Le Gnome WIP

[stringer bean]

I'm working on this Thiers Issard Le Gnome. It was a real rust bucket. I spent a few hours today polishing it with flitz and honing it. Just trying various stones I have collected over the last few months. Experimenting. Not really trying to set a bevel yet. Just cleaning it up enough so I could see what I was working with.

I spotted a particularly troublesome area and before I start real low grit work I wanted to get some opinions. I wanted to avoid sand paper as much as possible on the finish because I like the patina. But there is some pitting near the edge that might need more attention than scrubbing with polish. And the bevel appears to be crooked at that spot as well and I can't quite figure out why. The razor is less wedgie than I thought before I started cleaning it up. But now that a bevel is starting to form I can see that it's more than half hollow, just very subtly done.

Anyways. I want to preserve some patina but get the bevel near the heel fixed and stabilize that pitting. How should I attack it? Just go for it with my 1k stone and see what happens? Or do I need to address the pitting more before trying to set a bevel?

Thank you B&B

 

[Slash McCoy]

Looks like the same person honed that razor for several decades. Everyone has their own honing "fist" and it shows on the razor after many years of use and honing. Looking at the back side, it appears a shoulder has formed on the spine about 1/4" from the stabilizer root. And the foot of the stabilizer has rode up on the hone quite a bit on both sides.

There are several ways to deal with this. The easy way is to do nothing at all, and simply hone the razor, always using a bit of an x stroke. If the last bit of heel or toe don't shave well, it really is no loss. You could also be a bit more heavy handed and try to beat the razor into submission. I don't think I would try to force this razor at this point.

The etching is very deep on the blade. I would not fear the sandpaper. If you want patina, just soak the razor for a minute or so in Ospho and rinse well with very hot water and then dry with a blow dryer. Repeat for a darker finish. Less effective but still doable would be vinegar or onion juice. If you want mirror finish, work up through the grits to 2k sandpaper, then carefully polish with a progression of diamond pastes to .1u. When using a dremel and felt or rag wheel, lay the razor on a piece of aluminum or copper bar stock which will protect the apex and also serve as a heat sink.

 

[stringer bean]

Looks like the same person honed that razor for several decades. Everyone has their own honing "fist" and it shows on the razor after many years of use and honing. Looking at the back side, it appears a shoulder has formed on the spine about 1/4" from the stabilizer root. And the foot of the stabilizer has rode up on the hone quite a bit on both sides.

There are several ways to deal with this. The easy way is to do nothing at all, and simply hone the razor, always using a bit of an x stroke. If the last bit of heel or toe don't shave well, it really is no loss. You could also be a bit more heavy handed and try to beat the razor into submission. I don't think I would try to force this razor at this point.

The etching is very deep on the blade. I would not fear the sandpaper. If you want patina, just soak the razor for a minute or so in Ospho and rinse well with very hot water and then dry with a blow dryer. Repeat for a darker finish. Less effective but still doable would be vinegar or onion juice. If you want mirror finish, work up through the grits to 2k sandpaper, then carefully polish with a progression of diamond pastes to .1u. When using a dremel and felt or rag wheel, lay the razor on a piece of aluminum or copper bar stock which will protect the apex and also serve as a heat sink.

Thanks Slash. I will probably just keep an eye on that heel and proceed as normal then. And that makes me feel better about breaking out the sandpaper. It's not even an etching it's engraved or stamped or something. So the art isn't going anywhere. Being a knife guy I should have thought about forcing a patina. That makes perfect sense.

 

[stone and strop]

Go to town with sandpaper and polish.
I would probably round out the heel to fix that issue but you have to get rid of that bump in the spine on the back. This is why you should keep the WHOLE blade on the hone.
Its like he had all the blade and then some on the hone for the front side but not the whole blade on the hone for the back side, hence the bevel not reaching the end.

 

[stringer bean]

Go to town with sandpaper and polish.
I would probably round out the heel to fix that issue but you have to get rid of that bump in the spine on the back. This is why you should keep the WHOLE blade on the hone.
Its like he had all the blade and then some on the hone for the front side but not the whole blade on the hone for the back side, hence the bevel not reaching the end.

Thanks for the tips. I think I will go back to my Shapton Glass 500 and really work on that heel. Approach it spine down to get rid of the extra shoulder material so it will have an even bevel. .
I really use the heel area for trimming the random wild hairs that grow between my nostrils and where I keep the top of my mustache.
And I will sand the faces more. I see now that it can't cause any damage with the heavy grind and the deep stamps. Better to remove all the pitting and then reapply whatever finish. I think I can keep the scales. They are pinned a little crooked but the blade closes even and has nice tension. Just need lots of cleaning.