Toilet paper

[Slash McCoy]

That assumes that the blade was in good condition and symmetrical to begin with, right? If the previous owner had over honed one side, that unevenness would be maintained...no?


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Yeah, sorta. However, it really doesn't matter. As long as you have two bevel planes meeting in steel at a reasonable angle, and those bevel surfaces are sufficiently polished, you will have a sharp edge. If you start out with a bevel that has a bigger surface on one side of the blade than the other, and you simply hone it with alternating laps, it is STILL going to be about the same shape as the bevel obtained by the burr method. And it will still shave.

A beautiful bevel is not needed. Perfectly consistent width of the bevel flat is not needed. The important thing is that there is a bevel running the full length of the blade, on both sides, and this meets at a tight apex.

 

[ScottChapin]

Yeah, sorta. However, it really doesn't matter. As long as you have two bevel planes meeting in steel at a reasonable angle, and those bevel surfaces are sufficiently polished, you will have a sharp edge. If you start out with a bevel that has a bigger surface on one side of the blade than the other, and you simply hone it with alternating laps, it is STILL going to be about the same shape as the bevel obtained by the burr method. And it will still shave.

A beautiful bevel is not needed. Perfectly consistent width of the bevel flat is not needed. The important thing is that there is a bevel running the full length of the blade, on both sides, and this meets at a tight apex.

My obsession has ended. Thank you!


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[shadowman12]

I nearly always raise a burr. It is fast and leaves little to subjectivity. It is also a great technique for a newbie because it requires fewer judgement calls. You should only have to set the bevel once. Honing off the burr takes care of the breakoff. The trick is to not raise a big burr... just at the lower limit that it can be detected by comparing the two sides with a fingertip. With a highly irregular edge you can have a strong burr in one or a few spots and a weak burr or no burr in others. So the burr method also evens out the edge.

What you are saying is very true when very little steel needs to be removed. If you know that a dozen laps is all you are going to need to peak up the apex, then obviously you don't want to do 50 circles on one side to give a burr a chance to form. Most razors do need more steel than that removed when setting the bevel, though.

The burr method is not needed, once you have learned how to judge when a bevel is complete, and then it is only a matter of expedience or preference, and nothing wrong with not doing it that way but instead just honing with regular laps until the bevel is set and verified.

I usually don't do circles at all because then I miss the part near the shoulder.

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[ajduplessis]

I ran her in from 1K to 4K to 8K to 12K. I need to spend more time on the edge, but it shaved well. Now to figure out what causes the small black spots and how to safely clean them. Either that or quit being obsessive.


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The spots may be patina. Many things could have caused it such as alum, your water on that day, some soaps, aftershaves, witchhazel, ASB, handsoap, sweat or combinations of all these things. Some blades just like to patina with use...

Tape up the edge and use 0000 steelwool, or dont tape, polish the blade and edge, rehone.

Photos would help.

 

[ScottChapin]

The spots may be patina. Many things could have caused it such as alum, your water on that day, some soaps, aftershaves, witchhazel, ASB, handsoap, sweat or combinations of all these things. Some blades just like to patina with use...

Tape up the edge and use 0000 steelwool, or dont tape, polish the blade and edge, rehone.

Photos would help.

I suspect it’s from soap. Other products are always applied after I put the blade up. There’s a splotch near the heal (in the reflected highlight) and general mottling.

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