Thread: Really confused with my first wedge like atraight razor shave

It's really pretty easy. It just requires the razor and hone, a magic marker (sharpie or something similar) and a loupe or other magnifyer to help assess the edge.

You just apply ink to the edge - the whole bevel right to the edge. Then do a couple/few strokes on your hone, and then examine the edge. If the ink has been removed *right* to the edge then you are good. That means the bevel is contacting the hone properly. If however the ink is not removed from the edge, then you're experiencing what Hirlau described: honing the bevel's shoulder and not the edge.

It's basically a test to see exactly which bits of the blade are coming into contact with the hone.

Originally Posted by Cangooner

It's really pretty easy. It just requires the razor and hone, a magic marker (sharpie or something similar) and a loupe or other magnifyer to help assess the edge.

You just apply ink to the edge - the whole bevel right to the edge. Then do a couple/few strokes on your hone, and then examine the edge. If the ink has been removed *right* to the edge then you are good. That means the bevel is contacting the hone properly. If however the ink is not removed from the edge, then you're experiencing what Hirlau described: honing the bevel's shoulder and not the edge.

It's basically a test to see exactly which bits of the blade are coming into contact with the hone.

Gonna try that on some of my stubborn straights.
Would you know of a link or thread that shows under magnification what the bevels should look like after good honing processes?

I don't know of any offhand, but you can probably find some here in the forum.

But very briefly, you want to look for an even bevel. I.e. one that is shaped consistently from the shoulder to the edge. When you look at an uneven bevel under magnification it should be pretty easy to spot which areas are contacting the hone properly and which ones aren't. They will have different angles, will reflect light differently, and, well, they just look different.

Because of taping/not taping, technique, and pressure, it is also possible that *your* bevel will not align perfectly with a pre-existing bevel. For example, if the previous owner did not use tape and you add a couple of layers, you may get a perfectly good bevel at the edge that will be distinct from what will look like a secondary bevel, simply because you are dealing with slightly different anlges. Similarly if someone used excessive pressure (although less of an issue with a wedge-y blade) that too can extend a pre-existing bevel up into an area that you may not touch.

Don't worry about that.

Focus instead on whether you are addressing the edge itself. That's the bit that matters.

If its shaving like you say leave it alone
My wedges are the same. Always seem to struggle with the honing and think they are not sharp enough, then I shave and they're perfect.

Originally Posted by England

If its shaving like you say leave it alone
My wedges are the same. Always seem to struggle with the honing and think they are not sharp enough, then I shave and they're perfect.

That's exactly what i am thinking now.

I don't want to touch it at all just want to shave with it again.

But it sucks to know that it is great and you are not sure why.

Originally Posted by traps38

That's exactly what i am thinking now.

I don't want to touch it at all just want to shave with it again.

But it sucks to know that it is great and you are not sure why.

Better that than knowing it's terrible and not knowing why!

This just goes to show that, as we say, the most important test is the shave test.

What you are experiencing is pretty normal, at least IMO. Full hollow ground blades, due to their thin nature, seem to respond better to the HHT, TPT and the cut-arm-hair-above-skin-level test. That doesn't mean that they take a keener edge than a wedge. My theory involves microscopic bevel angle differences between the two, but I have zero evidence to back it up. The important thing is that it shaves to your satisfaction. Enjoy!