Thread: King Razor honing, help please!

Ok, I need some input from people with experience honing King razors. I know Lynn likes these razors.

I have three razors from King Razor Mfg. The first one I selected to hone was the King's Double Temper Razor. I have honed many of my other razors, Carbon and Stainless alike to a shave ready edge. Well, I have to say this razor has left me frustrated and excited at the same time. I spent longer trying to hone this then my Friodur.

This steel must be HIGH CARBON. I can't wait to get this shave ready! It should hold an edge like Excalibur.

After spending about 45 minutes trying to set the bevel on my Norton 220/1k I get nothing like a cutting edge. I have a better edge on my butter knives. On the plus side it does not appear to be taking too much steel. So I am confident that I am not just wearing away the blade.

This is hands down the most difficult bevel I have tried to set.

Is the steel from this blade that hard, or so I need to whet my stone with sulphuric acid to set the bevel on these?

Can I get any recommendations? I'm still a noob to honing, and I just don't want to damage the razor.

Are all the razors from the King Razor this hard to hone, or is it just the Double Temper?

Here's a few pics. These are someone else pics (I was lazy), but it is the same model razor (scales and all).

If you aren't already using tape, try one layer and see what happens.

Originally Posted by myersn024

If you aren't already using tape, try one layer and see what happens.

Did it!

I always use 1 layer of tape.

I have honed in circles until my wrist hurt. The tape started to wear so I removed it and put new tape on and continued.

The metal just seems very hard.

I even tried firm pressure while honing. Maybe why the tape started to wear.

Some of these American steel razors can be a bit tricky to get them going...

Haven't written this in awhile But:


When you hit a stone wall (pun intended) stop, relax take a breath, then change something...

Add slurry, subtract slurry, add 1 layer of tape (to what is there now), change stones, go one grit higher, go one grit lower, change the stroke from Circles, to Japanese, to heel forward, to 45 degree, add the second hand, subtract the second hand, but don't keep doing the same thing if there is no progress...

Move in 20 laps increments ie: do 20 laps and check, if it didn't help switch someting, and do more 20 laps, keep changing until something bites into the edge and you get a scratch pattern difference...

I had one razor like yours... after two HOURS on 220 Norton I give up. I took DMT325 and got it right after 25 min. BTW razor come out extremely sharp after I was done with honing. I was very surprised by blade sharpness... I also cut myself this blade. Only cut ever and only this blade.

Originally Posted by KindestCutOfAll

I have three razors from King Razor Mfg. The first one I selected to hone was the King's Double Temper Razor. I have honed many of my other razors, Carbon and Stainless alike to a shave ready edge. Well, I have to say this razor has left me frustrated and excited at the same time. I spent longer trying to hone this then my Friodur.
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I've only honed my fidour 13/16 wedge, but it went really easy, did i just get lucky? I've seen them referenced to be hard to hone more than once.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

When you hit a stone wall (pun intended) stop, relax take a breath, then change something...

Add slurry, subtract slurry, add 1 layer of tape (to what is there now), change stones, go one grit higher, go one grit lower, change the stroke from Circles, to Japanese, to heel forward, to 45 degree, add the second hand, subtract the second hand, but don't keep doing the same thing if there is no progress...

Move in 20 laps increments ie: do 20 laps and check, if it didn't help switch someting, and do more 20 laps, keep changing until something bites into the edge and you get a scratch pattern difference...

What is japanese?

What is japanese?[/QUOTE]

I think what glen means by japanese is the back n forth stroke, heel forward.

I will have to find a video of someone honing that way, sounds odd, but hey I've done some strange stuff and ended up with a good edge.

is it the pic or the blade has a frown?
Ina any case keep working the 1k

+1 to mainaman's comment... can't move on from the 1k until it's right.

do you have any way to look at the edge under magnification to see what might be going on?