- Thread starter
- #61
Thanks for the effort, Brad. Thanks to all of you. I will find a tool to correct the heel and move it forward. As I understand it, I don't have to care about anything while doing so, right? I've read the Heel Correction post and it seems like I can grind some steel off in any way I see fit. I don't have lots of tools so I will improvise, following the sketch you provided Brad. I'll share some pictures of the process or when it's done. See you then.So, the problem with these razors, the spine is poorly ground. Note how the spine dives down toward the edge over the heel and is more than twice as low over the stabilizer, distance between the blue and red lines.
When the distance (edge of the spine to the bevel) changes like this, the angle also changes because the distance from the edge of the spine and the bevel, dictate the bevel angle. This is the source of your double bevel at the heel.
When you hone over the wonky spine or stabilizer it lifts the bevel off the stone. Adding more pressure trying to force the heel on the stone, is the cause of the frown and heel hook, (Red Arrow), not the flatness of the stone. You must repair the frown or you will make the heel hook sharper, literally into a hook. As it is now it will cut you. The edge must be straight or smiling, never a frown.
You have two choices, reshape the heel to move the heel corner well forward of the stabilizer, (Red circle) and the spine where it begins to curve down (Green arrow). Green line is where the new heel corner will end well forward of the curved spine and take the stabilizer completely out of play.
Or grind the spine and stabilizer flat and to the same angle as the rest of the bevel, as in the video. It is a lot of work and will look terrible. You see many old razors with this problem where they are massively ground, a simple heel correction would have eliminated the issue and saved lots or good steel.
You can tell this is the problem, because when you did the 2 layer of tape test avoiding the spine over the heel, almost all of the rest of the bevel sat flat on the stone and cut a nice straight, flat bevel.
It is an easy fix, go the HEEL CORRECTION – REPROFILING thread, in the honing forum for a photo tutorial. Use a diamond plate, Carborundum Silicon Carbide Stone or a piece of 220 wet and dry glued to a piece of glass. It will take you about 5 minutes. After which the razor should sit flat on the hone, avoid the stabilizer and wonky spine and hone normally.
Also, when using tape, learn to feel when you burn through the tape, it will feel slightly sticky on the stone, and you may see bits of tape on the hone. Once you burn through the tape you change the angle defeating using tape.
If you correct the heel, you will be able to easily hone the razor.
View attachment 1498003