Thread: 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.

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.

+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.

____________________
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?

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?

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.