Sheffield Cutlery Co. Straight Info?

[CongaJon]

I just got this Sheffield Cutlery hollow ground for a good price, ostensibly to learn to hone on. I can't seem to find anything about that manufacturer! Does anyone have any idea of the approximate age? It just doesn't seem really old and I guess the $3.50 MSRP would bear that out. But then, it looks just like my old W & B (scales, pinning).

Also, should I put a layer of tape on to protect the spine whilst honing, or just let 'er rip?

Thanks!

 

[global_dev]

here is a thought, use tape to set bevel, then glass the edge and reset bevel without tape.

 

[CongaJon]

here is a thought, use tape to set bevel, then glass the edge and reset bevel without tape.

Sorry! I'm new at this. What does it mean to glass the edge? Thanks!

 

[global_dev]

so my suggestion isn’t common, but it tries to balance the angles and honewear. since you razor looks pretty nice you dont want to hone the crap out the while you are learning, thats a waste imho. so the tape is protective to a point. replace tape as necessary.

glassing is taking the beveled edge lightly to a hard surface like a glass edge, running it very gently once or twice to dull the edge. it should no longer cut.

take the tape off. reset bevel and introduce normal honewear through the progression and finishing.

 

[CongaJon]

Got it. Thanks, Mr. Dev!

 

[totorlekiller]

I have seen an alternative of that method that keeps the tape up to the 3K and then removes it to go on the higher level.
I would not glass it though. It seems all you need is a 6$ 60x microscope for ebay to make sure the new bevel properly replaces the old one.

As for Sheffield Cutlery, I do not know much about it. I have one myself, but I have not seen many other.

 

[CongaJon]

Woah! That is cool.

 

[totorlekiller]

Woah! That is cool.

Thank you. It looks to me like a creative rescue work. I am pretty sure that the blade was “japanesed” to hide a ding. I got it like this many years ago, so I don’t know the full history. I remember having a really hard time honing it, but that was in my beginner’s day and might not have anything to do with the blade itself.

 

[paintflinger]

I just got this Sheffield Cutlery hollow ground for a good price, ostensibly to learn to hone on. I can't seem to find anything about that manufacturer! Does anyone have any idea of the approximate age? It just doesn't seem really old and I guess the $3.50 MSRP would bear that out. But then, it looks just like my old W & B (scales, pinning).

Also, should I put a layer of tape on to protect the spine whilst honing, or just let 'er rip?

Thanks!

View attachment 957023

Jon, have you tried to see if the edge is already good? I can't see any dings and the current edge might just be fine after stropping. Quick way to check if it is sharp is to try to pop arm hairs (blade shouldn't be touching your skin, tree topping). If it pops them the way the W&B will, the edge could be good.

If it doesn't pass that, run the edge on your thumbnail and try to feel the edge. If it skates over like glass, it needs a bevel. You can usually feel chips or edge variations using this.

 

[CongaJon]

Derek, thanks for the input! That sucker was d...u...l...l. I don't think that I could have cut myself with it if I tried. Mind you, I did 5 minutes ago. On the cheek. Twice. That's a good thing, though, because it means I was testing it!

The process was:
Drag it across a beer bottle.
Set a bevel on a vintage Norton aluminum oxide stone using the Burr method put forth on this invaluable forum.
Use Lynn's one stone method from YouTube.
Sadly, this didn't work really well. I could kind of scrape hair off my arm.

Back to the drawing board! Watched another video where the guy started with slurry on the BBW, reduced it gradually to water and did quite a bit with just water on the coticule. Followed that up with chromium oxide on a rough paddle strop and finished on the smooth strop. Was kind of bludgeoning treetops on the arm, so I tried it on my face. No hydration and used Venus shave gel. It dragged (and pinged!) but it cut hair and yes, skin. Twice. I don't think it's quite there, but I'll try it tomorrow night with regular prep. and soap. All in all I'm pretty happy for my first try. What point do I go back to if it isn't cutting it?

 

[totorlekiller]

Setting the bevel correctly is the most important part.
If it can shave effortlessly hair on your arms, then it is OK and you can proceed. If not, back to the rough stone until it is.
Everytime I try to skip out, I paid for it later on.

 

[global_dev]

Setting the bevel correctly is the most important part.
If it can shave effortlessly hair on your arms, then it is OK and you can proceed. If not, back to the rough stone until it is.
Everytime I try to skip out, I paid for it later on.

truth ^

 

[CongaJon]

Well, there you have it! I didn't realize the rough bevel set was supposed to be that sharp. I got a good burr the entire length, but didn't spend that long on the coarse stone afterward. Tonight I will reburr it, remove it and spend some time on the finer side of the aluminum oxide before the BBW\Coticule sequence. Thanks for the help!

 

[paintflinger]

Well, there you have it! I didn't realize the rough bevel set was supposed to be that sharp. I got a good burr the entire length, but didn't spend that long on the coarse stone afterward. Tonight I will reburr it, remove it and spend some time on the finer side of the aluminum oxide before the BBW\Coticule sequence. Thanks for the help!

Jon, when I was first starting, the absolute best method I found to test the bevel was the cherry/grape tomato test. Doc226 has a great video demonstrating it. Basically, if the bevel won't easily fall through the tomato, it isn't set. I almost always strop on linen before doing this to make sure the edge is clean.