Thread: Help with honing

It is either the razor or technique.

First we eliminate the razor as the issue, or we are all just guessing.

We know he is not honing to the edge in the middle, what we need to know is why.

I just took a slight frown out of a blade the other day by dragging the blade sideways rather than lengthwise (bread knifing), on a DMT 325 diamond at a 45 degree angle on both sides. It took the frown out very quickly. I thought I would just try it & it worked & automatically made the edge flat.

Well first I want to thank everyone for taking the time and giving me some ideas. However I failed to resolve the issue.
First I used the sharpie test and I believe the razor passed; hopefully you can see it in the picture -- provided I uploaded them properlyt. I didn't take any chance and used the bread-knife technique on a DMT to ensure I had a flat edge. I then went to LA's videos on honing to make sure I had the steps and process down pat. I even taped the spine which I don't usually do. The outcome was the same front and back would shave but not the middle.
I know have to decide if the Fromm Eagle SS razor has enough value to justify sending to SRP honing service. I can also now lose sleep over worrying that I have lost the little skill I had and will fail to hone my other razors when I next need to.

Don't do that to yourself & think that you have lost your skill! You are better than that. Just looking at the middle pic, it might be the light but it looks like it has a slight frown right where the light is. Looks like more hone wear to the middle but like I said, it might just be the light. Maybe it's just me but it just looks that way to me. Don't give up my friend. Is there anyone in your area that can be of some help to you? Did you try the sharpie test after you bread knifed it & honed it? The blade is either bent or has a frown. It has to for it to do that but it isn't you! I will keep thinking about this!!!!!!

lloks like hone wear in the middle to me as well, too much pressure in the middle of strokes or softer steel there,maybe?

Well pressure may be some of the issue. I rested my index finger on the center of the blade. Did not think I was adding much pressure but could be; felt like I was keeping the blade flat to the stone better than just holding the tang. That is a change and could be the issue. I will rest a couple of days and give it a go again keeping my finger off the blade. Also I went over the blade with a 10x loop and while it may be a bad hone it is the same for the full length of the blade. I will be back to all in a couple of days.

A great man once said " honing is easy till it ain't" if you send it out at least you might save it before something bad happens. Tc

The blade appears to have a bit of hone ware, but nothing that would keep it from honing.

From the looks of the ink you are hitting the middle, but not the heel and toe. If you are putting pressure in the middle that is probably your issue, it does not take much to flex the blade, bottom line the bevel is not set.

Ink the edge by running a sharpie lightly on the edge, this is also a good chip test, you will feel a snag on a micro chip. Then look at the edge with your loupe. You will see the ink on the edge, colored ink (I use red) works best, black looks too much like a shadow.

Tape the spine with one layer of tape and set the bevel with heel forward, X strokes. The X stroke will alternate the pressure from the heel to the middle and the toe on each stroke.

Check the edge after each set of 20 laps, by looking straight down on the edge with the loupe, the ink will show up if not removed.

What stone are you using to bevel set?

Surprisingly you can set a bevel on a 12K Super Stone in 50-100 laps, depending how deep you bread knifed the edge. Do not use your DMT to set the bevel.

How many laps have you done on the bevel so far, after bread knife?

I doubt anything is wrong with the stone. It is just a pressure issue.

Use this method for checking for a fully set bevel,

Here

Don’t give up yet.

A couple things are happening, 1. The razor has some issues that require some technique, as Glen says… gymnastics.

2. Once you alter the edge by bread knifing, it is no longer a straight touch up or just a re-hone, it is now a repair and with that come additional issues and technique, to identify and overcome them.

3. It is a pressure issue. Knowing when, how much and how to use pressure comes with experience. Not knocking the OP, but folks touch up a razor by doing a couple laps on a finish stone, all goes well and then say “Oh, this ain’t so hard”.

There is no way I know of describing to someone in writing, how much pressure to use.

90 percent of honing is identifying problems.

So don’t give up yet…I think you are real close.

Hey brother don't feel bad. I am learning as well and it is rough. I have had lots of success but have had my share of issues. For example, I have a vintage Boker that I had shave ready and it was a smooth shaver. Welp.... I got a loupe and noticed some chips on the very very end of the toe. Never effected my ability to shave. I had to be a hero and take those chips out. I have honed that razor 2 times since and I can't get it back to what it was when I first honed it. Meanwhile I have put great edges on at least 10 other razors. It is baffling at times. Stick with it.