Thread: Honing a Livi ATS34

Yeah, breadknifing is something I approach cautiously and rarely. Anyway, I have only honed two ATS-34s and one S30V. With those I had to resort to the diamond plates. The 1200, the 8000 and then to the naniwas IIRC. I also finished with diamond paste on the SRD felt hanger. That was some tough steel IME ..... and it wasn't breadknifed. Take Glen up on his kind offer.

Glen made you an offer you should not resist. Send it to him and see the way that the fine razor that you started with does after being slapped around on the rocks by one of the best!


R

Thanks to all for your thoughts & comments! So here are some details of what I did do when I did what was done...Sit back & have a drink
Wasn't happy with the shave from this blade, so looked at the edge with a 40X loupe & saw some very small chips that I could not see with my bi-focals. (Not much to do here when I get some time off, work 7/12's except half day off every other Sunday) Got my 1K Norton & the Livi, held the stone edge ways & slowly drug the edge of the blade (using just its weight with my thumb and index finger holding the pivot) across the corner edge of the rock twice. No beer bottle available as I live in a "dry" camp - that might be part of the problem. I then put the Norton rocks into a sink of water, sat back down & again looked at the edge through the loupe, not much difference noted. Took one piece of black e-tape and placed it along the spine - I fear the controversy coming, due to my admitting that. "Breadknifing"? "Jointing"? the terms used just keep on coming. I used a black fine point Sharpie to mark the edge and then retrieved the 1K rock & with blade flat on the stone, stroked each side a couple of times - 2-handed as a guide & no pressure, looked at the edge through the loupe & was assured that the edge was evenly contacting the hone & continued to stroke straight up & down the stone. Not sure if the swarf that accumulated was steel or tape residue (next time I will put a magnet in the swarf & see). Arm hair can be shaved. Swapped stones with the sink, replaced the tape on the blade's spine and stroke, stroke, stroke on the 4K side (at all times & on all stones watching the water push ahead of the blade & also being "sucked" off when the blade is turned over while maintaining spine contact with the hone). Oh Yeah, all hones are lapped flat using a Norton lapping plate. Turned the stone over and started on the 8K side & after awhile still cuts arm hair, but no cutting whiskers. Put the razor away & relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.
I am starting to bore you & instead of going on & on, I will go on and on...
Over time I have tried using a slurry from rubbing an artificial Nagura stone on the hones & without the slurry. Never more than 1-layer of tape, times with no tape, pyramids on the 4/8K combo, I don't count strokes, circles with a little pressure on the 1K & on the combo-stone, X-strokes. Checking edge with & without the black sharpie, loupe and Baush & Lombe headband magnifier, thumb pad & nail testing (I have never managed to do the hanging hair test even with a shaving blade). Many strokes on the Chinese water stone (what is that grit anyway), Frictionite, Mastro Livi loom strop with ChrOx, Tony Miller Linen & Latigo, Tony Miller Cotton w/ChrOx & horse hide, Tony Miller practice strop on the edge of the table. Palm of my hand. Still won't shave, but nice razor & I will make it work.
Not my picture, but this is the razor:


Glen, thanks for the offer! I am headed home next Friday, but will not be checking luggage this trip out so the razor will not be coming with me.

I will also try some of the suggestions in this thread.

Well, Ambrose has sent me an Email about his available strops & he says I need one, so I have other things to do.

Mike,
I hate to say this but you are doing everything right, and yes that is "Jointing" or "Killing the edge" The Coticule guys call it something else (edit: Downstroking), but they have different names for a lot of things... That isn't your problem I do the exact same thing on every single restored razor when it comes off the buffing wheels, on the corner of the stone using practically zero pressure...

From where the razor is now, I only have one hint for you, drop everything out of the equation except the Norton 4/8 and the Artificial Nagura... That Livi is hard steel so lets try coaxing the edge into it by using a slurry on the 4k and about 40 circles per side medium pressure then 40 more per side light pressure dilute out to clear water on the next 20 X strokes light pressure STOP, test if it is better then move to the 8k for I am going to guess 30 X strokes clear water, then slow way down and let the stone go to dry for about 15 more laps,,, Stop,,, Strop 25/50 linen leather and test shave

BTW leave 1 layer of tape on the razor and change it often that should keep the edge you created earlier on the stones...

If that works,,,, great then tweak it however you want,,, if not then it is going to take some real work and we can start again...

Thanks Glen! Will use your suggestion when I return to this place and will let you know how well it works.