Thread: Tiny chips -- why?

The razor is a Wade & Butcher, with a very elegant worked spine. It's in good condition. The blade is warped, but that's not my problem (at least, I don't think so).

When I try to set a bevel on a 1K stone, I get tiny chips (visible at 10x) in the edge, on one section of the blade near the heel. (I'm using rolling strokes on the concave side, "slide-off-the-hone" X-strokes on the convex side).

I managed to hone them out on the 1K -- very light pressure seemed to work.

I went to the 4K, and voila -- new chips formed !

I don't want to go through this 1K / 4K / 1K . . . cycle again (twice, so far).

What am I doing wrong?

[I suppose it's possible that one section of the blade is poorly hardened. But I trust W&B workmanship more than I trust my own skills, so I think I'm the problem.]

Thanks --

Charles

PS -- this is with Norton 220/1K and 4K/8K stones, freshly lapped. No inclusions or low-grit particles that I can see or feel.

Rotten, soft, hand forged steel. Happens all the time with old Sheffields. Wether they are air inclusions or the soft steel is porous it ends up looking like swiss cheese in the metal. The only way to fix it is to hone it away. Unfortunately this can take many trips up and then backdown the stones. Have fun!

I was hoping for a different analysis . . . What you wrote matches what I was afraid of.

I think the blade is worth saving, so I'll be "up and down the stones" until I get sound steel, or reach the spine, whichever comes first.

I've been honing my razors with tape. I think this one will be honed "bare", for fear of changing the bevel angle as I grind away the edge.

Too bad -- I thought it was a real "find" when I bought it.

Thanks --

Charles

It's possible that a pyramid will help here, for a variety of reasons.

AF Dvis has a good suggestion if you are using the Nortons. I would stick to using tape, there could be a lot of honing involved and that means spine wear without tape. Be sure to check and change that tape as often as needed.

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

Rotten, soft, hand forged steel. Happens all the time with old Sheffields. Wether they are air inclusions or the soft steel is porous it ends up looking like swiss cheese in the metal. The only way to fix it is to hone it away. Unfortunately this can take many trips up and then backdown the stones. Have fun!

Yes, Kelly and me were just talking about this. Sometimes this happens with "new" razors too. Steel composistion, tempering, polishing etc, play a role in the final product. When you start honing razors you get to see all the layers peeled back, no pun intended. Good luck
Mike

I agree with the above. Continue using the tape at least until you have removed the old, oxidized, soft steel. There really is no shortcut except maybe using 500/1000 grit wet sandpaper cut to fit on the top of the hone. Done that many times. It always works.

Yep, I agree with the other guys. Its a PITA but the only way out of it is to hone through it...

Also, I find Sheffields can get a bit chippy on the high grit synthetics as well. Up to about 10-12k is fine but if you go above that they can start to play up. I know thats not applicable here but just thought I'd share...!

Originally Posted by randydance062449

I agree with the above. Continue using the tape at least until you have removed the old, oxidized, soft steel. There really is no shortcut except maybe using 500/1000 grit wet sandpaper cut to fit on the top of the hone. Done that many times. It always works.

I have done this as well and boy does it help!

I've seen this problem before, especially with blades with pitting after a restoration. Sometimes the pits run quite deep and can get "revealed" as one hones into what appears at first to be good steel.