Thread: honing without scales on razor

I honed 2 razors after cleaning them without the scales, they came out like garbage, not sharp shaved with them.there pulling.. do scales give u more balance leverage??
I thought the bevel was set.. do.i go back to.a conservative pyramid?? Strop with diamond ?? Plus i think i forgot to strop.them after i honed not sure lol.

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Well if you look at one piece razors such as Charlie Lewis makes then the answer is no you don't need them..I am not sure the length is the same but on that principle you should not "have to".
Now as far as balance is concerned that is another thing. I would imagine that it helps to have them so that you make sure things are nice and level when honing.

I have honed with and without scales. It is different, but the goals of each step are the same (I am sure that comes as no shock).

Do what works best for you, but realize that some razors have heavy tangs and scales, others don't. If you want to hone your honing, you should aim to get great results regardless of the bias of the razor/handle. OTOH, if you only want great results on a few razors you own that are all similar, then figure out what works best for you (perhaps scales on?) and stick with it.

i was gonna try it myself but i thought of situations were ive been to much on the edge (ect) while putting the scales back on so i passed ... plus the razor i was gonna try has a very short tang ..

I don't like handling sharp razors out of the scales; not the safest thing for you or the blade, IMO.

The scales to give some balance; one piece razors handle totally differently because the blades tend to be shorter. And there is still the handle for some balance.

Also, if you get used to honing razors with scales, not having the scales will take some getting used to, just as a change of routine.