Honing Sheffield Near Wedges

[Frank Shaves]

I couldn't find a thread dedicated to this.

Now that I have restored seven 19th century Sheffield near wedges, I am curious about other peoples' experiences and thoughts on honing these razors. I will start.

I have tried two approaches to honing these razors:

1. Work different sections of the edge, and then use rolling x-strokes to connect the different sections, and
2. Just use rolling x-strokes (period), and don't mess around with working different sections

The edges on all of my razors shave well, but some edges are more even than others. I suspect that approach 1 came from first honing razors without smiles. When I go back and try to remember how I honed each razor, it does seem as if the more even edges were set using approach 2.

If I think about each edge as a continuum of planes, approach 2 makes a lot of sense, and approach 1 seems like a good way to introduce unevenness to the edge and deviations to the apex.

 

[lightfoot]

How I hone the couple I have depends on if the blade width gets very narrow closer to the heal or not. If it does I’ve turned my synthetics on their edge and hone that way. I have the edge of a few of them gently convex so they act like a file.
for the one that has a more consistent width from heal to toe I just flat-hone it all the way. But I use tape regardless of any width variation.
I’ll use both sectional honing and rolling strokes more or less by feel/mood.

 

[bluesman 7]

I hone the whole edge on smiling razors, then as the bevel starts coming in I concentrate on the parts of the edge that are lagging, and finish with full strokes again.

 

[Wid]

When starting out I’ll do a sweeping heel leading stroke. If there is a part not taking to the stone I’ll do either circles or just small half strokes to concentrate on that section. Once corrected I go back to the same sweeping x stole, heal leading.

I use tape on all my razors.

 

[Frank Shaves]

I hone the whole edge on smiling razors, then as the bevel starts coming in I concentrate on the parts of the edge that are lagging, and finish with full strokes again.

By "hone the whole edge", do you mean using a rolling or flat (on the stone) stroke?

I ask because once I lay a smiling blade flat, I may start to create an edge with an uneven width.

 

[bluesman 7]

Rolling X all the way. A smiling edge actually can't lie flat with the whole edge in contact. (a warped smiler could lie flat on one side, but not both).

Two planes are either parallel or intersect in a STRAIGHT LINE. Euclid stated this circa 300 BCE, but it is thought to have been known earlier.

 

[Frank Shaves]

Rolling X all the way. A smiling edge actually can't lie flat with the whole edge in contact. (a warped smiler could lie flat on one side, but not both).

Two planes are either parallel or intersect in a STRAIGHT LINE. Euclid stated this circa 300 BCE, but it is thought to have been known earlier.

Another bit that I think I have learned (which I will call a corollary to approach 2) is if and when I need to concentrate on a part of the edge, use a rolling (not a flat) stroke for the part.

 

[Gamma]

I'd guess there must be at least scores of threads about honing wedges, near wedge, heavy grind blades. To me though, all honing is pretty much the same. Older (heavier grind type) blades were sometimes less refined, design-wise, and maybe need more effort in accommodating the geometry, or lack thereof. Some old blades have been abused more, etc - sure. At the same time, plenty of hollow grinds have been screwy also. Whether t takes, more work or less work it all pretty much boils down to all being the same work though. At the end of the day it's all still just - Find the Bevel, Set the Bevel, Refine the Bevel. Blade geometry requiring 'maneuvers' isn't exclusive to old wedgy grinds, thats for sure. Whatever it takes to keep the edge on the stone, or to get all of the edge on the stone long enough to grind it, and do so consistently, is what it all is all about. The blade will tell you what it needs if you let it, just work with it on the stone, and watch what is going on. Observation, and facts, will dictate the technique, same for any blade, any grind, any width, etc. I've always found honing old Sheffie wedge-types to be fairly easy to hone, maybe take longer sometimes, sure. Sometimes getting through the swiss cheese takes longer than imagined. But so far as honing, nothing special. Maybe it's because I taught myself how to hone pretty much exclusively on basket cases. Yes, tape, but sometimes no tape, rolling strokes usually but sometimes heel leading and other times not. Work in sections or full sweeps across the blade length, or back and forth with both techniques, 1/2 strokes on one side to even up, or maybe on both sides when trying to cut through Finlandia. Circles, maybe, rarely, usually only early on, but maybe if I am bored or I need to isolate toe issues or something. Any technique, any method, whatever the blade is asking for, that's what must be done.

 

[Frank Shaves]

Sometimes getting through the swiss cheese takes longer than imagined. But so far as honing, nothing special. Maybe it's because I taught myself how to hone pretty much exclusively on basket cases. Yes, tape, but sometimes no tape, rolling strokes usually but sometimes heel leading and other times not. Work in sections or full sweeps across the blade length, or back and forth with both techniques, 1/2 strokes on one side to even up, or maybe on both sides when trying to cut through Finlandia. Circles, maybe, rarely, usually only early on, but maybe if I am bored or I need to isolate toe issues or something. Any technique, any method, whatever the blade is asking for, that's what must be done.

I was beginning to think that I was the only person who had ever been to Finlandia . So far, I have tried to remove as little metal as possible when in Finlandia.