Thread: Frown on Dovo from Stropping?

Originally Posted by AtomJensen

I have a Dovo Ebenholz that I honed up Saturday that has the same heavy bevel at the heel and toe, and a very thin bevel in the middle. I had to work a heck of a frown out of that one. I had a Pearlex that similar issues. In fact, most of the new Dovo's I've touched have some issue or another in this regard. Hopefully I've just had bad luck with them.

Somehow I think that it isn't just us. I also think they know the razors are wonky and why they would continue grinding them like this is beyond my understanding.

Cheers, Steve

Originally Posted by Steve56

Next question, is the frown visible on the bevel on both sides? If not, it may be overground near the center as others have commented. I have a Dovo, a Herder, and a Burrell all NOS when I got them, al are overground in one area but only on one side.

Here's the Dovo. You can see that the bevel is much wider at the heel and toe, that's because it has a low spot in the hollow in the center, and that's how much the toe and heel had to wear for the center of the bevel to hit the stones. The other side is fine, a straight even bevel.

These razors can be honed without incurring the wear on the toe and heel, you'll need to use the side or corner of the hone to get into the low area, or a narrow hone, but honing low areas isn't quite what I want on my personal razors so these usually reside in the 'oh well' drawer.

Cheers, Steve

Are you referring to the frown where the bevel meets the shoulder of the blade? I thought the OP was referring to a frowning blade edge as shown in the SRP library under edge profiles. http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...#Edge_Profiles

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

Are you referring to the frown where the bevel meets the shoulder of the blade? I thought the OP was referring to a frowning blade edge as shown in the SRP library under edge profiles. http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...#Edge_Profiles

Bob

No the frown is just north of center (towards the toe from center) in my image, where the bevel is thinnest. The hollow is low there so less metal hits the stones there, none to begin with.

Cheers, Steve

Little trick

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...-you-leap.html

Often times an uneven bevel will "fool" your eye into seeing a frown that actually isn't there

I think there might have been a bad run of Dovo BQ's 6-7 years ago, I honed about 5 with factory frowns and frowns that came back during honing. Newer ones seem to be fine

Originally Posted by Steve56

No the frown is just north of center (towards the toe from center) in my image, where the bevel is thinnest. The hollow is low there so less metal hits the stones there, none to begin with.

Cheers, Steve

Must be the way/angle the photo was taken because I am having a hard time seeing a frowning blade "edge" but I do see where the bevel narrows. The edge of the blade doesn't appear concave to me from the photo.

Bob

Technically I think Glen's right, a low area in the hollow is not what we usually call a frown, but the simple effect is the same, the low area doesn't hit the hones properly, and it shows up low on the Sharpie test. The actual edge may not frown, there's a good bevel on one side of all three of my examples, but the hone sure isn't hitting the apex on the bad side in the overground area.

Cheers, Steve

Originally Posted by Steve56

Technically I think Glen's right, a low area in the hollow is not what we usually call a frown, but the simple effect is the same, the low area doesn't hit the hones properly, and it shows up low on the Sharpie test. The actual edge may not frown, there's a good bevel on one side of all three of my examples, but the hone sure isn't hitting the apex on the bad side in the overground area.

Cheers, Steve

OK, I was thinking the same way as Glen was. In order for a blade to be considered as having a frown the edge of the blade must be concave not straight or convex as in a smiling blade.

If you have a blade with grind issues or warps/twist you apply the appropriate honing strokes to get a bevel and not create a frown while you are at it. The resulting bevel may be wavy/irregular along where it meets the blade's shoulder but it still will shave well. This kind of problematic blade is not too uncommon from the blades I have honed for myself. I have very few that would lie dead nuts flat on a hone and have an even grind. That is the reason I no longer worry too much how flat my hones are.

Bob