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Thin bevel in the middle of the blade - what do I do?

I noticed that my straight (Ralf Aust Solingen 6/8) is not as sharp in the middle as on the sides. I examined the bevel with a loupe and found out that the bevel became thin in the middle. I suspect the main reason for it is that I used 2 inch linen strop with crox on it, not with X stroke, but doing left side and right side, so the middle got more exposure. It looks like the blade geometry is fine. I set the bevel myself on the 4k Norton using circle strokes, it gave decent but not great shaves. Maybe my original bevel was faulty all along? I'm confused. Could crox have such a pronounced effect on the bevel?

Now, what do I do? Reset the bevel?
 
Pix might help.
Bevels don't need to be perfectly sized along the length of the blade. If the bevel is good - it's good; the edge will cut well if the rest of the work is done well. I have a new razor here, theh bevel gets way thin up at the toe. The grind is off, and instead of honing the snot out of it to make the bevel wider there - I left it. Shaves great too. Subsequent honings will correct it, for now it's fine though.
 
Pix might help.
Bevels don't need to be perfectly sized along the length of the blade. If the bevel is good - it's good; the edge will cut well if the rest of the work is done well. I have a new razor here, theh bevel gets way thin up at the toe. The grind is off, and instead of honing the snot out of it to make the bevel wider there - I left it. Shaves great too. Subsequent honings will correct it, for now it's fine though.

Thanks! In fact, I got my closest, but not the most comfortable shave out of it yesterday after touch up on 8k lathered Norton. ATG pass felt a bit rough. What concerns me is that on my thumb-pad I feel that the razor is slightly not as sharp in the middle.
 
Could be many reasons for that - most sharpness is established during the early work, so you may wind up needing to rework the bevel.
there could be a slight warp, or something along those lines, that's preventing you from hitting the edge perfectly along the bevel too.
 
Could be many reasons for that - most sharpness is established during the early work, so you may wind up needing to rework the bevel.
there could be a slight warp, or something along those lines, that's preventing you from hitting the edge perfectly along the bevel too.

If I reset the bevel, should I try to get it perfectly even? I'm worried I may remove too much metal.

I think I will order Chosera 1k for this job, will be faster and easier.
 
Generally- I don't worry about bevel dimension, as long as I have a well done maxed out bevel I'm good.
If, when you're honing, you are hitting the bevel across the entire length - you're probably ok.
If you're new to honing, trying to make the bevel all Gucci might cause you more grief than good.

Things to identify; Possible warp in the blade, possible frown, whether or not you;re hitting the steel eqaually with each pass, and making sure the bevel is done correctly.
The first, a possible warp - you can see by laying the blade on a flat stone. The edge will be up.
If you have such a thing, there are a few ways to deal with it, depending on the severity and placement of the warp.
A slight frown can be hard to see - check carefully.
Hitting the entire edge can be checked with a sharpie test. I usually just check the striations in the bevel though. Whatever works - works. You just need to be sure you're hitting the entire length of the blade equally.
Lastly - setting a bevel the first time can be a learning experience. You may want to practice on a beater blade first.

Make sure all your hones are lapped flat before starting.
 
If I reset the bevel, should I try to get it perfectly even?.

No. Assuming the bevel is set correctly, an uneven bevel reveal shows that the blade thickness behind the edge is uneven, which cannot be honed out. It can be corrected by sanding away metal at the back of the bevel before you hone but not by honing. It's normally just an aesthetics issue and not something to really worry about.
 
Here are the pictures:

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I'ts hard to say for sure, but it looks like you're not hitting the center of the blade as well as you are at the toe/heel.
Or - it could be the photo. See the center? It looks rougher. Is it like that on the other side too?

When you get your bevel setter, do a sharpie test to see what's up.
If there's an anomoly/warp/etc - You could try honing on the 4k/8k as though it's a narrow stone, working the blade in sections.

Again - make sure your hones are flat. Really flat.
A dip in the middle of the stone can cause that too.
 
I'ts hard to say for sure, but it looks like you're not hitting the center of the blade as well as you are at the toe/heel.
Or - it could be the photo. See the center? It looks rougher. Is it like that on the other side too?

I think it is the way light reflects on it - the bevel looks uniform in the daylight. Both sides look the same.
 
I'm using both hands to hold the blade when honing with moderate pressure - is it possible that I apply too much pressure, so that I hit toe and heel more?
 
Anything is possible - hard to say without being in the room while you're honing or, at least, having the razor in my hand.
If you do the sharpie test on a 1k, or even the 4k - you'll see if you're hitting evenly right away.
If you are hitting evenly, then you just need more time on the stone.
Try torquing the edge firmly but not very hard to the stone instead of using 'pressure from your other hand.
See if that helps.
You'll get there, we all go through or went through this stuff.
There's no way around it - it's just part of the game.
 
Keith has mentioned it two or three times already, but I would be willing to bet your problem is a slightly warped blade. You can hone as if on a narrow stone (I really don't know how that works), but the best bet for most is to hone on an actual narrow hone. It will make a huge difference in that all parts of the blade will hit the stone and you will see results right away. I prefer narrow stones for several reasons, warp being one of them. Concentrated pressure is another.

If your finisher is a regularly shaped stone, you can lap the side of it and use that as your narrow hone. I have a tile saw and have cut several stones into narrow ones to fit the job. It does take a little finesse to keep the edge flat on the hone and I find it easier to hold the stone in my off hand and let the surfaces find each other rather than hone on the bench. Just another knack to learn. Later, Denny
 
Warped new production at that price? I'd say that justifies a return and replace.

Depending on the warp it may just be minor metal unevenness on the spine... a few honing sessions may very well even it out naturally and then it is no big deal, especially if contact on the other side is the same or better. If the warp is more pronounced and remains/does not improve after some minor work then that is a different story.

Of course it may be the stone.. or any other comments as above.

I honed a few razors in the past week and got a thinner bevel in certain spots (Toe and heel on two separate razors) but the sharpie was coming off and it shaves well so I wasn't concerned. I echo Keith's comment above, it may simply be aesthetics and if it shaves and the bevel is set (not matter how thin) then try not to think too much beyond it.
 

Kentos

B&B's Dr. Doolittle.
Staff member
Just my opinoin, but I would keep in mind that these things are hand made, so a little bit of imperfection is going to be there. There are some perfectly ground razors, but there are a lot more imperfectly ground ones. A good honer can figure out how to hone them without undue wear and uneven bevels, but that takes time. I would practice on a lesser razor if possible. It could be the blade, could be the stone, could be your technique. Good luck!
 
Is it the same on both sides or is the other side the opposite (fat middle, thin toe and heel bevels). If the latter, then Doc is right and the blade is warped. Doesn't look severe enough to cause any problems other than aesthetics, if that's the case and you just need to hone it.

If not, then you need to rebevel it blade, as Gamma observed, there appears to be a difference in the reflectivity of the bevel, which at that magnification indicates a significant difference in how refined the points of the edge are... so at some point, you are failing to do enough work to the middle section of the blade, regardless of the bevel being uneven... but the bevel being uneven could be the cause of it. Yes, if you hold the hone at the toe and heel of the spine, this can happen depending on your technique, hones, pressure and the razor. I find the alternative is worse and more likely to happen though (holding at center spine and wearing a frown into the blade). What I find more likely to be the case is what Kent suggests, the blade just isn't perfectly symmetrical. This may have contributed to a failed beveling if the honer was not experienced, which cascaded through the series of hones resulting in a blade that is dull at the center while being sharp at the heel and toe.
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
Mostly, what they said.

First of all lap your stones. Lightly glue a whole sheet of sandpaper to a true flat surface, such as a polished marble floor tile or a glass table top or a polished granite sink cutout. Not an ordinary tabletop or countertop or ceramic tile. Those are not flat enough for our purposes. Draw a grid on your stone with pencil. Lay the stone down on the sandpaoer and, work it corner to corner. Try to keep it on the paper for best results. 320 grit will work. Progress up to 600 or 1k for a finer or harder stone.

Dont use two hands on the razor! Dont lay the rock on a fixed surface, either. Hold the stone loosely in your off hand so it floats in space. Let the stone and razor find their own alignment.

Dont use crox on leather, especially on narrow strops. Lap a 3x12 piece of balsa and LIGHTLY apply your abrasive to that. It should seem like you dont even have half enough. Rub it in good. And consider upgrading to diamond paste. A progression of 1u, .5u, .25u, and .1u is absolutely magic. .1u cuts slowly and finely so it is great for stropping after each shave to maintain your edge. I go 50 or 60 laps. If it seems to be getting dull after a few months and you know your stropping technique is good, then hit the .5u side for a touchup and then the .1u side as usual.

It sounds like you have developed a very slight frown, or are starting to, anyway. I would counsel against a narrow hone. Just HONE that guy on a well lapped bevel sett rer and whatever you do, dont rest your index finger in the middle of the blade. If you are honing a frown into the blade, this is one possible cause.

I would be surprised if your Aust has a,significant warp in it, but anything is possible. A small warp can be honed out, in time, if you hone true and dont cater to the warp. Dont try to live with it... beat it into submissikn. Make it go away. Hone flat on a flat stone. Dont worry about the width of the bevel strip, though, as long as you got some along the entire edge. Do not attempt to keep the width of the bevel consistent. That is catering to the irregularities of the vlade. Again, just hone it, and know that you have a good bevel before your progression. If it is a smiling blade, of course you will need to rock up on the heel and toe a little (most guys rock it too much and thereby increase the smile so try to go just enough) so that those parts get sharp, but a straight edge should be kept straight by honing flat on a properly lapped stone. Or better yet, lapping film on a true flat surface.
 
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