Thread: trouble honing clauss razor

You don't need to use a narrow hone unless you happen to have one. If you draw an imaginary or actual line on your wider hone and hone as if that is the entirety of your hone, then you will hone in exactly the same manner as if you had a narrow hone. The key is to alter the stroke by the rolling X in order to keep the blade on that narrow part of the hone.

The difficulty you are describing is in my mind the hardest part of honing. Not every razor complies with the way you are "supposed to hone." Some of them can be maddeningly stubborn as you hone away and the spine wear and bevel get wider but you never reach the actual edge of the edge. With magnification you can see the problem but you just can't solve it.

Is the problem on both sides of the toe end or just one? If it's just one, it could be a warped or unevenly ground or unevenly honed blade. If it's on both, it's more likely to be a poorly honed blade.

Aside from the rolling x stroke and emphasizing the toe stroke, you might want to do what Sham (hi_bud_gl) sometimes recommends. Just tape the toe. That will raise the spine at the toe and will allow you to cut the bevel at the edge. You'll have to assess for yourself whether to tape half or more or less of the blade.

Originally Posted by Lynn

I'll be happy to give it a try for you, on me, if you want to sent it.

Have fun,

Lynn

I want to try to get this for a few days, after that I will send it to you. Thanks, Lynn!!!

Originally Posted by Disburden

Should I add a second layer of tape to have the edge hit the hones the way the heel near the shoulder does?

Opposite you should take off the tape . what you are saying is you have warped blade. how bad is God knows.
Nick if i were you I will use Lynn's Generosity without thinking.

Thanks for everyone's advice!

I thought if the mid-toe of the razor's bevel was not being set then the spine would have to be lifted by tape in those areas to increase the angle and put the razor more on it's mentioned edge since it's not connecting well in that area. I am trying to become as knowledgable at honing as possible, I want to do it for others some day, so this is not only a problem that needs to be solved (by me or otherwise) but I would like to learn from this also.

I would send it to Lynn. From your description, the spine is of uneven thickness, which is why the bevel isn't setting evenly for you. The only two solutions I can think of are A-remove enough metal from the spine, evenly, so that the entire blade edge comes into full contact with your hones and an even bevel is set. Or, B-use so much tape on the spine that you get an extremely narrow bevel set in the difficult area. That would not be my choice.

So when I got home today I decided to try this out again even though I was instructed to send out the razor, I am stubborn, I can admit it!

I left a little piece of the heel end of the razor untaped and then used two layers of tape everywhere else to set a bevel and at least hope I can shave something after that. I used my Naniwa 1K super stone and the results were that I was able to shave my arm hair all the way up and down the edge of the razor. Actually the hairs pop right off with a loud sound when I shave arm hair. I don't know why two layers of tape would work when one didn't help at all. I guess the angle wasn't changed enough that way. I also used different types of strokes and I guess something I did worked.

My microscope died this morning so I am flying blind here and pretty much assessing the edge without magnification, something I have never done before.

I understand this doesn't mean I will now get it shave ready and all is well. I just hope that this means when I move through my progression and at the end shave test with it things are well and the shave is not off somehow.

Thanks for the advice in the Pms, Sham!

Well, I will be sending this razor to Lynn on Saturday. It does appear the blade has some issues and it may not just be my honing, maybe warp in the razor?
After I had the bevel popping hairs all the way across the edge I went to the Norton and after the 4K side the razor was like it was again before I set the bevel, I made about 45 strokes on the 4K, very slow strokes, very light strokes.

The steel on the Clauss is different than any other steel I've seen on a razor, since I own only European razors. The steel feels a lot harder on this one.

Originally Posted by Disburden

I tried the marker test and it removed the marker all the way down the edge except for a very thin line of it near the edge. Also the waves of water are pushed through the whole edge like any other razor I've honed..

i had exactly the same problem. and when i used marker it was the finest line that was left at the very cutting edge, and like you say the water was being pushed perfectly. I did add one more layer of tape and it evetualy came out i then went down to one layer it took some time on 6oo dmt. I went back to it in the morning and some how the edge was fully formed , it took ages but i got there. i still never no why this was.

Yeah I agree this issue - stubborn bevel-resistant areas for mysterious reasons, is one f the most frustrating parts of honing. And I too have had some luck by trying one or more layers of tape.

And also: I am very impressed by your generosity, Lynn. Hats off.

Originally Posted by Disburden

I tried the marker test and it removed the marker all the way down the edge except for a very thin line of it near the edge. Also the waves of water are pushed through the whole edge like any other razor I've honed..

If you mean there was marker left at the very edge of the bevel, my guess is that whoever honed it before you maybe used more than one layer of tape. This happens.

Also, if I read your later entry correctly, when you used more than one layer, it started popping hairs. Did you use more than one layer when you went through the progression?

Anyway, Lynn can figure it out. I'll be interested in his observations.