Thread: My d&$@ boker

Originally Posted by Gamma

If the blade is warped, how does angling or positioning the heel forward (to the toe) keep the entire blade in contact with the stone?

Experience... You have to "Master" that system once you do it is way easier and way more accurate of a bevel.. But like any other stroke you have to learn how to use it same as you had to learn the Rocking X it took you practice.. The real difference is in the Feedback that you get along the entire edge as you hone, you can feel the problem areas, and correct them...,

A high majority of restores that I do are older Sheffield near wedges, I also end up with many of them to hone, most have been abused with "Honing Gymnastics" and have multiple bevels.. I can actually feel the "Bumpity Bump" as they slide down the hone.. You can hone around them and leave the same probelms, but sharpen the very edge, or you can correct the edge and eliminate those issues.. By using the 45 degree stoke correctly you are left with a smooth even bevel, and the real benefit is that once you learn it your honing is actually easier....

Please don't take my word for it just try it yourself, once you get the stroke adjusted right, you will feel it for yourself...

Alex/philadelph, Charlie/Spazola, and myself all have videos of basically the same stoke used on smiling edges it also works for warps etc: watch all of them and then adapt it to your needs... There are slight differences in all our styles but the principle is the same

Originally Posted by Tylerbrycen

After I'm done cleaning the house I'll get to trying glens technique

Tyler, sounds like you've got a lucky wife!! Keep on keepin on!!

Regards,

Howard

One thing I would encourage you guys to do is to watch the water displacement as you are making your strokes across the stone. Many times this will show you where you are not keeping the blade flat throughout your strokes. I have seen many many guys learning to hone who think they are keeping the razor flat across the stone and are not. The 45 degree angle X stroke that Glen is talking about is a very good alternative, especially for one that already has some uneven wear on it.

Have fun.

On moving the water, I also watch for a little undercut of the water. An even unset bevel can move water evenly but the bevel is still not set. FWIW

Regards,

Howard

Most of the blades I get in that people think are warped are really not. What has happened is that because they have been honed with uneven pressure, the wear is uneven. Can't put the steel back on and in most cases a little pressure with circles can get them back into service with a new bevel. In severe cases and I have seen thousands and thousands of them the 45 degree angle and the rolling X are excellent tools to get the job done. In most cases unless you really layer up with tape, you will still get a reflection of the uneven wear on the spine in the bevel. This throws a lot of new guys honing as they pay too much attention to how this looks. You are actually trying to establish a good bevel at the edge vs. redesigning the bevel to look the same across the top of it.

Have fun.

Originally Posted by Gamma

Gssixgun - question;
If the blade is warped, how does angling or positioning the heel forward (to the toe) keep the entire blade in contact with the stone?
I generally start with that stroke in most cases, just so I don't clip the shoulder - but with a problem spine/blade I still wind up having to roll the blade.

This usually is indicative of a more serious problem. You can really see what is going on when the razor wear is like this with the naked eye on examination or with the use of a magic marker. I find this a lot with new guys who use tape and then extremely flatten out bevels unevenly. In most cases, it is a matter of recognizing it and getting rid of the steel on the high parts by concentrating your pressure on them with circles and then blending the area with X strokes.

Originally Posted by SirStropalot

On moving the water, I also watch for a little undercut of the water. An even unset bevel can move water evenly but the bevel is still not set. FWIW

Regards,

Howard

Originally Posted by Lynn

In most cases, it is a matter of recognizing it and getting rid of the steel on the high parts by concentrating your pressure on them with circles and then blending the area with X strokes.

Read that part again, fix the issue then blend it all together that deserved a bit more than a simple +1 hehehe

In going to do Lynns famous circles and I'll try glens heal leading and if I still can't seem to get the edge right I'll send to glen probly or Lynn which ever and let u guys have a crack at it do u can tell me what u think of the blade

Bumpity bump - hehe... I've been calling that sensation 'bumples' for a long while, and I've always hesitated telling anyone about that because I thought they would think I'm nuts.
Removing the bumples was how I round using heel-forward in the first place.
Before that I was working with an "S" or snake type stroke... but that just kept messing with the scratch patterns...
Ok - so - if I got this right - then what Gssixgun is saying with using the heel-forward stroke on a blade that isn't lying flat on the stone is about evening out the spinewear... so then the blade will contact the stone across the entire length. If that's right - then I get it.

Yes if you want to work out the spine, you can also just use 2 layers of tape and work on the edge...

Please understand that there is no "one" fix all, each razor is different, so you have to adapt the Heel forward stroke to fit each razor, as you get used to the motion you are going to find that you can adapt a rolling motion along with the Heel forward stroke..and it will give you the best of both worlds

The advice about watching the bead of water will help you find the right stroke, you can use a magic marker but myself I like watching the water and working by the feel of the steel when it goes to a nice smooth feel I know I am getting someplace...