Thread: problem with heel

The rest of the razor is nice and sharp, but the stupid heel won't get sharp. I've tried x-stroke, rolling x-stroke, 45 degree etc...I've also tried the sharpie trick and it seems like it's getting contact too..

Kind of frustrating since the rest is nice and sharp.

JF

Have you tried a 45 degree stroke with increased pressure on the heel?

These kinds of threads are nice, but it would be most helpful if we could see a picture of the razor.

Thanks,

Lynn

In that situation, I typically use a brute force approach to get the heel sharpness synchronized with the rest of the blade. I lay the blade flat on the hone, making sure the heel end of the blade is completely contacting the hone. Then, I rapidly move it forward and backward about 100 times. I don't lift it off the hone, and just keep going back on forth on one side. After doing that, I flip the blade over and repeat the process.

The point is to remove metal. (And, I highly doubt you are dealing with anything other than the need to remove metal to sharpen the heel as much as the rest of the hone. But, as Lynn said, without pictures I am guessing.) If you flip the razor over at the top of every pass, you will slow honing down very significantly.

The bad side effect of the above is that it often gives you a wire edge or burrs of some type when you do get it sharp. The edge will feel less smooth or raspy to the TPT.

For me, it takes me a lot less time to remove the wire edge largely caused by not flipping the blade with every pass, than it takes me to hone the blade to sharpness if I flipped the blade with every pass.

Originally Posted by Lynn

These kinds of threads are nice, but it would be most helpful if we could see a picture of the razor.

Razor porn makes any nice thread even nicer

Haha no pics sorry guys! I can tell by doing the TPT test that the heel is not as "sticky" as the rest of the blade. I will try to but more attention/light pressure on the heel to see if that improves it. I'm using a coticule with slurry. After I finish that stage, I can shave leg hair with ease all across the blade except for the very end near the tang.

Well during my lunch break I took the razor back to the hone. What I did this time is I went to the DMT 1200 did some passes on that focusing on the heel. I then went to my coticule with heavy slurry to get rid of the marks. I used a rolling x-stroke. I did not have time to finish it up, but from my TPT test, it and marker test, it looks like the entire edge is nice and sticky.

JF

Take no prisoners, Dups.

More often than not, I have that issue w/ the toe. One vendor I like (alot), delivers edges where the heel won't come back to shaving sharp after about a week's worth of shaves.

One smiling blade - I couldn't get the toe to come in w/ all varieties of x-strokes, and dropped back and punted - did circles, concentrating on the toe. That bad boy sliced hairs like it was terrified to do otherwise. Ultimately, it means I've not perfected some parts of the x-stroke for a smiling blade, but at least there's another arrow in your quiver if you get another cranky one.

'Congrats again.

are you using tape?

Always use one layer of tape yes. After I got home last night I finished it up and shaved with it this morning. Very nice comfortable shave. I think I finally get all the hype about those famous Filys!

JF