. You will have to do a rolling x if you want to keep the bevel equal. The wiki should be able to help with what a rolling x is and how to do it.

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+1 to dnjrboy
The rolling x pattern must be used on a smiling blade to make the bevel even from toe to heel. You will also notice that the blade edge normally follows the spine. If the spine is curved, the blade will usually have a slight curve in it also. You will need to use the rolling x pattern on all the hones to get the sharpness you are looking for.

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Ray

From the way it looks to me you are putting too much pressure on the blade and honing it as if it were a straight grind from heel to point. This type of profile needs a rolling x or in some instances a 45 degree angle to the hone.

Put magic marker on the bevel and do a few strokes to find which stroke removes the marker evenly and completely.

Here is a honing excerpt from the 1961 barber manual that will help you understand what is going on. What you're doing with it IMO is how frowns are put into razors through improper honing and the manual explains how to avoid it.

Have I already destroyed the razor? If I do a rolling X from here on will it be ok or does the blade need to be re-ground?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JetHed

Have I already destroyed the razor? If I do a rolling X from here on will it be ok or does the blade need to be re-ground?

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I don't know it is hard to tell from a photograph. Is the spine flattened under where you are holding the pen, corresponding with the area where the excessive wear is on the edge ? If you are not confident in your honing ability you might ask Utopian to take a look at it. OTOH, if you enjoy a challenge check it out under an eye loupe or a microscope and see what you can do to reshape the bevel.

I put tape on the spine when I honed so there is no wear on the spine at all.

I'm gonna give it a go and if I totally mess up the blade I'll chalk it up to a learning experience. I'm less that $30 into it.

I don't think you've destroyed it. The bevel might not come out as pretty in the end, but if you hone with a rolling X and get a good new even bevel and edge, it'll shave well.

Depending on your needs (restoring for sale or display collection, or to be used as a shaver), that might be OK or not.

You're going to have to do a lot more work on the toe anyway to remove that chip. Of course, that's going to put more of a smile on the blade!:boohoo:

THANKS SO MUCH TO everyone who chimed in.

I'll add this thread with pics when I'n done. I'll either end up with a great shaver or a really nice W&B letter opener. :-) LOL

While such uneven bevelness is probably not how it came from the factory, thats not abnormal IME. I have one from Lynn that has an uneven bevel. I also have several of my own that have uneven bevels. They all shave great and thats what we care about anyway.

Fixable? Probably. The spine is probably uneven and is the likely cause, IMO. So, flattening the spine might do it. Or adding tape and decreasing the width of the bevel. Probably won't get to the heart of the matter, but it does a good job disguising inconsistencies by making the bevel smaller.

You have got great advices. i will add only this.
What happen if you have uneven back of the blade (doesn't matter it is factory made or you have sanded uneven etc etc) the easiest way is to tape it.
How to tape .
You will need to put more layer's of the tape where is wider bevel. Don't get afraid of the tape it could end up in some part 2 layers and other 4 that is fine just go head continue hone you will see how much differences it will make.
hope this helps.