Thread: Honing a wedge

Most of the straight razors I've seen on this site and in the forums are hollow ground (1/4, 1/2, or full) for the most part. I've seen very little discussion about wedge blades. I got my first W&B wedge yesterday and I'm still trying to get an idea on just how to hone it. I'm guessing it would work the same way on the Norton 4/8K but I'm not sure so I guess this is the part where I ask, "How the heck am I supposed to do this??"

Hey Dawill,
Humm.. no one willing to put their neck on the line for a wedge?
Well I don’t own a wedge, but I'll repeat some of the tips I've heard in the past. Also if you go to the Yahoo group and do a search you'll find this question has been asked before (with almost as much response).

One thing that seems to help is to place a little tape along the spine of the blade to lift it ever so slightly. Apparently the angle of approach on many wedge's is a little too acute for a good shaving edge, so you want to open that up a little. Now I don’t know if they were using scotch tape, electrical tape, or duck tape.... but I'm pretty sure it wasn’t cork tape I'd start with scotch and work my way up if that didn’t seem to help.

Also, I heard Lynn mention that when he places the razor on the hone he uses more like a 45 degree angle with the heel leading... if I'm mistaken he'll hopefully come correct me. So make the heel lead a little more than you would normally with a full hollow

If your still having problems, keep posting untill you annoy one of the honemiesters with enough expierence to answer your questions

Let me tell you. I love shaving with a wedge but I have the dammest time trying to hone one. I had a W&B wedge I sent to Lynn because I couldn't get it even remotely sharp. still can't seem to get one sharp

I just want to add that once I got it back from Lynn it is one of my favorite razors a really great shaver

I think its pretty well accepted that honing a wedge is a pretty big job. I don't think the technique is really any different its usually because they are so big and the edge is thicker so it takes more time. I have one wedge a DD Satin wedge but its more like a hollow ground its very thin so it hones up pretty quickly but they do require a bit more patience

The term "wedge" is very broad. Do you have a pic?
That would help us go further on this one. If your wedge has a belly to the blade than that is a different animal.

Let us know,

It's a true wedge, sides are flat no hollowing on the blade at all. Wostenholm - Sheffield manufactured. There's no belly on the blade either, it's straight. The pic on eBay isn't all that great so you can't see the wedge there. I'll try to get some pics tomorrow to post in my gallery.

I usually hone a wedge at a 45 degree angle on the Norton when doing the X pattern vs. keeping the razor at 90 degrees or perpendicular across the stone. One problem with these is that many have been poorly ground and you have an uneven spine and edge which may need correction or re-grinding first. Lynn

Originally Posted by adjustme69

I usually hone a wedge at a 45 degree angle on the Norton when doing the X pattern vs. keeping the razor at 90 degrees or perpendicular across the stone. One problem with these is that many have been poorly ground and you have an uneven spine and edge which may need correction or re-grinding first. Lynn

Just how would you maintain the 45 deg angle? I know there are some products that hold knives at the correct sharpening angle, but that doesn't seem appropriate for a razor. That and also I'm good, but my wrists and elbows just aren't exactly calibrated to hold at an exact angle!

The 45 Deg. is the angle at wich you lay the razor on the hone flat, not the angle at which the razor makes contact with the hone.

So lay the razor with the spine perfectly flush with edge of the hone, this would be 90 Deg.; half that angle would be 45 Deg.

The razor still lays flat on the hone, just make the heel leed more, so that you maintain that ~45 Deg. angle

Clear as mud?

Ohhhhhhh Man do I feel stupid. I read that and was also wondering how you held the razor at 45 degrees. Well live and learn.