Thread: First time honing. Vintage Genco.

I would recommend that after you get this razor professionally honed, that you compare the newly honed edge at the stabilizer with the photo of the original edge at the stabilizer. The honemeister may well choose to reshape the stabilizer bar to accomodate the new bevel set.

Originally Posted by mrsell63

I would recommend that after you get this razor professionally honed, that you compare the newly honed edge at the stabilizer with the photo of the original edge at the stabilizer. The honemeister may well choose to reshape the stabilizer bar to accomodate the new bevel set.

Reshape the stabilizer bar? Who? What? I haven't read about that anywhere. Is it in the wiki? I wasn't really planning on getting this razor professionally honed. I was going to send my new Dovo Best Quality. Maybe I should send this one instead...

Good to hear that you are determined to hone the razor. Every razor, well a good bunch of them is different. When first starting to put a newly acquired razor to the hones blacken the bevel with a marker (Sharpies work good) and give it ~ 10 strokes on the hone. Look at the bevel to see if the marker is complete removed. This will tell you if the razor is warped, the bevel is in need of repair or if everything is fine. Rather hard to tell from you pic but it looks like the bevel is thicker in the middle of the blade than on either end and that the hone wear on the spine is shiner in the center than the ends. If this is true than the other side should be the opposite, wider bevel on the ends than the middle. This would signify that the blade has a slight warp. To home a warped blade lift the toe off the hone slighgtly (1/32) and draw the blade down the hone and off the side in one motion. When the center of the blade reaches the side of the hone lay the blade down (center of the blade and toe on the hone) and finish the stroke. Same for the other side and the rest of your honing. Count laps only to balance the metal removed from each side of the blade and not as a gauge of completeness. On really dull blades I use a timer. I already know how to count and I don't need any practice counting to a billion. As a general rule, use a moderate pressure onthe hones under 4k if you are using courser hones. Mild pressure on the 4k and very light pressure over 4k. Good luck.

That's a nice Genco. I have one that's very similar - same model, same scales, just with a square point instead of round. It belonged to my great Grandfather, and I only recently decided that I would hone it up.

The only thing I will add is that I found the Genco steel to be very hard, especially compared to my German and English blades. It was frustrating at first, as it took awhile to set a bevel properly, so my advice would be to give it a few extra strokes at all the honing stages - bevel setting, sharpening, polishing and finishing. Once I got a good shave off the 8k I got her dialled in with my finisher and she's a fine shaver now.

Have patience, it will come along.