Hi folks,
As I read through the forums, I get the feeling that bevel setting is associated with for the most part a 1K stone and if you need to do some serious repairing of an edge a 220 stone.
I wanted to let you know that a ton of razors actually do very well with re-establishing an existing bevel on either a 3K, 4K or 5K stone vs. going to the 1K every time. Please remember that I always try to go for less whether it be strokes on a hone or razor wear as a result of honing. Lately I have been using my Naniwa Super Stone 5K probably more than any stone out there and have been using it for re-establishing bevels too. That being said, the Naniwa Super 3K, Shapton 4K and Norton 4K will all work. Personal preference and confidence level go a long way here. This method will also work with a Coticule with heavy slurry.
If you saw the video from the NC gathering, you will see exactly the method that I use for this. Basically, I will do circles in sets of twenty on both sides of the razor to start. Circles with the edge away from you are clockwise strokes and circles with the edge facing you are counter-clockwise strokes. Typically I will do 40 circles in each direction with medium pressure on the razor followed by 40 circles with light to no pressure on the 5K. Be careful on the medium pressure as it is not heavy pressure and it is very important that your strokes remain very fluid with the razor flat on the stone. Following this, I will normally do 10 X strokes with no pressure than see if the razor will shave forearm hair. If I don't get a clean cut of hair on the forearm, I usually try another set of 10 X strokes and a re-test.
The nice thing about this is that you really are actually into the honing process and once successful here, you should be set to go on to the polishing stages which for me include 8K and 12K followed by .5 diamond spray on felt.
Other points are that you certainly can use electrical tape on the spine during this process and also using a 45 degree angle on circles as well as X strokes works on smiley or wedge type blades as well as razors with a lot of previous wear.
One overlooked discussion that we rarely see is assessing a blade when preparing to hone a razor. Am I looking at an eBay special with uneven bevels, chipping, rust into the edge of the blade? What is the grind of the blade? Wedge? 1/4 hollow? Full Hollow? Extra Hollow? How much wear is there on the spine or how much previous honing has already been done to this razor. How sharp is the razor to start with?? As a side line, I really am not a fan of dulling a razor to sharpen a razor. I would much prefer to take the razor as is and put it through whatever paces I think it needs based on my assessment. Speaking of assessment, you really get much better at this as you hone more razors. Go figure right.......:)
Please also keep in mind that these techniques and the numbers of strokes involved are basically guidelines for me. As stated above, I will always try less strokes first and even do repeat sets of lesser strokes to dial in the edges. So, give this a try and don't be afraid to experiment on your own.
Have fun,
Lynn
