Thread: Uneven hone wear

Howdy all,

When I received my le gelot I never paid any real attention to the slightly ove worn middle of the spine.

Today when I was honing I noticed how the spine was worn just a bit more in that spot.

I tried to keep the blade as flat as possible to not create anymore uneven wear.

Should I have been using tape on the spine?

If I decide to hone with tape would I need to recreate the bevel when or if I decide to stop using the tape.

Any tips or tricks to help with the hone wear would be appreciated.

Basil; taping will eliminate any future spine wear. What does the edge look like? Hopefully it is not a frown. pics would be helpful.
MIke

First, it is not necessarily uneven hone wear due to poor honing. If the original grind was not even, and the middle of the spine started out a little thicker than the two ends, then the worn area of the spine in the middle is going to be wider. I have found this uneven grinding to be fairly common. If you watch a video on how razors were/are ground, it's amazing that they are as uniform as they are!

If it is in fact uneven hone wear, then this should be reflected in an uneven bevel. If the bevel is fairly even, then it is likely that my above explanation applies. If the bevel is uneven, then the hone wear is negatively impacting the honing at the edge. You could correct this by honing the spine back to straight either by side honing or by emphasizing the toe and heel in the stroke in the manner that is normally used to create a smiling blade. Alternatively, you could tape the spine ONLY in the region that is more worn. This is a strategy that Hi_Bud_GL has often promoted and it does work.

Alternatively, you can tape the whole length of the spine and, assuming again that the middle is more worn, the tape will balance correct some of the problem because it's wear will vary along the length of the spine. Be sure to replace the tape regularly during honing.

Yes, if you set a bevel with tape, the angle of the bevel is determined by the thickness of spine with the tape. If you hone without the tape, the angle is diminished and you will only be honing the shoulder of the bevel and the very edge will not be touching the hone. However, it doesn't take long to hone away the steel at the shoulder until the bevel angle is re-set to allow the edge to reach the hone.

Thanks for the info guys.

I don't have any pics at the moment since I am at work but hopefully I can get some up tonight so I can get more info.

If I do tape the spine and I notice the middle of the tape gets worn down quicker an extra peice o tape in that area will help to correct this issue then?

Originally Posted by basil

If I do tape the spine and I notice the middle of the tape gets worn down quicker an extra peice o tape in that area will help to correct this issue then?

That would only happen under two conditions:

1. The middle of the spine is higher (thicker) than the rest of the hone so that the middle of the tape is making most of the contact on the hone.

2. Your honing stroke is causing greater pressure on the middle of the spine.

Number one is unlikely given that the spine wear indicates that, if anything, the middle of the spine is lower (thinner). Number 2 is unlikely unless you are using a narrow hone or if you are putting extra pressure on the middle of the blade as it passes over the edge of the hone. In other words, you are rocking the blade during the stroke when you should be keeping it flat.

I would only put an extra piece of tape in the middle if you find that the bevel is uneven, as I described before. Otherwise, I would just replace the tape more frequently.