Thread: Help with a smile and my technique

So, I've honed a sparse amount of razors, but the results have been, for the most part, quite good (I credit it all to excellent teaching! Thanks Lynn!). However, I have recently hit a roadblock with a George Wostenholm (And as such, quit honing before I made it worse!)

Here's the problem, This thing has a VEEERY slight smile (I can't notice it unless it's either on a hone, or I have the edge against something straight, and can see the curve in comparison)

Now, this blade has a fair size chip from near the toe (About the size of the bevel, maybe a tad smaller) And I tried a quick run at honing the chip out... I quickly realized that the toe was not making contact... My brilliant response was to increase pressure, which left me with uneven hone wear at the heel, and a toe still not getting touched. Before making things any worse, I quit. I haven't tried to hone it any time recently, but have looked at it on the hones in different ways.

What I've noticed is that, with the 45* stroke, I seem to get complete contact... However, I have become accustomed to using Lynn's small circle method. So, here's my conundrum. How do I set a good clean bevel along the whole blade, while dealing with a contact-free toe, and using the small circle honing method?

Another factor: I am getting my buffer in within the next few days... I'm not honing it until I can buff it, as I want it shiny, and the buffing should at least decrease the size of the chip...

What say you veterans?

Thanks!

Cheers,
Jeremy

Go to the SRP Wiki and check out the "rolling x" in the Honing A Razor section. With smiling blades, if the 45 degree angle approach isn't doing it, the rolling x should. With blades like that I bite the bullet and do the whole thing with x strokes. Some guys I've read will work on specific spots and even things out with x strokes but I just do the Xs. I might work that chip out with circles on that area if I had it or I might do as above. The 1961 barber manual in the SRP Wiki Help Files here has a good tutorial on honing and blades with slight smiles. BTW, those old Sheffields can be tough IME.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Go to the SRP Wiki and check out the "rolling x" in the Honing A Razor section. With smiling blades, if the 45 degree angle approach isn't doing it, the rolling x should. With blades like that I bite the bullet and do the whole thing with x strokes. Some guys I've read will work on specific spots and even things out with x strokes but I just do the Xs. I might work that chip out with circles on that area if I had it or I might do as above. The 1961 barber manual in the SRP Wiki Help Files here has a good tutorial on honing and blades with slight smiles. BTW, those old Sheffields can be tough IME.

Well, it's not that the 45 isn't working... It gets the contact just fine... I was mostly wondering how to combine the 45 and the small circles... Maybe I'll just have to do an x stroke pyramid...

Which will prove problematic... I've never actually DONE a pyramid before, and have no clue what it entails...

To the Wiki!

Originally Posted by ShavedZombie

Well, it's not that the 45 isn't working... It gets the contact just fine... I was mostly wondering how to combine the 45 and the small circles... Maybe I'll just have to do an x stroke pyramid...

Which will prove problematic... I've never actually DONE a pyramid before, and have no clue what it entails...

To the Wiki!

circles @ 45 degrees?
I feel you are jumping on way too many things because the razor is problematic, you do not need pyramid to fix it.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Go to the SRP Wiki and check out the "rolling x" in the Honing A Razor section. With smiling blades, if the 45 degree angle approach isn't doing it, the rolling x should. With blades like that I bite the bullet and do the whole thing with x strokes. Some guys I've read will work on specific spots and even things out with x strokes but I just do the Xs. I might work that chip out with circles on that area if I had it or I might do as above. The 1961 barber manual in the SRP Wiki Help Files here has a good tutorial on honing and blades with slight smiles. BTW, those old Sheffields can be tough IME.

The barbers manual you posted up really helped me with a problematic Friodur, especially the four strokes at the heel, four at the toe and four light strokes in the middle. Moved on to rolling x's and it all came together evenually.

Joe

Originally Posted by Joe210

The barbers manual you posted up really helped me with a problematic Friodur, especially the four strokes at the heel, four at the toe and four light strokes in the middle. Moved on to rolling x's and it all came together evenually.

Joe

Glad to hear that it worked well for you. It has been a really good resource for me in both honing and stropping. I printed it out for easier reference.

I've been useing the rolling X for a while now, as most of my razors now have slight smiles Love the old vintage blades It takes time and practice, and a little bit of crazy When I was first trying to get a handle on these things I used a blade that was toast, trying different strokes and honing styles till I came up with what I do now. I still have a handfull of blades in a box awaiting just such abuse.

Always be ready to try something different. But once frustration kicks in, step away (as it seems you have ) and regroup.