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Setting the Bevel

I've seen people mention that they're "setting the bevel". I have a vague idea of what this is doing but not much else.

So could someone kindly explain how you do it, why and when you'd do it?

Thanks

R
 
My diving watch has a bevel, which is a ring that can be used to indicate time since submersion or end of dive or what ever... but somehow I think that this was not really what you were asking for...
 
My diving watch has a bevel, which is a ring that can be used to indicate time since submersion or end of dive or what ever... but somehow I think that this was not really what you were asking for...

The dial on your watch is called a bezel.

A bevel on a straight razor is basically the angle used to create the edge - when people refer to setting a bevel, they're talking about creating the appropropriate spine/blade angle on the razor necessary to acheive a shaving edge.

Once the bevel is set, the razor is progressively sharpened on finer and finer media (stones, hones, pasted strops, etc.) to polish the edge to get it shaving sharp..

Hope this helps.
 
I got that much, but how would I set the bevel? By taping the spine while I hone? If I did that, how would I know when the angle is right?
 
I got that much, but how would I set the bevel? By taping the spine while I hone? If I did that, how would I know when the angle is right?
You can tape the spine, and it might help a bit, but it's not required. If you tape it, you need to keep it taped during the whole honing process, don't remove it until you're done honing.

Mainly you need a coarse stone. You have to set (or reset) bevels when the original bevel is gone or near gone, so you get a fresh bevel to polish and work up an edge on.

Basically what happens (as far as I've understood it anyway) is that first you have your razor, which has a good bevel, and you can sharpen it. But then each time you hone your razor, the bevel gets a little shorter and the angle of the edge gets a little flatter. So periodically you need to reset the bevel, and take away a bit more metal.
 
You can tape the spine, and it might help a bit, but it's not required. If you tape it, you need to keep it taped during the whole honing process, don't remove it until you're done honing.

Mainly you need a coarse stone. You have to set (or reset) bevels when the original bevel is gone or near gone, so you get a fresh bevel to polish and work up an edge on.

Basically what happens (as far as I've understood it anyway) is that first you have your razor, which has a good bevel, and you can sharpen it. But then each time you hone your razor, the bevel gets a little shorter and the angle of the edge gets a little flatter. So periodically you need to reset the bevel, and take away a bit more metal.

I'm not sure this is correct, my understanding is that razors are designed to keep the same bevel once its been set.

I'm NOT and expert, so hopefully someone will come along and clarify this - calling all honemeisters!
 
Its true that once you set the bevel it will last a loooong time. Normal shaving and touch up honing will not wear it away. Its usually when the edge is damaged with chips and the like or you have an Eboy special with uneven wear then you have to do major honing and then you would need to reset your bevel before doing normal honing.

I personally do not recommend taping the spine of a razor unless its either one of those where you have some decoration on the spine you want to protect or you need to remove alot of metal and your worried about spine wear. For normal honing just hone. The tape does effect the angle to a degree.
 
All stones remove metal. Assuming the stone is flat, the razor contacts it only on the edge and spine and you apply no pressure, the edge will be cut in a straight line from the very tip of the blade to the surface of the spine.

Stropping can round the edge over time, especially if you use pastes and even more so if your strop is not perfectly flot or if you apply too much pressure. It is debatable as to whether this rounding detracts from the cutting ability of the blade, but that's a topic for another thread.

If you decide to take a rounded edge to a finishing hone, you'll be there for quite a while before you're actually sharpening the leading edge. Coarser hones are used to re-flatten the bevel, then the bevel is polished. I'll post some diagrams later if need be.
 
I'm not sure this is correct, my understanding is that razors are designed to keep the same bevel once its been set.

I'm NOT and expert, so hopefully someone will come along and clarify this - calling all honemeisters!

What I have been taught is yes till you regrind
 
I can see the bevel on my razors. On some it seems "taller" than on others. Is there an ideal height to it or does the spine and such to more to determine the bevel height?
 
I can see the bevel on my razors. On some it seems "taller" than on others. Is there an ideal height to it or does the spine and such to more to determine the bevel height?

The bevel "height" depends on the thickness of the blade and on the angle.
The angle, in turn, is a function of the bredth of the blade (4/8, 5/8, etc.) and the thickness of the spine.

So, in general, the bevel height is related to the geometry of the blade. This, of course, changes along the length of the blade to varying degrees.
 
In general, "setting the bevel" refers to the work that needs to be done on a stone like the Norton 4K. After this important step, the bevel is further polished with finer stones until the edge and shave suits your preference.
 
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