Thread: Getting a straight bevel

Hey guys so I have been using a norton 1k for bevel setting and have been having a straightness issue. I have been using tape and although the razor will cut arm/leg hair all the way across the bevel is not even all the way across.

Any tips on how to fix this would be GREAT!! Is it simply a pressure thing?

If the stone is flat, as it likely is, and the blade is not bent, warped or shaped erratically, then the only thing that can cause it is uneven pressure. Some use pressure at 1K. I don't. My bevels are even.

Uneven bevels can just be a natural part of life as well - a function of the grind and blade geometry - I'm thinking about almost every wedge I have or have come across, and it is rare that they have a completely uniform bevel.

So long as it is not an indication of something sinister (eg frown due to hone wear or whatever), you don't need a straight bevel. You simply need both sides of the bevel to meet at a fine enough point (which it sounds as though you have). If on the other hand the uneven bevel is indicative of a real issue, then you will have to diagnose that issue and fix it.

James.

I agree with Jimbo

I have a few razors with uneven bevels that are great shavers. The best test is the shave test. That will tell all.

Actually, I have some razors with bevels so bad you would swear they could never shave worth a darn but in fact they are great shavers so the bevel being even is really a cosmetic issue. If it bothers you work on it otherwise I wouldn't worry about it.

Of course an uneven bevel can get out of hand in the extreme and affect the geometry of the blade and future honing but that's extreme.

What do you mean by the bevel not being straight? Is it that the width of the bevel varies, or the edge of the razor isn't a straight line (almost all vintage razors have a slight curve to the spine, so the edge should have a slight matching 'smile' too)?

I have been trying to keep "muh bevs balanced" and it's difficult. Trying to spot any weakness in the "pattern" of bevel widths on my self-honed razors, keeping that in mind while honing an 11/16ths Wedge, which is in its sixth or seventh hour on the Norton 220 and I've learned I probably don't have as great an imbalance in bevels as I feared.

Mr. Barker, are you using a lot of pressure early in the honing (e.g. chip removal) on a well hollowed razor? Is the bevel wear inconsistent from heel to toe on one side, if so, for one or both sides?

Say a blade's edge isn't warped or twisted, and there's no frown or smile, and the spine is straight and of constant thickness. So the edge is perfectly straight.

If the _thickness_ of the blade (just behind the edge) varies, because of how the razor was ground, the _width of the bevel_ will vary as well. It'll be wider where the blade is ground thicker, narrower where the blade is ground thinner.

That's true even with "perfect honing" -- no pressure, no distortion of the blade during honing at all.

That variation in bevel width has _no effect_ on how well the razor shaves. It has _no effect_ on how the blade should be honed.

Shave with the razor, and find something else to worry about.

. . Charles

PS -- there _could_ be something wrong with your honing technique. But there are lots of razors that have uneven blade thickness near the edge -- manufacturing isn't perfect.