Thread: An Embarrasing Honing Situation

I had a razor that was giving me fits and sent it to a friend to hone to see if he could do anything with it. Since you say you've successfully honed the other razors you've been shaving with I don't know what the problem might be. Send it to a known honemeister and see if they have better luck with it than you are having would be my advice.

I have had the same problem with a TI Silverwing. My vintage TOS eventually got it where I like it. Tams are known for their ability to remove microchips.

My 2 cts

I would like to know what kind of shapton you have. It must be one of the Professional stones, because the new Glas Stones have the girt rating printed on them behind glass.
Besides the Shapton Professionals there are some uncommon Shaptons called M24 and others, pretty similar to the Professional but with a stand.
Maybe you can post a picture, and we can help you identify the stone.

The problem with your freshly honed Dovo may be a problem with the bevel.
Most of the time it is an insufficiently set bevel that causes problems later on.
Maybe you want to reset the bevel on the Norton 1.000 firmly, and spend a little more time on the 4.000.
New Dovos have a pretty bad Bevel, cause (if I remember correctly) they are not honed with the spine flat on the stone/grinding machine in the factory.
If you feel comfortable try your finisher and see what you can get.
If you won´t get anywhere, let an experienced honemeister decide what is best for your razor =)

I'm 99% positive that the dovo is sound, "defective dovo" sounds like, well, you know But I also know that different steel can be more or less easily honed, and since I've never honed a dovo, it's likely I'm just not working it the way it likes to be worked.. I've ruled out a wire edge, and no I would not do a TNT test after the finisher.. My Shapton is old, as am I, and I can't remember where I bought it, let alone its exact grit, as it is not stamped anywhere, but I've been using it as a finisher for a while, and it has always produced an acceptable edge, so I assume its around 8k. I also assume that the bevel is set, because I've tried honing it 3 times, 2 of which I started on a 1k. I can see normal sharpness off of the 1k, but the 4k doesn't improve it that much, and the 8k doesn't either. From what I've seen, both the 4k and the 8k should work together to put that final edge on, but it's just not coming. I'm going to fiddle around with it some more, and will just have to get it honed by someone else or put it away for a while if I can't figure it out.

Originally Posted by joenasarino

I'm 99% positive that the dovo is sound, "defective dovo" sounds like, well, you know

Sorry if I seem to have suggested your razor was defective! As you will see I did say I hoped not! The statement in the thread was commented on by razortalkin, who is quite an authority. Learning how it goes here! Good luck and I hope you get it straightened out!

Well lets look at this logically. If the razor is not defective you have ruled that out. If the bevel was properly set and you could shave off the 4K you were on your way. If failure happens after the 1K and the bevel looks great then go back to the 4 or if it shaves but on the 8 you can't make an improvement go back to the 8. There are no demons in a Dovo they hone up pretty straight forward so I suspect the factor is you.

Originally Posted by Lesslemming

The problem with your freshly honed Dovo may be a problem with the bevel.
Most of the time it is an insufficiently set bevel that causes problems later on.
Maybe you want to reset the bevel on the Norton 1.000 firmly, and spend a little more time on the 4.000.
New Dovos have a pretty bad Bevel, cause (if I remember correctly) they are not honed with the spine flat on the stone/grinding machine in the factory.
If you feel comfortable try your finisher and see what you can get.
If you won´t get anywhere, let an experienced honemeister decide what is best for your razor =)

I also think this is the problem . If this is the case (99% sure it is) the bevel will be steeper than it normally would be , if the spine was held on the stone when honing . The reason that you are not getting anywhere with all your honing is that the factory bevel is keeping the edge of the razor from making contact with the hone . you will need to establish the new , lower bevel angle on the 1k , before you can make any progress . Do the marker test on your blade , and it will show you if your bevel is set right .

If there are any doubt about the bevel being set you can dull it on glass so when it cuts you know its your work
I dont know any other way to be perfectly sure...

guys, I've been running it over a 1,000 grit norton for three separate honing sessions. You really think the bevel isn't set? I mean I haven't set bevels on very many razors, but I've never had one that took that much work on a 1,000 grit stone. After the blade pushes water all along the edge and cuts my arm hair, I pretty much assume the bevel is done. Am I wrong?

Originally Posted by joenasarino

guys, I've been running it over a 1,000 grit norton for three separate honing sessions. You really think the bevel isn't set? I mean I haven't set bevels on very many razors, but I've never had one that took that much work on a 1,000 grit stone. After the blade pushes water all along the edge and cuts my arm hair, I pretty much assume the bevel is done. Am I wrong?

who knows? only you have seen the razor and it's impossible to evaluate its condition over the internet. everything is best guesses based on whatever similar experiences we have had.
so, why dont you just make sure the bevel is good on 1k and take that out of the question. here's how you do it - run it very lightly breadknife style over your 'around 8k shapton' or the norton 4k. that'll make it dull (verify this) but not too far off to require extensive work. then you get back on the 1k or 4k until it cuts again.
that'll ensure no double bevel whatsoever on the razor. and then you can take it from there.