Rolls razor sharpening

[srm_92000]

Color the spine with a sharpie marker and give it a couple of strokes on the hone. Did it wear any ink off? Two laps should wear a shiny stripe through the ink, along the entire spine, on both sides, if it is making good contact with the hone, right?

Yep. That's what I said, works fine, shaves great.
I'm sure this is the way it was designed to work or they wouldn't need the loose mount and wobbly pin. When honing slowly I can see first the guard touches, the blade drops at the back onto the spine then the guard flips up and the edge contacts.
Pics just done, not sure why the edges aren't touching but this is an old blade previously used in a different box.

 

[rajagra]

Note to self: Check Rolls Razor for wobbly pin.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Well I stand corrected. And maybe that is the way it is supposed to be. It does make perfect sense. The one I checked back when I first started messing with these, did not touch the spine to the hone. I never felt a need to check any others. You have added to our knowledge base!

(To guys who like to PM shaving/honing questions, this is a good example of why we engage in open discussion. It looks like just a bunch of chaotic bickering but we actually learn stuff this way.)

 

[srm_92000]

Well I stand corrected. And maybe that is the way it is supposed to be. It does make perfect sense. The one I checked back when I first started messing with these, did not touch the spine to the hone. I never felt a need to check any others. You have added to our knowledge base!

(To guys who like to PM shaving/honing questions, this is a good example of why we engage in open discussion. It looks like just a bunch of chaotic bickering but we actually learn stuff this way.)

I do agree that the hone is not much use for recovering old blades. It took another half hour on and off honing to get edge to edge contact.
It's a bit in-between too fine for getting a bad edge sorted and not quite fine enough for a really really sharp finish I've had reasonable results with and old rolls strop with cerium oxide paste. (Cant afford any sort of proper hones )
Look what you've started now. I'm going to have to use this tomorrow - and - I started looking down on the bay for more Rolls blades.
NO NO I've got enough, please help, serious RBAD.

Cheers.

 

[Mr. Flay]

This is a great thread. Thanks all. I'm using a #2 Imperial that I got (NOS or mint) from across the pond and have been able to get some great shaves with it. I'm allotting my Christmas/birthday allowance (the wife and I discovered long ago that we enjoy buying our own gifts) to a basic honing setup. I have 5-6 other Rolls kits I've picked up here and there that will needs varying degrees of rehabilitation or will be kept for parts. This thread will certainly help a honing newbie. I was wondering whether I would have to tape the spines (and if so how much). Those ink tricks are sweet.

 

[Taproot]

This is a great thread. Thanks all. I'm using a #2 Imperial that I got (NOS or mint) from across the pond and have been able to get some great shaves with it. I'm allotting my Christmas/birthday allowance (the wife and I discovered long ago that we enjoy buying our own gifts) to a basic honing setup. I have 5-6 other Rolls kits I've picked up here and there that will needs varying degrees of rehabilitation or will be kept for parts. This thread will certainly help a honing newbie. I was wondering whether I would have to tape the spines (and if so how much). Those ink tricks are sweet.

Hi Mr Flay, I'd recommend not taping the spine when honing on either the RR built in hone or establishing a workable blade on stones. My reasoning being that the angle between the edge and the Spine was engineered for the RR setup- strop and hone included. I understand that there is some concern that the spine will wear out- but if you rework the blade once and then just use a continuous hone on the RR setup that shouldn't happen within your lifetime. I generally avoid tape for these reasons: http://www.thevoicestoldme.com/straightrazor/tape.html

 

[Mr. Flay]

Hi Mr Flay, I'd recommend not taping the spine when honing on either the RR built in hone or establishing a workable blade on stones. My reasoning being that the angle between the edge and the Spine was engineered for the RR setup- strop and hone included. I understand that there is some concern that the spine will wear out- but if you rework the blade once and then just use a continuous hone on the RR setup that shouldn't happen within your lifetime. I generally avoid tape for these reasons: http://www.thevoicestoldme.com/straightrazor/tape.html

Thanks for the info. I am indeed an newbie.