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Hey guys. I just got a Frederick Reynolds in a thrift store. Very cheap. It has a smile in the edge that follows the smile in the spine. In other words, it appears to have been made that way and not improperly honed. I can't quite get full contact with the entire edge when I hone. The heel and toe both trail to the point that they don't touch. It seems I should sweep or roll the blade when I hone. Does that sound right?
Smiling blades are honed with a rocking motion on the hone.
A smiling blade isn't necessarily improperly honed, even if it has a straight spine. At least some of the old barber's manuals taught the barbers to strive for that edge shape (check the barber's textbooks in the help files area).
I'm confused. Which definition is correct:
1. I've read on this site that a 'smile' in the blade is defined as a blade where, at the middle of the blade (between the toe and the heel) it is longer from edge to spine. So if one was holding the razor so that the spine was up toward the ceiling, and the blade was toward the floor, the middle of the blade would be closer to the floor than at the toe or the heel.
2. The blade is bent out of the plane of the blade so that it won't lie flat on the hone, i.e. the middle of the blade doesn't touch, while the toe and heel touch the hone.
E
No. 1 is correct.
My problem may be solved by honing more at heel and tip than in the middle.
I wanted to specify something. The rocking motion that MP mentioned is heel to toe and not spine to edge. Just slight pressure variances. I recommend a Skype honing session with X or Randy Tuttle. Good luck.
Great. That's what my instincts said but reading it assures me. Thanks.
I'd offer to help but I never hone in this room (just not a good setup) and I only have one smiler, and haven't touched that one in ages. I am actually applying this technique for my straight edges these days just to get more even hone wear.
Roger that.
If definition no 1 is correct (and the blade is not bent out of the plane), then why would the smile in the blade keep the entire edge of your razor from touching the hone?Quote:
Originally Posted by swampfox
The edge is in the plane of the blade, but the blade is not in the plane of the hone.Quote:
Originally Posted by ericm
this sounds like a frown, buddy - not a smileQuote:
Originally Posted by swampfox
Ivo, putting a bit of pressure on the heel and the toe will give a smiling edge. Honing the middle will give you a frown.
With that edge shape you might want to do as Lynn Abrams suggests and use a 45 degree angle with the X pattern.
If you have not purchsed Lynn's DVD I would highly recommend it.
I think it was Hal Wilson that told me to use a windshield wiper type motion to hone this type of razor. Once keen they work very nice.
Glen
this type of blade is hard to hone till you get used to the motion ,the trick I started with to set the bevel ,turn the hone edge on,even with a combo stone it dosn`t matter,use the x pattern and you cant help set a perfect bevel
Kind regards peter
Turn the hone on its side, use the side of the hone. Is that what you mean? If so then I agree with you. That is an effective method. But...it does require a bit of practice and some real concentration.Quote:
Originally Posted by bg42
yep that is what I mean ,the hardest thing is to find a method to secure the hone properly.Quote:
Originally Posted by randydance062449
Kind regards Peter
I use one of those little triangular knife hones to set the bevel when I first get them home from ebay. A narrow hone really does help for this initial step, especially if there's a significant smile.Quote:
Originally Posted by bg42
Ilija - exactly. So it (putting more pressure on the heel and toe) is used to fix a frown - to bring the blade back to normal first (at the expense of material from the heel and toe) and if you continue past this point - then you get a smilieQuote:
Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT
When he said his problem can be solved by honing more at the heel and toe, I thought he had a frown. I did go back, however, and the blade is a smilie - in this case, I'd avoid putting too much pressure on the heel and toe because all this is going to do is increase the merriment :D but maybe that's ok?
Cheers
Ivo
If it's alrady smiling, just hone straight.
With all the input, I got it! It shaves like a 9 armed barber at a hippie convention. Thanks one and all.