Thread: I need help getting an edge

Have you reached any progress yet, I am just curious?

Like Sham said the temper could be all messed up for what ever reason. If you get the razor to shave on the 1K and then it's dull again 10 passes into the 4K then it could be a temper problem if your strokes are even and flat.

For the bevel: go to your 1k, do a total 40 circles/side w/ a bit of pressure, then do 15 x-strokes, also w/ just a bit of pressure--you can taper off to no pressure too if you want. Try to shave arm hair--not pop, SHAVE. The whole length of the blade should shave--there will be a bit of resistance, but it shouldn't be ripping the hair out. If it doesn't do this, keep going until you can. Don't worry about overhoning @ this stage--you're not going to w/o a proper bevel set anyway.

Once it passes this test, you could go to the pyramid method (maybe starting @ 20 strokesif the steel really is hard--otherwise 15 should do it--maybe w/ additional polishing strokes @ the end, like in the wiki).

Or you can hone progressively on the 4k, then move to the 8K for 10-15 laps to start, then test. On the 4k, you can again do 40 circles/side, 1st w/ light pressure & then again w/ no pressure, then 10-15 x-strokes w/ no added pressure. Arm hair shaving should be better & TPT should be feeling smoother. If it's not quite there, try going to the 40 circles w/ no pressure, followed by the x-strokes again. Then do those 10-15 or so x-strokes on the 8k. Arm hair should now fall off in a clump. Strop & test!

'Evening All:

Sorry couldn't back to you earlier this past week; it was very rough with a lot of SNAFUs. Am still working on the Torrey, have put a strip of electrician's tape on the spine so as to not wear out the steel. Am thinking it may be one of those mentioned above i.e. uneven tempered steel. Haven't given up though. I'm getting some "popping" will try later this week to get some arm-shaving (for testing puposes NOT for the aesthetics of it!).

Have a great week everyone!

Make sure you are changing the tape as soon as it "wears" or becomes worn in the spine area or is no longer brightly polished there and is dull.

I still wouldn't make too much of hair popping @ this stage--that's really better done after you know you have a blade that shaves (verified by actually shaving). (Leave the HHT mythology at bay for the moment--it's best employed later on.) Then you can calibrate whatever hair popping test suits your fancy. For now, I'd focus on hair shaving or actually shave-testing.

In this case: How much resistance is there when you try to shave arm hair & what stone are you coming off of when you try?

I personally don't tape razors unless I'm doing a wedge, but Disburden is right--make sure you change it every now & then if you do--it can wear also & then you'd no longer be making contact w/ the tip of the bevel.

Keep us posted!

It seems that your problem may be one of two things.

1. A tempering problem. Either the razor was heat treated but not put back in the oven to be tempered to a softer HRC in which case the steel will be hard & brittle or the tempering may have been performed incorrectly resulting in a very tough steel that abrades very slowly. The most effective solution for this are DMT diamond hones.

2. The geometry may be off. If you can measure the width of the blade and then divide that number by the thickness of the spine. If the result is greater than 4 then the angle of the bevel is to shallow. It will result in a very wide bevel that takes a long time to develop via honing. If so them multiple layers of tape on the spine will be required.

Just my $.02,