Which grind

[charlie762]

Do you find takes an edge easiest? I was wondering if grind makes a difference in ease of honing.I have sucessfully honed my full hollow grind razors and they were quite easy but my smaller stiffer grinds are just not getting there.

[Silver2]

Charlie, those smaller razors 3/8s or so are harder to keep pefectly flat than a wider blade.
You might try gently resting your finger on the flat of the blade when making your honing passes.
That may give you a more even pass on the stone.

Good luck,
Silver2

[Scipio]

Generally speaking I have always found both modern and vintage 5/8 -13/16 full hollows take an edge with the least effort. I have also found this to be true of larger blades in hollow also, but they are rarer.

Solingen steel for me takes an edge with the least effort in hollow, French steel can be quite tough. Sheffield hollows for me are equally as easy as Swedish steel too takes a beautiful edge with ease.

Normally the closer to a wedge a blade is, the harder to hone as more metal is in contact with the hone and therefore more has to be removed. Layers of tape can elliminate this problem to an extent.

The most challenging for me are vintage French smiling wedges! Tough, tough steel and a warped wedge blade. Good fun though!

[charlie762]

I have three full hollows; two 7/8 Flicks (excellent) and one 6/8 Dovo Bismarck new and also excellent.The other razors I have which are not full hollows are 1 x Clauss 2 x Genco's which I have yet to hone and 1 x G.Johnson.I am tempted to get rid of the Johnson and the Clauss and get full hollows to replace them but I hate letting things beat me so I'll keep them for now.I think a razor should not tug at all but glide through cutting easily with no roughness when that happens it really is a pleasure shaving with a straight.

[holli4pirating]

If two razors have identical sized chips, but one is full hollow and the other is a quarter hollow, the chip will come out of the full hollow faster. But once you get the bevel set, they'll both take the same amount of time to go the rest of the way.

What it comes down to is, the closer a razor is to having a good bevel, the less time it will take. The farther away it is, the longer.

[charlie762]

Charlie, those smaller razors 3/8s or so are harder to keep pefectly flat than a wider blade.
You might try gently resting your finger on the flat of the blade when making your honing passes.
That may give you a more even pass on the stone.

Good luck,
Silver2

Firstly, thanks everyone for the replies and advice. My thanks button is only working intermittently it sometimes gives me the "you don't have permission" bit.
I tried my Clauss again and put a bit of weight behind the blade and wow ! excellent results. Now I shall have to wait 'til tomorrow afternoon before I can shave test my next razor .

[Silver2]

Great Charlie, let us know how it worked out for you.


Silver2

[charlie762]

Well things are goin' great so far.I finally got my Johnson done and although it shaves close enough,it's a wee bit rough and as close an inspection as I can give it reveals very small nicks near the heal. I can only see them if I look at them magnified. I feel I am learning a little more each time as I go along excellent! I've just got my two Genco's to do and I'm done. I had put aside my straights for a while because I couldn't maintain their edges due to not having the correct stones but now it's straights all the way
Oh heck what happens when I've done them all? I suppose RAD kicks in and provides new challenges?

[BladeRunner001]

I may be wrong here, but IMO if material (stainless steel, carbon steel, etc...) is not an issue and the only variable is grind, I second Dylan's observations...full hollows are easier to take on a keen edge than heavier grinds.

[charlie762]

I forgot to add that shaving with a sharp, smooth, comfortable razor is so enjoyable but shaving with such a razor you have honed yourself is so much more enjoyable!