Thread: Good Bevel, Slight Frown

I just acquired a Robeson Shur Edge. It looks to be a 4/8, good blade. It seems to have a good bevel, but the edge has a slight frown.

I would appreciate suggestions on how to proceed with this razor. Forget the bevel and straighten the edge, then start over with resetting the bevel? Or is this slight enough not to pose a problem with honing?

This is my first "frowning" razor so I'm not sure what he best approach would be.

Many thanks for your collective wisdom!

I'd shave with it first to determine whether it needs anything at all

Have your read the 1961 barber manual excerpt on honing and stropping here in the SRP Wiki Help Files ? It addresses what they consider the proper edge profile and how to achieve it and keep it.

I'm not saying to turn it from a slight frown to a slight smile but using their method you ought to be able to get a neutral bevel, neither here nor there, and that is what many of them are nowadays.

Whatever I did it wouldn't be breadknifing. As slight as the frown is you ought to be able to work it out and not need any drastic measures that create more work than necessary.

If that were my razor, I'd work to get the edge straight first and then reset the bevel.

It is possible to get a great edge on a razor with a frown. It's up to you if you want to remove the frown or use the razor as is. That one looks small enought that you probably wouldn't notice it. Then again, if you are a new honer, you may have some difficulty getting a frowning razor shave ready.

Thanks all. I decided to go ahead and see if I could hone the razor and shave with it. Rather than count strokes, I decided to rely on my thumbpad and arm/leg hair. I worked on the 1K until my thumbpad couldn't for sure detect any improvement, then stepped up to the 4K. Again, I don't know the absolute standard, being a rookie, but I can tell if the razor is better than it was, or if I'm not sure it's better. If I wasn't sure it was better after some improvement, I stepped up. So then I went to the 8K and then the Naniwa 12K, stropped, and this AM shaved with it.

It gave me a very nice shave, no drama. Like my other Robeson Shur Edge, it seems smoother than my other razors, much moreso than my new razors, and just a bit moreso than my "board of elders" razors. Could be my imagination, though. Blind, maybe I'd not be able to tell, though I think I could spot the Robeson's over the ohters.

It is very satisfying to be picking up these vintage razors for a fraction of a new razor's cost, and putting a shaving edge on them myself. It has added a whole new element of enjoyment to my newfound straight shaving experience.

Thanks all for your collective knowledge and wisdom!

Thanks for this link--somehow I missed seeing that. I had already honed my razor when I read it but was happy to find I'd stumbled on to the correct method--on the 4K I did some strokes just pressing slightly harder first on the heel for several strokes, then on the toe several strokes, and the frown is still there, but not as prominent.

This 1961 manual is a very nice treatment of honing and stropping indeed. Thanks again for pointing me that direction.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Have your read the 1961 barber manual excerpt on honing and stropping here in the SRP Wiki Help Files ? It addresses what they consider the proper edge profile and how to achieve it and keep it.

I'm not saying to turn it from a slight frown to a slight smile but using their method you ought to be able to get a neutral bevel, neither here nor there, and that is what many of them are nowadays.

Whatever I did it wouldn't be breadknifing. As slight as the frown is you ought to be able to work it out and not need any drastic measures that create more work than necessary.

I say bread knife it and then get it right. Yes it will be a little bit of extra work but like my grandaddy used to say. " anything worth doing is worth doing right!" this will cover all basis now and future wise. My .02

Originally Posted by komjong

I say bread knife it and then get it right. Yes it will be a little bit of extra work but like my grandaddy used to say. " anything worth doing is worth doing right!" this will cover all basis now and future wise. My .02

Having used that technique on a few early on I only go to it as an absolute last resort. I don't think breadknifing is doing it right. Certainly not for a frown as slight as the one illustrated. YMMV.

I can appreciate the idea of starting from scratch, except here I had a few other factors. First, the frown wasn't really pronounced. Then, overall the edge felt like it had a good bevel already. Also, this blade is a little skinny, more like a 4/8 and so I didn't want to make it any skinnier.

I also thought that if I try to work with the existing bevel, and failed, I can always go back to the coarse stones and start over, though I'm not a fan of breadknifing either, though I lack the vast experience to pronounce on this topic! I've breadknifed two razors and then with two others just worked on them without taking that step, and the latter path seems to work better for me. Maybe if I had a really bad one, that would be the thing to do, but this razor seemed not to need that complete reset.

This morning's shave seemed excellent and with my somewhat pudgy face, the "frown" sort of "fit my face" which is exactly what Robeson bragged about with their razors though not for that reason!

Originally Posted by komjong

I say bread knife it and then get it right. Yes it will be a little bit of extra work but like my grandaddy used to say. " anything worth doing is worth doing right!" this will cover all basis now and future wise. My .02