Thread: Norton troubles

As suggested above do the meagic marker test, that will tell you what part of the edge is not contacting the stone if any. When you find out how the razor contacts the stone, you will have to proceed to fixing the spine if needed. When the spine is fixed the bevel will establish. I can see also you are well into the stabilizers of the razor that also can play a role in setting the bevel, makes the process slower.

I whole heartedly agree with the above advice, and also, the more time you spend try to get this razor in shape, the practice your getting with you honing technique, very good as it will make you a true honer with a little time.
Just like mastering a musical instrument, it comes down the practice, practice,practice!!
It's a fun hobby, welcome abord!!

tinkersd

The hone wear on the spine doesn't look that bad to me, but..... it's hard to make that determination based on the pics. Since you're that far into the stabilizer, there could be an issue with the geometry of the blade. If it were mine, I'd put a layer or two of tape on it and hone it that way and see what happens. There are razors out there, and I as well as many other have them, that just won't get sharp without a layer or two of tape.

I just tried the magic marker test. I coated the bevel with the sharpie and tried various strokes (recoating each time) to see where it wears off. It completely wears off in the 95% of the blade. The only places where it doesn't wear off is the heel and point. To hit the point, I have to do x strokes. To get heel, I have to put my finger on it when honing.

I'm really stumped. I have been at it for the last 2 hours and the blade is showing no progress. I really don't know what to try next. Although I'm sure that it's most likely a matter of my technique, but is it possible that the blade is just... bad? I've looked over other threads and it seems I'm not the only one having trouble with it . Though, the other person having difficulties admits he's new, as well.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...rd-larkin.html

Was able to get the razor sharp! Unfortunately, I didn't use norton to do it. I spoke to Larry and he advised me to strop on iron oxide and chromium oxide before stropping on leather. After I followed his suggestion, I was actually able to pop some hair. I even did 3 pass shave with it. The edge isn't as sharp as it could be but this means the problem is definitely in my honing rather than the blade.

Based on this, can someone recommend additional things to try on norton to get the same edge as I was able to get with iron oxide and chromium oxide?

One thing I can tell you is that pressure varies from blade to blade. What is light to one blade, may not be enough pressure for the other.
When I say pressure, is the pressure on the edge of the blade. Torquing the blade to have the edge move water across the stone is what I use. Don't have norton stones ( shapton glass) but those have been my observation on the few blades I have hone so far (read no expert, more like noob).
So even dough the marker is getting hit, the pressure is not enough to affect the edge. One point, too much pressure and the edge goes dull and have to start again.
So you see how tricky this is!
Keep at it with the stone, your almost there. You will get sharp with the stones, then smooth and sharp with the sprays. Good luck Double O!

It's a geometry problem, not a stone problem. Try adding tape, or just hone using strops. No shame in that.

When you get close as you are describing, doing a couple final pyramid X strokes, weight of the blade may help you. I would do 1 stroke on the 4K followed by 3 on the 8K and then do 1 stroke on the 3K followed by 5 on the 8K. Also just an additional 3-5 X strokes with weight of the blade only pressure may do the trick too.

Part of the problem you are having and this is tough for a new guys is that it looks like the wear on the spine is heavy and not the same on both sides of the razor. This makes it a little more difficult usually to get the bevel set properly.

Have fun.

I would try 1-2 layers of tape on that one because of spine wear, plus what been mentioned above. Some blades are just a pain and a worn spine like that one just make it worse.

I've managed to break new ground today: I got the razor to pop hair without chromium oxide! I used 1 layer of tape to cover both side of the spine and another layer of tape to cover only the side where the wear was heavy. After that, I started to see improvement in honing and the edge finally started to get sharp.

The shave is still not impressive, though. The edge is not sharp enough to shave against grain without some pulling. With the grain, the razor still leaves some hair uncut. There is a bit of razor rash, too.

This is exciting as I'm finally starting to get somewhere. I will try putting 2 layers of tape on the side that has more wear next.

Thanks for the help.