Thread: bevel setting problem: uneven bevel width?

Good day,

this is a really beginner bevel setting question here: I am trying to set bevel on a hollow ground razor. The bevel width is uneven throughout the length of the blade and it has a different shape on each side of the blade. for example: on one side of the blade the bevel is thin in the center and wide on heel and toe. on the other side the bevel width gets gradually wider from heel to toe.

the blade is flat, I mean there is no frown or smile. I hone with no tape and I try to slurry up my Norton 1k to speed up the process.
I try doing circles, half strokes and x strokes to bite enough into fresh steel until the bevel is nice and even on both sides. I try to keep the pressure very constant, but unfortunately I seem to be having the same pattern on the bevel just the length of the razor getting shorter and shorter!!

Any help is appreciated.

Dan

To start with I would advise using one layer of electrical tape until you get more "chops" when it comes to honing. This way you won't cause undue wear on the spine while you're in the learning stages. If the bevel is uneven after doing what you have described I would think there might be a slight warp in the spine or it was unevenly ground to begin with. Is it a new razor ? It could have been improperly honed to that state too. Anyway, this is where the marker test, blacking the razors edge with a marker and doing a few strokes to see where it is making contact, pays off.

You may need to do a modified , perhaps rolling, X stroke even though the blade is not a smiling one. Also, while an even bevel is esthetically pleasing, it is not a prerequisite for a shave ready razor. Some of them are just a bit out of whack and the bevel won't be consistent from one side to the other , or even from end to end on either side.

Thank you very much JimmyHAD
OK I thought maybe adding tape would make things worse, that is why I took off the tape. It is a NOS 6/8 George Butler Sheffield razor I would say full hollow to extra hollow. I am setting the bevel for the first time. so you say I should use some black permenant marker and blacken the bevel?

Thanks
Dan

Try the tape, but don't obsess over bevel evenness. I've got some fantastic shavers with slightly warped spines (and therefore uneven bevels). Use a Sharpie on the edge and see if you're removing it all (at the *edge*) when you hone. If so, you're hitting the whole edge, and you should be good to go -- uneven bevel or not.

Originally Posted by danielghofrani

Thank you very much JimmyHAD
OK I thought maybe adding tape would make things worse, that is why I took off the tape. It is a NOS 6/8 George Butler Sheffield razor I would say full hollow to extra hollow. I am setting the bevel for the first time. so you say I should use some black permenant marker and blacken the bevel?

Thanks
Dan

Dan, just FYI, when I began fooling with honing I messed with razors that I wouldn't even consider buying today. Something like what you've got there I would either send to Lynn to hone so I would get a first class job and have a razor to shave with and to compare my efforts to.IOW I started out with razors that I didn't care if I messed them up. Getting razors honed by Lynn and a few other meisters allowed me to feel the edges and look at them under magnification. That is how I discovered that an absolutely scratch free, shiny bevel was not necessary for a shave ready razor. Anyway ....

Yeah, take some marker and blacken the edge. Do a couple of strokes and see if you're removing the marker. It will let you know if you're making contact edge to stone. It is a PITA to remove if you go ahead and keep honing and sharpen the razor before taking it off. When I use it I wipe it off with lighter fluid as soon as I know what stroke works ..... 'cause I have it. You can also use nail polish remover ( naphtha, same as lighter fluid) and I've heard alcohol works well but I haven't tried it. Go to the SRP library and check out the rolling x. Glen or Lynn may have a video showing the technique as well ...... dunno.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Dan, just FYI, when I began fooling with honing I messed with razors that I wouldn't even consider buying today. Something like what you've got there I would either send to Lynn to hone so I would get a first class job and have a razor to shave with and to compare my efforts to.IOW I started out with razors that I didn't care if I messed them up. Getting razors honed by Lynn and a few other meisters allowed me to feel the edges and look at them under magnification. That is how I discovered that an absolutely scratch free, shiny bevel was not necessary for a shave ready razor. Anyway ....

Yeah, take some marker and blacken the edge. Do a couple of strokes and see if you're removing the marker. It will let you know if you're making contact edge to stone. It is a PITA to remove if you go ahead and keep honing and sharpen the razor before taking it off. When I use it I wipe it off with lighter fluid as soon as I know what stroke works ..... 'cause I have it. You can also use nail polish remover ( naphtha, same as lighter fluid) and I've heard alcohol works well but I haven't tried it. Go to the SRP library and check out the rolling x. Glen or Lynn may have a video showing the technique as well ...... dunno.

Thanks for the reply. Actually I would prefer to mess around with cheap razors but unfortunately this one is my cheapest. (I have a now useless kabeso but I have deformed the geometry too much for it to ever become shave ready).

hehe I have lighter fluids for my zippo! I did not understand what you meant by wiping it off. should I not "wipe it off" by honing the blade and removing the steel?

Thanks for the rolling x stroke tip. I was just mentioning an example about the bevel being more narrow at heel and tip. I have a different problem with different blades, that was an example.

mainaman was very kind and honed one of my razors for me I have not shaved with it yet (will do tommorow). it is pretty mirror but not 100% but boy it is sharp (tried popping arm hair above skin).

Thanks JimmyHAD!

Dan

Dan, take a little lighter fluid on a paper towel and carefully wipe off any excess marker. If you're more careful than I am you may only get it in the honing area but I tended to get it up above there too when I used to use it. I rarely do anymore. Just haven't needed to in a pretty good while but it is a good method for seeing where you're at if you're not sure.

Also , the lighter fluid is good for removing tape residue when the spine is taped. Don't make the same mistake I did and leave tape on overnight after a honing session. It may etch a line into the blade where the tape ends and it is sometimes very difficult to remove the mark. Peel it and clean when the session is done and you'll not have that problem.

What kind of marker are you guys using that it is a problem to remove? And even if you couldn't what problem would it cause on a practice blade?

Thanks a lot.
Actually I am not obsessing over the evenness but at some parts of the spine I can see under the loupe that the bevel is sooo narrow that looks like there is no bevel to the naked eye. sadly the edge probing results are worse along those parts of the edge as well.

Originally Posted by 32t

What kind of marker are you guys using that it is a problem to remove? And even if you couldn't what problem would it cause on a practice blade?

I don't like to have magic marker stains along the length of the blade, practice or not. YMMV. If it doesn't bother you wiping it off is optional.