Thread: Shumate cracked

I keep the pressure the same thru out the honing process, till the final passes on the finisher.

What you need, is to torque/twist the razor, while maintaining slight downward pressure to the spine. Learn to do that, it makes honing a razor a lot easier.

Its a balancing act that takes time to aquire.

Perfect, thank you for the specifics and the encouragement. I had another crack at bevel set at 1K with no more success.
I went to another razor to test if the edge on shining would disappear again at 4K and it did but this white line from side view stayed. So I went back to the shoemate and did a bunch of work, medium pressure making swafe to feather light on the 4K with the same result; from edge on their is no white line but from the side there is. Maybe it is an idiosyncrasy of LED lighting from all directions on digital 40/1000magnifacation.
I do have belormo 10x coming,
I have not given up bevel set at 1000 but just going to shelve it for a few days. Maybe test a known sound razor at 1000k to see how it looks and tests on thumb nail and under this USB microscope.

Shaving went,well I realized I did not strop before ATG
Just before starting.

Do you all want to test if bevel set at 4k leads to a satisfactory edge?

Thanks!
Matt

Bevel should already be set, at 1k. But if you like honing that much, you can set it with 4k

If your talking a refreshing of a dulling edge, I typically go back to 8k to crisp up the bevel, then to a preferred finisher.

Originally Posted by mattnat

Do you all want to test if bevel set at 4k leads to a satisfactory edge?

Thanks!
Matt

Already done and yes it can

In fact with the proper technique a bevel can be set on just about any Stone/Hone, what we have found over the years is that the 1k is the best target hone for bevel sets.

Lower tends to leave some deeper striations that can lead to a harsh edge. We have different techniques to do lower end repair/restore work when using the low grit hones and plates that tear up steel

Higher tends to waste time without giving any advantage..

ps:

Read what Outback wrote again it is an important aspect of honing to learn, which many people fail to grasp or even mention..

Originally Posted by outback

I keep the pressure the same thru out the honing process, till the final passes on the finisher.

What you need, is to torque/twist the razor, while maintaining slight downward pressure to the spine. Learn to do that, it makes honing a razor a lot easier.

Its a balancing act that takes time to aquire.

This was repeated enough on here, for quite a few Threads to be done about the 1k Shave

Originally Posted by Tathra11

When I started honing razors I found it really difficult to grasp the whole 'bevel set' thing. I just didn't get it. Took me lotsa wasted steel but I eventually got there. I was amazed at how bloody sharp a 1k edge can be .

This is just one of them

I think, in the distant and not so distant past we have discussed how the 1k and 4k hones can do just about everything that needs being done to maintain a razor and bring a dud back to life. Many have shaved off the 4k and gotten a great shave.

It's all like the guy who has a garage full of tools and has no clue how to use them. Like they say it's not so much the tools but knowing how to use them. You can accumulate a load of hones and many are nice to use and some can be used for specialized tasks and many are for that nth degree of result which is like a dog chasing his tail. You never get it.

What less experienced folks don’t understand is that what grits that you use to set a bevel depends on what condition the edge is in, and how much time that you want to spend on it. Just like Mike and Glen said.

If the edge is just worn from shaving but the bevel is well developed, I usually do 4k, 8k, and JNat. I could substitute a 12k Naniwa for the 4k and 8k, but 4k and 8k is faster. If you need to set a bevel on something like an eBay special where the bevel is not properly formed, you can do that with a 12k but it will take a long time. Something like a 1k stone is a lot faster, but not necessarily any better.

So you kind of have to think about what shape the edge is in and how much time you want to spend. Rough bevel, rough stone, fine bevel, fine stone.

Personally, I spend more time than maybe I should on finer grits with nice old razors, because you can’t put steel back on a razor, and going slower means minimizing the steel loss when correcting years of wear. But this approach can be frustrating at times.

Remember, running water created the grand canyon. It took a loooong time but it worked.

I see more prospective new honers than not go to microscopic images to hopefully learn.
Trust me. A blazing TPT off a 1K will benefit you more than microscopic images.

We are honing razors. Not splitting atoms.

Put in the work and learn to shave off the 1K or at least know when you can.
Rest is usually gravy.

Should be no need to strop in between passes. That is just silly.

Step one two and three, including 4, 5 and 6 is learning when the bevel is set. And to "know" this you need to hone a lot of razors. Or do a lot of bevel setting on a few razors. Time and practice are key.

Don't know how I missed this thread for so long but a lot of good advice given by a bunch of different members.

One thing I would recommend is to use something finer than the 240 diamond plate to lap your stones. I prefer SIC powder on a glazed floor tile. The grit of the powder depends on the grit of the stone. SIC also doesn't leave the stone with the deep scratches because it is not bound to a plate and it breaks down in size as it is used.