Thread: Frustrated with 1K bevel

Don't know what AHT means, but the second time around after 1K the blade was grabbing on the thumbnail. What's really wierd is that moving up to higher grades seems to dull the edge! Wierd!

Originally Posted by gearhead222

Don't know what AHT means, but the second time around after 1K the blade was grabbing on the thumbnail. What's really wierd is that moving up to higher grades seems to dull the edge! Wierd!

AHT = Arm Hair Test

Originally Posted by gearhead222

Don't know what AHT means, but the second time around after 1K the blade was grabbing on the thumbnail. What's really wierd is that moving up to higher grades seems to dull the edge! Wierd!

That means the Arm Hair Test.
I have written a bit about it in the Library.
Still not a complete article, but it should give you a basic understanding of it

Understood-thanx! BTW, I think that I just recognized your face, Birnando. Don't you have some You Tube straight razor videos? Very educational!

Yep what they said

I you don't get a solid bevel foundation in there you are simply buffing the sides of the bevel and not sharpening the edge..

Why would you drop to the 220 for 100 laps if the razor was sorta shaving the day before.. Basically you wasted all the time you put in before that, and the steel..

I was just stropping up razors and thinking about how many razors I needed to drop below the 1k level on including restores which is actually what I do most of,, The last one was at the Meet in Yakima when we Breadkinfed out a chip, and I had to recontour the entire edge.. I can't remember the one before that... that is a whole lotta razors...

I don't understand the rush, keep doing the 20 circles with pressure 20 circles without pressure and 20 x strokes until you have a positive bevel set,, then smooth it up and continue up the ladder..

Pressure = Never apply enough pressure to flex the blade or you tear the belly out of it, which starts you back at square one again.. Do you understand what I mean when I say that "Tear the Belly out of the blade" ????

Originally Posted by gearhead222

Understood-thanx! BTW, I think that I just recognized your face, Birnando. Don't you have some You Tube straight razor videos? Very educational!

Yes, I have one or two vids on there
Thanks for the kind words, and good eye man!

Dear Gssixgun and Birnando-Thanx again! Although I don't understand about "tearing the belly" out of the blade, I DO understand about not flexing the blade and keeping the entire edge in contact with the stone, ensuring that the blade creates a small wave at all contact points on the stone. Went down to 220 for shits and grins. Although I have been doing 40 circles both directions , I will take your advice and do 20 circles with pressure both forwards and backwards, the same without pressure, and then 20 X strokes. Would straight strokes help also? I guess that I continue to do this at 1K until I can easily shave arm hair, and then perform the same series of strokes at 4K and 8K, letting the slurry dry up instead of keeping the hone wet? That is what I was doing, except for near the end at 8K, where you indicated on one of your videos to wipe off with the finger leaving the stone only slightly wet. Does too wet a stone affect its abrasive qualities? Also going to replane my 8K, as I think that it is slightly uneven and high on one side. Noticed that metal was coming off of the blade near the pivot point of the razor until I switched the stone around. Also, how long does it take for a DMT 320 to wear out? I do scrub it with a bristle brush after planing a stone, but it does have wear marks. Have not used the Norton Nagura simply because I have the DMT 320 and a small Nagura, exactly like used in some honing videos to build up slurry. Although I have sharpened a machete and my work knife using a file and a Hunter Honer respectively, honing a straight razor blade is an entirely different can of beans-each blade seems to be different in how it takes an edge and some blades are definitely easier to hone than others!-Gearhead

When you drop really low in grit or flex the blade it creates deep scratches above the honing bevel line, these in turn have to be honed out or they create a Harsh, Weak, Chippy, edge so you are basically adding work and losing steel ie: you tear out the belly of the blade so you have to re-create it

When you need to really do heavy lifting like that for Restoration get the angle up there so that you are only working the very edge, use at least 3 layers of tape or even a Knife style honing stroke with the spine up.. This easily keeps those deep scratches inside the bevel when you drop the angle, so that you can hone then out... Honestly this is RARE and only for really bad edge not simply dull blades.. Now you of course can do all this the hard way and hone to the bone if want

Basically the only real difference in using the 1k is you are adding that as the bevel set for dull blades so stay there until the Bevel is well and truely set. then when you move up the 4k becomes simply a sharpener, and you can get very light and smooth on it same as the 8k..

Some blades are harder to set the bevel on then others once the bevel is set they are all pretty easy

I think using the various tests for a new honer can be like "flying blind" for a new pilot. The way I evaluate a bevel and edge is to look at it under bright light and a 10X loupe (or naked eye if that is all you have now). The sides of the bevel should meet in an edge that does not reflect light at all. Until you get to that stage, you are just removing metal. Honing and removing metal are two different things.

Thanx again guys. Gssixgun, I realize that it's a touchy subject, but is electrical tape really required if the spine is significantly flattened? Seems to be such a volitile subject. Will try again tonight after work and start at 1K-John