Thread: Intentionally dulling a razor

Originally Posted by Lynn

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.

I never understood the point in dulling a razor before sharpening it. Even if you remove a bit of damaged steel at the very edge, you are going to need a compensatory removal of steel along the entire plane of the bevel anyway, so to my mind, lightly breadknifing the edge prior to honing accomplishes nothing.

I think the point in dulling the razor prior to sharpening it,
is to actually remove the edge totally and to reset it.
Many people including most of the newbies will not know the difference
of a properly beveld 1k edge
and an unevenly grind 1k bevel, with remains of the old grind on it.

If the razor is totally dull, you will know if you missed a spot when sharpening.
This way you can be sure, the sharpness you feel is from your freshly set bevel.

I however do not think this is a very professional method.

But I think the circling method to set the bevel or for initial polishing
on 1k, or 5k or whatever is a very, very powerful and nearly idiotproof method.
It helped me get perfectly straight and absolutely scratchfree polished bevels.
I love it.

Originally Posted by Utopian

I never understood the point in dulling a razor before sharpening it. Even if you remove a bit of damaged steel at the very edge, you are going to need a compensatory removal of steel along the entire plane of the bevel anyway, so to my mind, lightly bread knifing the edge prior to honing accomplishes nothing.

That is because you are an accomplished Honemiester and can read an edge as can Lynn or myself.... However starting from an even point is not bad until you get 100 or so razors under your belt...
Lightly dulling the edge on the back of the stone or a glass does this easily ... Don't be breadknifing it, just slightly dull it, and even it, to start....

Originally Posted by Utopian

I never understood the point in dulling a razor before sharpening it. Even if you remove a bit of damaged steel at the very edge, you are going to need a compensatory removal of steel along the entire plane of the bevel anyway, so to my mind, lightly breadknifing the edge prior to honing accomplishes nothing.

I dull on glass when i'm testing a new hone.

Dulling the razor on glass or the side of the hone is a good thing. It’s a quick way to remove an existing wire and evens out the edge, and the keen is restored within a few strokes, works with a barber hone too (not recommended when touch-up)… Many professionals use this technique… Maestro Levi comes to mind.

Breadknifing is a different animal.

Sorry guys, but if you are just going back to the hone, I see no value in dulling a razor on anything. I don't know who the many professionals are, but I would be interested in the reasoning.

I love when this kinda stuff comes up.

Thanks,

Lynn

i think the reasoning behind dulling a razor is to avoid false positives on various tests. i think it's mostly useful to people with less experience in evaluating the condition of the edge or what a hone does to it.

by false positive i mean for example if a razor cuts hair, but not because it's sharp, but because it's serrated.

or may be overhoning perhaps?

i haven't done it recently but on few occasions i've ran an edge lightly against the stone to remove teeth or microchips or whatever they're called. more honing on the same grit woudn't really even the edge getting rid of the chips, and higher grit would be doing it really slowly. so dulling it first to get again a smooth even edge and trying again to catch the edge before those teeth form again seemed to work.

it may have something to do with 'less is more', but i don't really know.

Originally Posted by Lynn

Sorry guys, but if you are just going back to the hone, I see no value in dulling a razor on anything. I don't know who the many professionals are, but I would be interested in the reasoning.

I love when this kinda stuff comes up.

Thanks,

Lynn

Lynn,

Here is a perspective from a raw beginner (and a plea for advice if possible):

Got an eBay special (Double Duck). Trying to hone it. Started with 1K Naniwa to set bevel. Couldn't get it to cut a single hair off my arm. Looked under 10x mag and saw tiny little chips out of the edge. Went to 220 to get rid of chips. 50 circle-laps at a time and keep checking the edge under 10x. The chips don't go away! Even after 3-400 laps (50 at a time). Then I noticed that not only were they not going away, but after some minor improvement, the next time I looked they were worse!

This is where dulling the edge came in. Used the side of the 220 to dull the edge. 10x shows no chips! do 50 circle laps and the chips are back!

Now dulling the edge apparently didn't help me set the bevel any better, but it proved to me that something is wrong -- bad technique, bad razor, bad hone?

I am at a loss.

OK first off let me go back and qualify here...
Don't take every razor and run it down a stone or a glass, that does not make any sense...

But let's take an E-baybe in OK shape that is a "shaver" what is the first test??? TNT??? maybe???
Now that puppy catches slides catches slides catches slides... IE; an uneven edge... Two light strokes and it is even dull, then bam you are back to honing... That's it nothing more, nothing less.... Now if somebody else is saying something more here, they can qualify that themselves but that is what I am talking about...

Oh man, you turn around for just a minute and now we have a dulling routine.

I think its safe to say we'd better not come up with a dulling pyramid!