Thread: Slight smiles and other blade issues.

My biggest issue when honing seems to come from blades that have developed a smile or were intentionally crafted this way. I've watched videos and read theories about what to do to hone blades like these but am having no luck.

When I hone a 'straight' blade, I am able to get excellent shaves out of it. BUT, when honing anything with a smile I am struggling to get the toe of the blade to even begin cutting hair...

Does anyone have advice they can give me?

What I've tried: swooping/rolling x strokes, heel forward strokes, applying greater pressure when honing the toe, slightly lifting the blade when the toe is getting close to the edge of the hone on an x stroke.

At what point do you suggest hitting the 400 or 1k and bevel setting to remove enough steel to hone past the smile?

Am I even making sense!??

Perhaps I don't know what I'm talking about either.... I just read a few threads about warped blades and this blade does sound similar in some regards. When the blade is laying on a flat surface the face side looks to be completely flat. When laying on the reverse side the toe is up off the hone a fraction of an inch. There is a very slight smile to the blade as well though.

Have you read this 1961 barber manual honing excerpt PDF from the SRP help files 'here' ? Take a look at what they say. IMO honing the smile out of a razor is not a solution. I'd sell or trade it before I did that. I , like the manual says, try to put a smile in them if they don't have one.

Anyway, people have been honing smiling razors for a couple of hundred years and you can too. Look at your old Sheffield wedges, the smile is the rule, not the exception. Just hang in there and keep at it. This PDF helped me. Disburden (Nick) mentioned keeping your elbow higher to put more on the point end of the blade when doing the stroke. Give that a try.

You need to try the magic marker trick and find out what stroke gets the bevel to contact the stone during the stroke.
It could be you have two different strokes on each side as well, but you have to try to know what will work.
Typically for smiling blades and warped ones rolling x will work well.

Jimmy, went and tested the theory right away... I'm cutting hair on the toe! I feel like I was doing the same stroke as before but I exaggerated the movement and BAM, cutting hair! You are a genius

Originally Posted by brooksie967

You are a genius

Don't encourage him.

Stefan, I don't know why I didn't try that on this blade.... I've done it on others and see my buddy Ironsidegnr do it all the time...

I'm lucky, I'm in the military and live in military housing in Greenwood, Nova scotia. The past two days I had a team of workers replacing EVERY window in my house so I got to stay home and blab on here and get great tips from all of you! Thanks again!

Now that I have it cutting hair throughout the length of the blade I just have to spend the time making it 'perfect' Thanks again guys.