newbie just hit a snag

[simon templar]

Hello all.

I am brand new to the art of razor honing and I just received my order of an entire set of Naniwa stones - 1K, 5K, 8K, and 12K. My test subject is an old Pabst and Kohler razor marked 'The Judge' - it was in very poor shape as the edge was dull and chipped. I did not think I would able to hone the existing edge back to life so I proceeded to breadknife the edge and start out fresh. With the edge now straight and even I proceed to try and put a bevel on the edge with the 1K stone. I have been taking my time using medium pressure with a combination of circles and x-strokes with the 1K stone. I am at the point now where a portion of the edge nearest the toe is quite sharp and will cut arm air however the rest of the blade is still dull. The only conclusion I can draw is that I did not breadknife the toe portion of the edge as much as the rest of the edge so perhaps some of the original bevel was left and that took an edge faster than the rest of the edge?

Perhaps one of you honemeisters can tell me what I doing wrong and what I need to do to correct the issue. I will say that I have enjoyed the process thus far and I find it quite relaxing indeed. Thank you for any suggestions.

Si

 

[Wid]

Let me say first off, I hate bread knifing a razor. It makes so much more work than it's worth imo. Hard to really say with out seeing the blade. When you BK the edge like that there is a lot on metal that needs to be removed to get the bevel back. The 1K Naniwa isn't known for it's speed as far as I know. So it will take quite some time to get the razor to take a bevel. Might I suggest, tape the spine at least till you have it back in shape. After that you can continue with or with out tape but will help from taking to much off the spine.

 

[Gamma]

What Rick said.

Plus - work heel leading x-strokes into the gameplan.

The 1k SS is slow for this work. Plus - if you have another distraction or two - like a warp or whatever - you'll need to compensate your technique accordingly.

 

[Doc226]

Sounds like you need more work. I second what Wid said, the naniwa is a great stone, but is is soft and slow. What did you breadknife it on? I might suggest something a bit courser or if you dont have it get some 325 grit sandpaper and got to town.

 

[simon templar]

Hello again.

Thank you to everyone for your most welcome suggestions. You can rest assured that I will be putting your advice to good use as I move up the ladder. As for my project razor, I ended up going back to work on it with the 1K stone and have progressed to where I can shave some arm hair with it. Its not pretty but I am pleased with my efforts. It took a me the better part of an hour but it was time well spent learning. I decided to quit while I was ahead at that point.

Si

 

[jpcwon]

I decided to quit while I was ahead at that point.

Si

Good idea. Honing should be done with complete patience. As soon as I feel myself starting to get impatient or rushing, I stop...I would spend as much time on that 1k as you need to easily shave arm hair, then move on...

 

[Proinsias]

You mentioned the use of 'medium pressure' up thread. Whilst some well controlled pressure can work a treat when setting a bevel even at the 1k level I'd suggest easing off towards a light finishing stroke.

It sounds like you've done the hard work and a have a woking bevel, all that's really needed is a light polish.

 

[oakeshott]

Si,
I'm maybe two weeks ahead of where you are now. It'll get easier. My first attempts at honing were failures in every possible definition of that word. The next time, I was finally able to hone one of my razors. Then, as long as they weren't warped, the honing came pretty simply though the edges were not particularly comfortable. Tolerable is the nicest thing you could say about them.

Then, just this weekend, I actually figured out how to hone the remaining warped razors and on at least one, got a very nice edge. All this progress after only 20 or 25 hours of honing and double that in reading and watching videos. I figure I'm only a few months away from achieving mediocrity...if I keep working hard.

Still and all, it's a great feeling to take these old razors and bring them back to life.

 

[AjaxLepinski]

I have the same issue toe is sharp / heal is dull. My problem is caused by the weigh of the scales. The weight of the scales causes the toe to lift and the heal to drop.
The toe is getting gentle contact while the heal is getting too much pressure and dulling.
I compensated by using two hands, fingers on the spine, to make sure I had good, even contact.

If you have a warp, as Oakshott suggests, you will need to do rolling x strokes.
I have a slightly warped Pipe Razor that I managed to put a good edge on using two hands along with rolling x strokes and rolling circles.

It's a good idea to get a 60x loupe to keep an eye on the edge as you progress from one grit level to the next. You can't see if you are removing scratches, getting an even hone or, check for chips without magnification.
Some people can put a nice edge on a razor by feel but, it takes a lot of practice and I'm most certainly lacking in the practice area so, I use a loupe.
I purchased a pro honed straight from Doc226 to use as a benchmark. I studied his edge, under a loupe, to learn what a good honing job looks like. A new DE blade is a good reference as well.

I hope this helps!

 

[professorchaos]

I'll second dislike for bread-knifing a razor. All it does is guarantee more work than if you simply started honing.

At this point, it sounds like you have re-established the bevel near the toe. Keep honing until it gets to the heel.

 

[simon templar]

Well folks newbie here just yet another snag. Here goes. I taped the bevel (two layers) and honed the edge on my project razor on some wet/dry 325 grit sand paper to help things along. The edge feels sharp according to the thumb test and will leave a mark on my thumbnail. However, when I go to shaving some arm hair I get a few hairs but mostly dry skin buildup. Should I proceed to honing my JNATs or am I doing something wrong here. I am not sure if there is any use in honing on the stones if the edge is not right. I will try to post some shots of the project razor tomorrow for your review. Thank you for the help.

Si

 

[Wid]

Yeah, start on your 1K stone.