Thread: Honing Advice appreciated!

After you try a few other ideas, consider honing a little more on the side with less spine wear. I would continue to use tape though and try to prevent "messing it up", so to speak.

You should be able to get a good edge without taking off too much spine, particularly if you start now with some tape.

AFDavis11 made an important observation regarding the uneven wear on the spine. It says you are using different strokes and pressures on each side of the blade. My guess is that your honing stroke is also to fast. For reference purposes it takes me about 3 seconds to complete 1 roundtrip lap on a 8" hone. My goal is consistent results on both sides of the blade, not speed.

There is a chance that the edge has been overhoned. To correct this perform 10 back strokes ( spine leading strokes, not edge leading).

Then I would take that razor and perform 25 laps on the odd side of the razor to even up the bevel( use tape since you have already started to) on the 3-4K then some pyramids starting at 15/10, 10/10, 5/10, 5/10, 3/10, 1/10, 1/10 then strop for 50+ laps on a plain leather hanging strop and test shave.

This should give you a better edge. To further refine the edge simply stay on the 8K and perform 10 laps between each shave. You will feel a gradual increase in sharpness.

Just my $.02,

What RandyDance said about the pyramids is what I do when I am fine tuning an edge myself. I hone very slowing on the norton once my bevel is set and then when I think that the razor is just going to shave nicely I go to a quick 5/5 pyramid and work my way down from there, I don't start at 15/15 usually because I know I don't need that much from experiences with the hones.

I then move to a finisher, like a Naniwa 12K and Escher, or just a Jnat.

In the very first picture, it looks like there is some discoloration at the toe of the razor. Is that discoloration caused by heat, by any chance? You mention that the blade started the shave comfortably, but by the time you were done, it was dull enough to sit on.

When a blade loses it's temper (usually by being exposed to excessive heat), it will exhibit this behavior. Most of the time, a blade that has completely lost it's temper will be impossible to sharpen; the edge crumbles as it is honed. In this case, it looks like the blade was heated enough for the temper to be lost enough for the blade to be unable to keep a sharp edge through a shave.

Your remarks about having difficulty sharpening that area could also be caused by (among other things) the blade losing it's temper.

If a blade is heated to the point that the heat discolors the metal, the temper has definitely been lost.

Of course, this all is assuming that the marks on your blade came from a heat source.

I would send the blade out to a reputable honemeister and have him evaluate it.

Originally Posted by FloorPizza

In the very first picture, it looks like there is some discoloration at the toe of the razor. Is that discoloration caused by heat, by any chance? You mention that the blade started the shave comfortably, but by the time you were done, it was dull enough to sit on.
it.

The discolouration is purely a light effect on the picture. I know discolouration of stainless steel starts only above (approximately) 400°C (worked at my sisters' for a while, she sells and installs fireplaces, if necessary with stainless steel tubing), and the razor was definitely not subjected to such temperatures. It's stored in the bathroom, and the warmest heat-source (apart from the misses ) are two halogen spots, which become hot, but don't produce that heat, besides, the razor never comes close to them.

I must thank you for the sharp eye nevertheless!

Sending it to a reputable honemeister... Well, not that fond of sending the razor for a roundtrip to America before trying something myself.

Well, I was going to take the razor to work today, to put it under the microscope, but I failed to get at work... We dropped off the kids at school (by which time I was sleeping in the car) went for my car, which was still at the garage, and by the time we got there I was all shaky. (I should have been better from the flu by now). So I went back to the doc, and on top of the flu, now I got a bronchitis. So now I have some antibiotics, and leave from work the rest of the week. So no microscope pics...
Oh well, don't feel like it either, my head is trying to explode, and I'm going to lay down and sleep till I'm better. I'll be back when I'm better, and then we'll finish this history.

Laterz.

Alright,
a good afternoon sleep can do so good. Now, as I didn't get to see the edge under a microscope, I asked the misses to bring me a loupe (x10) from work, and she did. So I looked at my trouble razor with it, and compared it to my very comfortable shaving Bartmann (which gave me an easy bbs this morning) and the difference was quite clear: The Bartmann showed a nice clean edge, the other showed me what I would describe as little mouse bites, as I can't find another word. And at some of these mouse bites, the metal missing seemed to be bent away.
So that indicates overhoning then? Or did I, as nun2sharp said, just put too much pressure on?

So depending on that I have to set out a new strategy, so I won't go at it too wildly again

My most important question at the moment is: do I need to set a new bevel? If yes, can I do it with the 3K? If no (don't need to set new bevel), do I just go for light strokes to get the crumbles away, and achieve a nice edge? Or do I go for pyramids?

Some more of your very much appreciated advice is welcome

Congratulations on the find! Magnification tells you almost everything you need to know. Time to tape that spine and re set the bevel! I would opt for a 1k stone, maybe even some low grit wet and dry sandpaper. Once the bevel is reset without any evidence of chips, divots or mouse bites move up the grits and watch the pressure. Be sure to check the edge periodically as you are honing, a lot of times if the metal is rotting the old chips will grind away only to be replaced by others, this is especially true with old Sheffield steel. Be sure to check the edge after the shave test as well in order to see what the whiskers have done to it. Have fun!