Thread: My d&$@ boker

I have no idea what's going on with this boker but I'm just trying to get the bevel set on darn thing using a norton 1k. And I can get the heal and alittle bit of the middle and the toe I know it sounds weird but I can't get the middle portion to pop hairs like I can the heal and toe do. Any suggestions will help

I had the same problem a couple weeks ago...heel and toe were fine but the the middle wouldn't get a good bevel set. Turned out, I hadn't gone long enough on the 1k and just 50 more strokes brought it right back up to snuff. Gunsight the razor to make sure that it's not warped as that is a whole other set of problems. It can take quite a while sometimes to set a proper bevel...if you lose too much patience, put a piece of electrical tape on the spine and that should quicken the process and save the razor from too much hone wear.

I do use tape already and I'll guess I'll stay on the 1k till its all there

Did you check for a frown? Even a barely perceptible one will vex you. Ofc, this is coming from a former coticule die hard, and I'm not sure how much extra honing it'd take with a 1k to get rid of one if it's there. Magic marker test it?

Six months ago, I had acquired a beautiful razor, shave ready (EXCEPT the last 1/2 inch to the toe). Noticed this on the first shave, smooth shave except the last 1/2 inch, which left the hair on the face. Worked it for "8" hours, shave testing as I went along.
The edge appeared flat, as the water flowed over the razor evenly, as I worked the various stones. Went to bed thinking about it. The conclusion for this newbie honer was that the last 1/2 inch was simply not touching the stones, as was the rest of the blade. I used the back side of my DMT 325 as a flat surface to test the blade. I got a pen light and turned the lights down in the kitchen; I laid the blade on the DMT and shined the light under it, from the back. The edge blocked the light, all but the last 1/2 inch, which shined through, underneath the edge. The blade was not flat. I went back to the stones and applied pressure with my finger on the toe (last 1/2 inch). In 20 minutes, she was shave ready and is in my rotation today. I just have to remember that this razor must be handled differently when honing.
Just a thought.

Applying pressure to the blade to force it to contact the stone will cause more problems than it solves. Doing so may seem to temporarily 'fix' the issue - but if you think about the blades geometry, and what happens if you flex or stress the blade to make contact - you'll see that somewere up the line your downward pressure at the heel will negatively affect the bevel, spine, edge, or all three. You can't just press in one place without exerting force in other areas - the blade is too stiff for that to work correctly.
Depending on the actual cause of the issue - a rolling x-stroke, use of a narrow hone, or a combination of both of those options, could be a better solution.

Use a 45 degree heel forward stroke depending on the warp or problem even more heel forward might be needed...
this eliminates all the honing gymnastics, thinner hones, rolling, rocking, and all other voodoo magic

If you can master this simple stroke, and use it corectly I promise your level of frustration honing "bad" bevels will drop substantially, and you will end up with much more even bevels

Originally Posted by Gamma

Applying pressure to the blade to force it to contact the stone will cause more problems than it solves. Doing so may seem to temporarily 'fix' the issue - but if you think about the blades geometry, and what happens if you flex or stress the blade to make contact - you'll see that somewere up the line your downward pressure at the heel will negatively affect the bevel, spine, edge, or all three. You can't just press in one place without exerting force in other areas - the blade is too stiff for that to work correctly.
Depending on the actual cause of the issue - a rolling x-stroke, use of a narrow hone, or a combination of both of those options, could be a better solution.

i am really feeling the rolling lately, but if the spine is straight (and the edge truly is a frown) at times i'll just use a normal a normal stroke like red96ta

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.

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