Thread: Setting the Bevel/ Using Coarser Stones Question

When putting a bevel on a steel blade, it is very difficult to avoid creating a bur. You may not notice it, but it's present. The polishing process usually removes it. The occasional harsh edge is sometimes the result of a bur or the jagged edge left after a bur has broken off.

Originally Posted by JeffR

When putting a bevel on a steel blade, it is very difficult to avoid creating a bur. You may not notice it, but it's present. .

Yeah,,, gotta disagree there, sorry,,, with all three points

It is not difficult to avoid it, it is not there even under high magnification if done correctly, and polishing doesn't remove it if it was never there..

I agree with your final point, but that would be the exact reason to never create a burr on a razor edge...


Please do not confuse a burr with the rough jaggedness of a non-complete bevel set...


Creating a burr is just not a desirable way to form a bevel on a razors edge,, Please before you disagree think it through for a second, "What is the difference between a rough edge of a preformed bevel and the rough edge after the burr drops away" You will still need to carefully bring the edge to a fine point and then smooth it out for comfort..

Ok, perhaps our definition of a bur differs. I don't mean a continuous fin of paper thin steel along the entire edge. I'm talking about the tiny bur or burs at different points on the edge as the bevel is formed during the honing process that result in the roughness that you're describing. No worries.

Come to think of it, I recall seeing a razor being dragged across the edge of a stone in a video by gssixgun. That was for the purpuse of... polishing?

Large burs or small, they get formed when steel is ground on any knife edge.

Repeat after me, kids: "A razor is just a knife."

Jeff

Originally Posted by JeffR

Come to think of it, I recall seeing a razor being dragged across the edge of a stone in a video by gssixgun. That was for the purpuse of... polishing?

Large burs or small, they get formed when steel is ground on any knife edge.

Repeat after me, kids: "A razor is just a knife."

Jeff

Sorry but once again I must say, I disagree,,,

I do however admire your simplistic approach to SR shaving in general Jeff I think the minimalist system is a good one, however in this case your lack of technicalities hurts the Newbs understanding of what is really going on... You might want to actually listen to the dialogue in my vid to learn why I do the edge killing stroke...

Simpliy put here, about 75% of the razors I hone are Restorations, and the edge after a restoration is a bit different then a razor that simply needs to be honed... There are some people that believe it is a good idea on all razors for different reasons, I however don't subscribe to that, but I can see some of their logic..

Let's try this one more time for you guys that haven't figured out the Burr problem...

If you raise a burr you have to start the honing process again when the burr breaks off...

If you haven't learned the simple tests (TNT AHT or TPT) to tell you when the bevel is set, I can see the Hamhanded "rub it in the stone until a Burr is formed" approach could be advantagous to you, but it is starting you right back at the same spot as you were at and wasting steel...

I am sorry but you could not be more wrong with the Burr,,, in your words Jeff

"Repeat after me kids" ...

Knives are not razors, your face should not be cut like your Steak when yer done shaving, raising a burr is a waste of steel at best and the path to a rough fragile edge at worst...



Edit:

I was doing some thinking as I was setting up to hone this morning and first off would like to say that I think perhaps Jeff , that we have a semantics issue with the word Burr, but you are actually describing a Knife Burr or Tool burr so I am not sure...

But on that thought lets think this through for a minute,,

1. Raising a burr is not that easy, you have to grind the razor Hard and Long to do it, and go right past the correct stopping point in the bevel setting stage where the two sides of the bevel actually meet into a sharp edge..

2. If this was honestly an easy fast shortcut, don't you think that those of us that hone professionally would be using it, I mean really we have used every other way we have thought of to help Newbs conquer the challenge of honing on this Forum, and used every way possible to teach people..
Don't you guys think if this was as easy and sure fire as you are saying we would take the time to teach all this, if we could have just said "Grind that thing until you raise a burr then polish it out"

Please think it through, you are steering people in the wrong direction....

To the op: are you talking about maintaining your daily shaver?

If you are then you would use the 4k very rarely. The finer hones will bring back a used edge very quickly. No need to go down to 4k. Also diamond on felt really gets you sharp again.

Michael