Bevel reset makes a difference

Initially I thought that I had done a nice honing job on this razor (the larger Heljestrand), but the first stroke told me it wasn't ready. It sat in my to-do box for a while. Last night I took it back to the beginning, and paid much more attention to the bevel. It took longer than I thought it should, but I kept going. From there I worked up a slurry on the coticule and did the dilutions and finished off with just water.
Just for fun I tried a test stroke or two right off the stone - no stropping. It was unbelievable! It's not the best edge I've ever put on a blade, but almost. Now I can't wait to do the MK31. I'll have to wait to shave with them until my medical sabbatical from straights is over and I can straighten out my neck, but until then...I can still hone!

Bevel always take much longer than I expect for me.
I've found the best shave to come from razors that had serious problem requiring a brand new bevel on fresh steel.

The bevel set is the most important part of honing. With that huge wire edge you have created, sometimes shaving your arm hairs ist possible, that is the main failure in honing in my opinion. Try to gently pull your razor thru an cork or wood, really carfully after your bevel setting process. If it shaves your arm hair well, your done. The most failure occurs with the cherry tomato test, try to hone your razor just on one side on a maybe 200 grit stone, and try the tomato, it will cut it easily with no real done edge.

greets Sebastian.

The bevel is the edge. You cant get one without it. I use the thumbnail test, and a visual leading up to it. Ive never tried the tomato test so wont comment.

And so castles made of sand, fall into the sea, eventually.

It's what it's all about.

Setting the bevel, eh?

Hmmm....I'll have to try that sometime, sounds pretty key...

Aside from the shave test, I'm still learning the HHT and thumbpad tests. The hair on my head is less than 1/2 inch and my arm hair is pretty fine. Maybe I need to check out my wife's hairbrush for a few samples - or see what the English Setter has to offer. The thumbpad test still seems really subjective to me and I'm pretty inexperienced to get the feel for it.
All I know now is that when its there, its there. If it isn't, it isn't.

So what did you set the bevel with?

Alum of Potash said:

So what did you set the bevel with?

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I used a king 1K.

Prior to that I was using w/d sandpaper over glass. It was a cheap way to start. I picked up a coticule and a couple of finishers (see pic) along the way. A couple hundred $$ in finishers doesn't make up for a bad bevel. Lesson learned.

I have a question on the King. This was maybe my third razor honed on that stone. Does it "break in" with use? It didn't seem as gritty. But then, it's been several weeks since I last used it and may have forgotten the feel. My sum total of razors honed is less than 20.

Padre OBrien said:

I used a king 1K.

Prior to that I was using w/d sandpaper over glass. It was a cheap way to start. I picked up a coticule and a couple of finishers (see pic) along the way. A couple hundred $$ in finishers doesn't make up for a bad bevel. Lesson learned.

I have a question on the King. This was maybe my third razor honed on that stone. Does it "break in" with use? It didn't seem as gritty. But then, it's been several weeks since I last used it and may have forgotten the feel. My sum total of razors honed is less than 20.

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Thanks for the response. I was just curious as it looked like a BBW was your lowest stone from the pic.

You'll need to re-lap the King frequently as it dishes easily; but the smoothness may be glazing, for which lapping is also a remedy. If you don't know how to lap the stone, it's simple. Mark out a grid on the surface of the stone (which has been soaked in water) in pencil and then work it across a sheet of 320x w/d sandpaper with some water on it, the sandpaper having been placed on your sheet of glass. Move back and forth and up and down on the sandpaper, or in a figure-8 motion if you prefer, allowing the weight of the stone to do the work. At the end of a cycle turn the stone from end to end to even out the wear. When the grid has been removed the stone has been resurfaced and lapped in theory, although a strict way to check for flatness is to lay a steel rule along the diagonals and Y-axis of the stone to make sure no light is peeking through.

Yep, that's how I lapped the king. I'll keep checking it for flatness as I work it.

the backing on the coticule is unusable slate. It's a recent stone from TSS.

I feel like I'm making good progress. Between this forum and some local mentors, I'm learning more than I can absorb.

thanks, guys.

I always just give my hone a few back and forths on the wet/dry before honing. Better to stay ahead of the curve

Seraphim said:

I always just give my hone a few back and forths on the wet/dry before honing. Better to stay ahead of the curve

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Wait, how do you lap lapping film?!?!

Chaloney said:

Wait, how do you lap lapping film?!?!

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Wow, Seraphilm gets little love around here.

Padre OBrien said:

Wow, Seraphilm gets lotsa love around here.

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Fixed that for you.

Wait a minute, has he changed his user name to seraphilm? I just caught that slip.

Rule number one of honing. Make sure you have a properly set bevel.
Rule number two: Refer to rule number one.

bluesman 7 said:

Wait a minute, has he changed his user name to seraphilm? I just caught that slip.

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Originally Posted by Padre OBrien
Wow, Seraphilm gets lotsa love around here.



Fixed that for you.​

Said with tongue firmly planted in cheek...I have lotsa respect.