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Thread: How do I hone this late 18th early 19th century stubby?

  1. #31
    Disposable blades = Disposable men. vvti713's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nun2sharp View Post
    Not awkward just different. BTW as old as this design is it is still very functional.
    and BEAUTIFUL. its amazing how it stayed in tact all these years.

  2. #32
    At this point in time... gssixgun's Avatar
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    Keep in mind when you are doing these that the metal is in general a bit softer then the newer steel... Honing is simply pushing the steel across the stone so that every bit of the edge contacts the stone evenly... That really is the way it works, but in practice it tends to get a bit more difficult...
    That razor is going to be even more difficult because of the "heel relation" I am willing to bet that someone, at some time used a wheel on it..
    Most of these razors are not bevel set from "Heel" to Toe most have only the front 3/4 of the edge honed... This is sometimes a real pain to re-cut an entire bevel, especially an uneven one like that... I am not saying all this to discourage you I am just laying out some hints as to what you are going to run into as you asked for...
    Two things to be very careful of on these, Lower grit hones, they will cut these razors very fast and normally very harshly, and Pressure, pressure is even more of a killer on these razors then a newer one so take your time and go slow.. I never expect to finish one of these at one sitting, I break it into 2-3 stages of honing at 2-3 different times...
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    vvti713 (11-09-2011)

  4. #33
    Disposable blades = Disposable men. vvti713's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gssixgun View Post
    Keep in mind when you are doing these that the metal is in general a bit softer then the newer steel... Honing is simply pushing the steel across the stone so that every bit of the edge contacts the stone evenly... That really is the way it works, but in practice it tends to get a bit more difficult...
    That razor is going to be even more difficult because of the "heel relation" I am willing to bet that someone, at some time used a wheel on it..
    Most of these razors are not bevel set from "Heel" to Toe most have only the front 3/4 of the edge honed... This is sometimes a real pain to re-cut an entire bevel, especially an uneven one like that... I am not saying all this to discourage you I am just laying out some hints as to what you are going to run into as you asked for...
    Two things to be very careful of on these, Lower grit hones, they will cut these razors very fast and normally very harshly, and Pressure, pressure is even more of a killer on these razors then a newer one so take your time and go slow.. I never expect to finish one of these at one sitting, I break it into 2-3 stages of honing at 2-3 different times...
    thanks a lot! i will keep you and everyone else posted!
    PS should i use 1 or 2 layers of tape?
    Last edited by vvti713; 11-09-2011 at 03:25 AM.

  5. #34
    Carbon-steel-aholic DwarvenChef's Avatar
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    As long as the steel has not been damaged by heat at some time this should hold as fine an edge as any other older razor. Mine can go 6 to 10 shaves before a touch up is needed, granted there are a lot of variables involved but you should have no problems with edge retention.

    One thing I found works for me on these types of blades are narrower stones. Yes it cam be done with full sized stones, but for me it seems to go allot smoother with 2" wide stones.

  6. #35
    Mental Support Squad Pithor's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by vvti713 View Post
    PS should i use 1 or 2 layers of tape?
    Every time i hone a full wedge (or very near wedge) I start with two layers of tape, otherwise in most cases the bevel will be ridiculously wide and you'll waste lots of steel like that. However, seeing as it isn't that wide, you might get away with one layer. But I'd still say two. Make sure you tape it evenly, otherwise your bevel might turn out uneven. I found that this is more of an aesthetic problem than a practical one, however.

    I'd also advise using 'rolling' strokes since the edge has a bit of a smile. This is when you do X-strokes (or just straight ones, depending on the width of your hone of course) where you tilt the blade toe-up when you start your stroke and during the stroke you 'roll' or tilt the razor so you end with heel-up. It's a kind of a slow-motion seesaw motion, if you will. You can mark the edge with a marker to check if your stroke is right and the edge touches the hone evenly. This stroke REQUIRES that the spine is in constant contact with the hone, this is the tricky bit.

    For the rest, I'll second what Glen said. Don't use too much pressure and be sure to check the bevel much more regularly when using low grit hones. I go on to actually advise doing this for the entire honing process, since the steel is less hard than most 'younger' steel; check what you're doing at much more regular intervals than with more modern (i.e. harder) razors. Really limit the amount of strokes, this is where I fudged up BIG TIME the first couple of times and I still have to remind myself every now and then to not get carried away. And check, check, check. You don't want to overhone (depending on your hones of course). It's a waste of steel, edge and time.

    The last bit is also a general advice really, but applies even more to your razor since it is less hard and already quite worn down. Happy honing, bro.

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