Thread: Honing a Giesen & Forsthoff Timor Special

Ditto to that OCD, and you're correct, the good blades became easy peasy compared to some that i would just have to walk away from before they became a throwing star lol!

I'd like to see a pic of this blade. The one I did recently needed work on the grinder to relieve the heel so it would sit flat on the stones. Then I had to start on a 320 grit stone to get the semblance of a bevel. It was nowhere near close to sharp from the factory.
It did shave well after that. If the geometry is good you may have a lot of bevel work to get it started but if the edge runs into the stabiliser you are fighting a losing battle.

Here's a pic of my G+F. I actually shaved with it the other day & the shave wasn't that bad. It honed up OK, it was just the bevel that was really tough to set!

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

Before you blame the razor OR the job you did honing it, check something out. I find that the edge on my blades often seems to get slightly adjusted with the last stroke on the hone or strop. As such, it cuts that standing hair more efficiently in one direction than the other. But if I give it a 1/2 lap in the opposite direction from the last stroke I made prior, it pushes it in the other direction and I find it cuts just as efficiently as the other direction. Try that before you make any radical honing adjustments that may leave your edge in worse shape.

Thanks for the suggestion. As I posted after yours I have already reworked the blade and gotten a good result. I'll try your suggestion in the future though as I suspect at least part of my problem was uneven pressure on the forward/back stroke.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

The way that the bevel looks is simply cosmetic. There is no reason that the bevel needs to be even on both sides or even from heel to toe. So long as the bevel is set, nothing else matters. There is no "problem" and there is nothing to "fix" if your bevel is uneven when properly set. IMO, you are "wasting" steel or removing "excessive" amounts of steel if you try to get the bevel even.

Thanks, I didn't know that and already "wasted" the steel. Good to know for next time though and glad I wasted it on a blade I don't really care that much about.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

I'd like to see a pic of this blade.

I'll try to post a picture later today. Gotta go dig my way out from the blizzard we had yesterday.

Thanks all for the replies.

I still don't think they are worth the effort at this point in time. YMMV. I have messed with hundreds of these and still try a few more every year to see if anything has changed.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...ml#post1070086

Could always use them as a blank for scale mockups, just a thought.

Originally Posted by Lynn

I still don't think they are worth the effort at this point in time. YMMV. I have messed with hundreds of these and still try a few more every year to see if anything has changed.

I haven't honed hundreds but the handful I have honed have been a PITA to set bevels on and finish. Whatever that steel is it's very uncooperative.

Originally Posted by Lynn

I still don't think they are worth the effort at this point in time. YMMV. I have messed with hundreds of these and still try a few more every year to see if anything has changed.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...ml#post1070086

Gotta agree with Lynn. You have to consider you may be up for as much work as a vintage edge rebuild with some of these.