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When I set my razor edge down on a flat surface, so that the back is pointing to the ceiling, I notice a slight concave curve on the edge. In other words, there's a very slight gap between the blade and the flat surface.
- Is this worth trying to fix? I haven't shaved with the razor yet so I don't know how well it performs with the curve.
- If I need to fix it, how would I go about doing that?
Thanks for your advice!
-Michael
What you described is known as a frown.
If you use the search function for "frown" or "fixing frown" you will get a lot of results as this is a popular topics on the forum
For example check this thread out, one of the many that are worth checking out:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...al-repair.html
Well, have fun. My own record when it comes to dealing with frowns is spotty at best. Look at the spine... you should have some corresponding wear there. As a general rule, that doesn't go away. You'll end up trying to tape that area in hopes of getting a straight edge when honing. It may work, it may not, sorta depends on your skill level. And a little luck. See the videos, Glenn has done a great job of explaining this and dealing with it.
My first razor had a frown. It took a while to figure out how to remove it, but there are lots of posts to help.
Essentially, you use honing strokes that remove metal from the ends of the blade, until you've honed all the way back to the (existing) edge at the center. Once the edge is straight (or slightly smiling), you can go to finer stones.
The razor is still in service, slightly smiling (with happiness) now.
Charles
Thank you, everyone! I never knew it was called a frown. Searching for "concave blade" was one of my first thoughts, and that gave me some results I didn't expect.
I followed someone's advice and removed the frown. I moved the blade backwards across a whetstone at a 60-degree angle or so until the frown disappeared. Now, the blade is dull as dirt. I've been trying to hone the thing for over an hour or so, and it's still dull. I've mostly done this on a 4000-grit whetstone. Should things be taking this long?
. . . What grit was the whetstone you use "at a 60-degree angle" ?
You've destroyed the old bevel. And the whetstone has left scratches in the edge. The 4000 grit stone is working, but it's really slow for coarse (for a razor) work.
To bring up a new bevel, start with a grit a little finer than the grit of the whetstone. Many people use 1000-grit stones for setting bevels.
. Charles
I'm not positive what the grit was. I used my grandfather's old whetstone. It's red on one side and black on the other. It's coarser than my 4000 grit stone, so I'd guess 8000 or 1000 grit for one of the sides, but I'm not positive.
Thanks for the advice!
I did much of the same thing on a beater blade that I used as a learning tool. The steps and mistakes I made in how I got to being able to put a good (for me) edge on a blade are somewhat irrelevant. The equipment I now use and suggest you may find success with honing are:
DMT 325 This is the coarsest and will take a lot of metal off quickly if you have damage (pits, chips) or frowns .
Norton Lapping stone to keep everything level.
Naniwa 1K I use this to set a bevel. It's pretty quick and harder that the Shun 300/1K combo I started with. If you can't cut arm or leg hair at this point, your bevels not set.
Norton 4k/8K Use Lynn's techniques and you'll end up with a good polish on your edge.
Naniwa Superstone 12K Final polish that makes for a glass like shave.
I use the diamond pasted paddles and the cro-ox for maintainace. Gssixgun has a video about it.
Properly honed and maintainaced, you'll have a good edge for six months or longer before you need to go back to the stones.
Good luck
I use a 320 diamond plate to rough cut the bevel. Then a 600 and 1200 diamond to clean it up. Then it is ready to start honing up through the grints. Working with a 4K hone will do it but it may take many hours. Even with all of the diamond plates you are still looking at 2 or 3 hours to get it shave ready.