Thread: Take two: Learning how to set bevel - again.

I will fill in few more things, now that I have gotten a little sleep. First, I am doing bevel setting, not refreshing. And that is the culprit. Getting close enough without going over. Once I am close I can move to the 3k hone.

The swedish frameback has a strong smile to it. Therefore circles are out of the question and normal 45-degree heel first stroke only gets the middle of the edge. I have adapted instead a 45-degree rolling-x stroke with a swoop at the end to catch the tip too. I am paying careful attention to the way the water flows on the hone so that I make contact along the whole edge. The heel on the backside needs to be pushed slightly (laying a finger) to make contact. My strokes are not perfect, but I do not believe that is the root of the problem.

Should less pressure be used with a frameback that has a smile, when setting a bevel? I.e. does it flex more than a full-hollow blade? What happens if I keep going on the 1k hone with pressure? A wire edge, dull razor?

From last night I learned that it is no use moving up the hones if the bevel is not perfect. The higher grit hones just wont get you there in reasonable time. Even though it will cut hair, the shave wont be good. Another thing I learned was how important it is to correctly analyze the edge (magic marker). And then lay out good strokes that consistently make contact on both sides. Brainlessly just honing away will never do it (unless you are real lucky).

There is something missing in all of the instructions written by others and that is the part I am missing.

Could it be that I am killing the edge as I clean the blade from the residue? I use a cloth and swipe from heel to toe and backwards simultaneously.