Thread: Rate my bevel & edge

Hi.
I got myself a USB microscope and played around with it.
I have Edwin Jagger razor (rebranded dovo sohlingen I've told) which I've hones 4-5 times with 1k, 3k, 5k, 8k hones
After two honings I haven't noticed any increased sharpness on subsequent honings, thus I assume I've reached the maximum sharpness available with my hones (and skills). the 3,5 and 8k are naniwa super stones. I've made sure the bevel is set by spending a lot of time with the 1K hone. That made the biggest difference after my 2nd honing. Apparently the bevel wasn't really set until that.

Today I had time to check with the USB scope.
Only honed with 5K and 8K.
FIrst observations:
My bevel is asymetric!

I made a mark with a pen on opposite sides of the blade so I could be on the (almost) same spots. These two images are after 10 strokes of 5k stone.


How bad is it to have asymmetric bevel? Should I try to hone the bevel to be symmetric with 1K?



With my session of honing with 5K and 8K, I can't really tell any progress with different stages of honing. Can you?
Is there conclusions that can be drawn out from the images?
Aside the fact that it's difficult to focus with the scope....



Same from the other side of the blade:



(Edited to fix the images)

i'm no pro so hopefully one of them will come along but there is really no way to rate your bevel or edge with out actually holding the razor and trying it out.....how does it shave?? i microscope/loupe doesn't tell sharpness or keenness....i "looks" nice but looks really mean nothing in the end......for example i have an OLD razor with wicked honewear and a not straight bevel that shaves great...and new razors that have a straight looking bevel that looks great but isn't really set so doesn't shave a all.

Wow, first reply before I had finished updating the attachments.
How does it shave?
It shaves, doesn't give any burn, but certainly could be sharper.

Looks like one side of the razor doesn´t touch the hone. on the side with the narrow bevel, what does the toe and heel look like? If the bevel widens at the toe and heel, maybe you have to try honing of the bottom half of your stone.

lol Please don´t mind the bad drawing. I just want to illustrate that if you have a razor with a slight warp, maybe trying to hone off the edge of the hone as illustrated will help.
(drawing with a mouse is next to impossible)

I'm not sure it's possible to judge an edge based on photos, because the angle of the lighting can have really drastic effects on the appearance of the edge.

I personally don't look at honed razors under magnification, but the microchips in your last photo (30 strokes @ 8k) don't look good to me. Then again, I could be totally wrong and they may be absolutely insignificant.

Asymmetrical bevel doesn't matter in the least so long as the edge is good.

30 strokes at 8k looks to me like you got a lot of micro-chipping.

Originally Posted by finrazer

[...] the 3,5 and 8k are naniwa super stones. I've made sure the bevel is set by spending a lot of time with the 1K hone.

What are you using for your 1k?

Originally Posted by Martin103

30 strokes at 8k looks to me like you got a lot of micro-chipping.

Fo sho. You're doing nice light strokes on the 8k? I liked this thread in Advanced Techniques: http://straightrazorpalace.com/advan...sses-pics.html really shows you how too much pressure affects the edge on finer stones. Perhaps you just need to 'lighten up a bit' Compare your scope pics to the ones there as a guide, experiment and enjoy! I just ordered a scope from tha Bay: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/2MP-800X-USB-...item1c24dd3dbc I hope it works gud! Still waiting for the 60-100X pocket scope to show too. Hopefully tomorrow.

Originally Posted by nikolasnjerve

Looks like one side of the razor doesn´t touch the hone.

Yea I see that too now for sure. A straight edge can be used to check for a slight warp or smile/frown. If they are present then straight laps aren't going to be what you'll want to use. Swoop for smiles and roll for warps I think?

Some food for thought: Strokes for honing a razor - Straight Razor Place Wiki
Also: Bevel-setting in theory and practice - Straight Razor Place Wiki
what stands out to me in this case under 'Troubleshooting' in the bevel setting wiki is that if there is a slight warp then that will affect the symmetry of the bevel to a degree but the edge will be just as sharp. Ultimate test: in the shave.

@ 3:00min mark Glen says he's using swooping strokes


I'm new to honing as well and the biggest thing I think that's going to help me(aside from the wealth of great info here and you wonderful people) is that I sent some blades to pros and I'm getting a pocket scope and USB scope so I can take pics as a record and a benchmark and be able to see what I'm doing. Now when I go to hone if I'm not getting the same results then I'm doing something wrong.

I'm running into the same frustration as you are, not being able to figure out why Razor A shaves great and Razor B doesn't.

Probably it is a matter of having a feel for when the edge is right. That's what happened while developing straight shaving skills.

What I do know is that if you don't treat it as a hobby and start putting pressure on yourself you'll drive yourself nuts.

How are these guys?