First Straight, first hone, new HRCTools DG16

Let me lead off by saying I knew it'd be risky getting one of these to start off with--I like taking risks.

So I got my first straight off of the bay, from an (for better or worse) obscure seller (HRCTools), for a not too unreasonable fee.

It shows up in the mail, looks okay, wrapped in plastic and coated in oil. The scales look good, other than the saw marks on the inside and diagonal cut (though it is an interesting look). The actual razor has a little play in the pivot that allows it's edge to rub the side if you aren't careful closing it, but it's not loose or cockeyed. The only obvious flaw from a cursory glance at the blade is what appears to be an uneven grind. Some pics from when I received it:

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After thinking about it a bit, I decided "what the hay, might as well give it a go," and proceeded to run it across my newly acquired and lapped 1k/6k hone (1k side) and see what happens. If I had to guess, looking at it after about 50 passes on both sides (didn't count, but that seems right), I'd say the spine and the edge are both uneven, and it looks like it has a steep bevel I'll have to get through before I can establish my edge. The shiny part on the bottom and two worn spots on the top are what's been taken off so far--the spine on the other side is more or less evenly worn with a little more taken off the center, with the edge looking about the same as this side:



What do you guys think? Is she salvageable? I don't mind spending a few hours on her, if that's what it takes. The (King) hone was acquired for a very good price, so I don't mind having to lap it a few times before I finish, either. Suggestions on what to do moving forward?

did you try the original edge? those guys made it sound like they finished in their USA shop.

maybe they sharpened with tape?

with the 1000 did you get the bevel set, did it look clean? edit: i see you didn't get that far.

i would think a steep bevel would be easy to set a bevel with a piece tape.

I think you'll be ok with edge leading xstrokes until the bevel is set, with two fingers close the the edge just to make sure that you're getting even contact and pressure along the edge. Since there's no rhyme or reason the the geometry of the spine/edge relation, you're going to have to take a more free-hand approach like sharpening a kitchen knife, and keep an eye on the toe/heel wear to gauge your finger pressures. That's my approach after seeing your pictures.

If it had 'knife' in the description, that's what it is. Cheers, Steve

global_dev said:

did you try the original edge? those guys made it sound like they finished in their USA shop.

maybe they sharpened with tape?

with the 1000 did you get the bevel set, did it look clean? edit: i see you didn't get that far.

i would think a steep bevel would be easy to set a bevel with a piece tape.

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Yeah, when I asked they said it would need honing before use, when I got it it was somewhat sharp, but nothing spectacular.

wetshaveyyc said:

I think you'll be ok with edge leading xstrokes until the bevel is set, with two fingers close the the edge just to make sure that you're getting even contact and pressure along the edge. Since there's no rhyme or reason the the geometry of the spine/edge relation, you're going to have to take a more free-hand approach like sharpening a kitchen knife, and keep an eye on the toe/heel wear to gauge your finger pressures. That's my approach after seeing your pictures.

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Cool, that's what I'd been doing to get it this far (a light touch on the other side with my left hand to keep it from going all over the place through the stroke. Is a heel leading stroke fine instead of X-strokes? I can't quite get the hang of X-strokes, but I can try harder if that's recommended.

Steve56 said:

If it had 'knife' in the description, that's what it is. Cheers, Steve

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Thanks steve. No, no "knife" in the description...well they talked about their knives, but never described the item itself as a knife. The listing was titled "DG16 ~ 8.5" CUSTOM HRC DAMASCUS STRAIGHT RAZOR BLADE - MENS SHAVER - USA"

I'll happily leave a poor rating if it doesn't function as such, but I won't until I attempt to get it to that point myself and then send it to somebody else if I fail. Worst case, I'm out $60-80, big deal.

At least it is actually pattern welded steel, not just laser etched...

Seraphim said:

At least it is actually pattern welded steel, not just laser etched...

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that hurts

global_dev said:

that hurts

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He's a "beer half full" kinda guy.

I would say that those guys should stick with knives, for now. A new razor, and the blade is floppy enough to catch the scales when closing, is simply too easy a fix to allow through QC, even for a cheap entry level razor. It speaks poorly for the supposed care and attention in other steps of making this razor. But that doesn't mean necessarily that you can't hone it up and shave with it. Keep going at it. Myself, I would have definitely used the burr method for setting the bevel, but you are getting there so may as well continue normal alternating laps. Yes, I would definitely incorporate at least a little x-stroke action. Really, you only need about 1/2" of lateral movement across the hone. Its not that hard a trick to master.

global_dev said:

that hurts

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Yours will take an edge though.


Jury is still out on this one...

Haven't been able to work much on it, but here's how it looks after a couple hundred strokes on each side:



One side seems to be wearing a little bit faster than the other (particularly at the heel), but otherwise it looks like I'll get to the edge at about the same time on both sides. Should I focus on the side that's taking long to reach the edge at the heel, on the other side and bring the edge back to the other side, or does it look alright as is?

Do you know if you have a good angle going on?

I would simply hone evenly until you are happy to discover that you have a good bevel set, end to end. The width of the bevel flat does not have to be consistent for a good shave. It does not even have to be the same from one side to the other for a good shave. It just has to be there. I will say though, that your results indicate a very warpy blade.

Uh oh. Waitaminute...

My eyes may be deceiving me, but it does look like on the back side (the upper pic... lower pic we call the show side) the mid portion of the edge is not making hone contact. On the show side, it is making LOTS of contact. The edge is twisted more toward the show side, in the mid portion. Or the heel and toe are twisted toward the back side. Anyway, if this is so, it could be a problem. Do a sharpie test and see if you are getting contact in the middle of the edge on the back side because it looks like you are not. from here. Hopefully you will get down to a point where you have contact and have a bevel in the mid portion on the back side. It doesn't have to be wide. It just has to exist. There has to be a flat plane on both sides and the two must intersect in steel.

This is starting to look sort of RSO-ish. I would love to hear some more expert opinions than mine...

Also, when you are ready to take a break from rubbing steel on rocks, try painting the bevel on the spine with vinegar or something, to see if that is actually pattern welded steel, or simply surface etching imitation damascus. I suspect the latter. We had a thread recently about a Titan that was advertised as damascus and was totally fake. A microscope will tell the tale, too.

Yeah, looking down the edge from the toe end it seems maybe a little warped, but it's really hard to see. Maybe .2 or .35 mm discrepancy. That's why I was thinking maybe it'd be okay if I brought the edge to the other side, though I'd probably have to live with a smiling edge.

Slash McCoy said:

Also, when you are ready to take a break from rubbing steel on rocks, try painting the bevel on the spine with vinegar or something, to see if that is actually pattern welded steel, or simply surface etching imitation damascus. I suspect the latter. We had a thread recently about a Titan that was advertised as damascus and was totally fake. A microscope will tell the tale, too.

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Sure. Don't have any right now, but I'll grab some later on and give it a go.

global_dev said:

Do you know if you have a good angle going on?

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Not sure what you're referring to. Do you mean spine to edge? I'd say probably not, but I don't see that as the biggest concern right now, personally.

After thinking about it a bit, I remembered I had some Tabasco Sauce (mostly vinegar), so I threw some of that on there and here's what I got:


It's a little grainy due to high ISO (getting dark outside, and with really shaky hands that's the only way I could take a photo that close), but I can clearly see the metal grain with my naked eye. Looks like we have a winner here (well, minus the QC issues)! Click the photo for the full-sized version.

i think these style razors are really pws.. its always been about holding an edge

global_dev said:

i think these style razors are really pws.. its always been about holding an edge

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Phalanx Weapon System? Score! D:

Pattern welded steel. It is the correct term for what we more commonly call damascus now days. I am hugely guilty of calling it damascus, but pattern welded steel is the correct term. It is also important to remember that while all pattern welded steel is beautiful they can vary as widely as all steels. Some make great razor steel and some do not. You are just going to have to keep honing and find out if yours does or not, but from the look I to feel certain that it is true PWS.

Is it PWS?

Or is it a ***?


Only correct honing will tell the tale...