Thanks guys, not just Glen, for all your replies it's been a very interesting thread and I understand a smidgen more than before I asked the question. It has been much appreciated. Cheers.
Yes. You cannot get a good shave with a razor that has a pronounced frown, and removing a frown is not the easiest thing to attempt. I have it on good authority that birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
I have a question. I have quarter cut Norton hones. I had 220/1k, 4k/8k. But my question is if you have a razor that's been sharpened before, do you need to still start on the 220 or can you start on the 1k?
If its Been Finished on an 8 K it Can Be Taken Back to the 8 K..You Can Take it Back to the 1 K Bevel Hone No Problem..The 220 After You have Put it through the 1 K & the Progression is Neither here Nor there.. Billy..
Okay, what's a quarter cut hone??? BTW, welcome to The Shave Den. Wander over to the "Welcome Center", and introduce yourself, and your shaving setup, or history.
It is a Norton hone cut into 4 pieces 4 x 1.5 inches Larry sells them to beginners Way Way back machine back in 07-08 myself and another restorer fell for the often repeated myth that Smiling Blades are more easily honed on thin hones.. He got a great deal on a set of Nortons and we split the deal I cut them down into two sets 1.5 x 8 I kept one and Aaron kept the other.. We both quickly realized that they offered zero advantage (2 Whole razors for me) and I never used them after Just recently sold the set to another old SR brother Basically, these cut once again in half
Looks Fine in Terms of Minimal Home Wear & Stuff..But..The Picture Reveals Nothing Regarding the Bevel or Edge Area..Its Hard to Capture the Bevel Area & Edge on Photographs & thats the Important Bit..So its Almost Impossible to Comment if there is Something Wrong with it..I Get Plenty of Razors Sent to Me to Check Out that Guys are Shaving with..Some of the Edges are Far from Shave Ready or Anywhere Near it..Some Folks Just Dont Know what a Proper Shave Ready Edge Should Feel Like.. Its HOW it Shaves that Matters..If an SR Cannot Perform as Above..Its Not Shave Ready.. Billy..
Well to better give you an idea of how it was honed, I honed first on the 220 until when I wet my thumb nail and gently slid the blade across, every bit of that blade was biting, then I went to 1k until every part of the edge was shaving arm hair, then moved to 4k them 8k, and after stropping it was popping on the hanging hair test, I guess I was just wondering if the edge looked ok, as far as no frowns etc.
Whilst One Can Shave from an 8 K & Some Do..In My Books it Falls Way Short..To Me Personally Anything Below 12 K is Short..If I Sent a Razor Out to the Guys I Honed Razors for from an 8 K..They Would be Complaining Big Time Compared to the Edges they are Used To from Me..Most of the Razors I Hone have a 16 K or 16 K + Edge..The Difference Between an 8 k & 12 K is Quite Remarkable.. A Dud Edge Can Pop Hanging Hairs..Its How it Shaves on the Face that Matters.. Billy..
Well besides the razors I've honed, the only other razors I've shaved with come from Larry at whipped dog, idk what stone he goes up to.
I Live in the UK & Usually Charge 17 Pounds English Return Posted..Thats the Full Monty with a Natural High Grit Finisher to Match a Particular Steel..If its in Bad Condition I Fine them a Bit More....Nah..Seriously..Some of the Chipped Razors I Get are Brain Numbing to Hone..Time Wise.. Billy..
A small notice, Performing simple x strokes on a flat hone results in frowning. Why? Because the heel and toe spend less time on the hone compared to the middle. In the past, professional hones were often kept convex to assure the whole blade spent the same amount of time on the stone during x strokes (and save the wrist of the honer). Also, a smiling blade, with a curved back, (meaning all decent vintage blades), that is honed on a wide stone without a rolling stroke or additional attention to the heel and toe will first loose its smile, and then devellop a frown. To prevent frowning and other undesired geometric features,look at the bevel and try to understand why it is happening. To fully recover the smile of a frowned blade often means there is hardly any blade left,..
It's because thick, tough leather, such as horsehide and cowhide, is difficult to get in _long_ strips that are even in depth. When you buy belt leather, you find this out quickly. Two inches is about the max for a good belt strap, and even then, I've gotten them significantly thinner at one end than the other. Working with a full hide (usually half hides) quickly shows you how different the thickness and texture can be across one animal. (I've worked with cow, elk, and bison, as I recall)
Not sure where you found this info but reality is the exact opposite The best way to not Frown a blade is to always hone Toward a smile It really is that simple
Technically, it's correct. If you place a knife blade on a narrow hone, and move either the blade or the hone, you'll see the following. The end of the blade at the edge of the hone will have almost no wear, because it's removed from the hone almost immediately. This wear increases until you've hit the width of the hone (on the blade), at which point it levels out until you've reached the width of the hone from the other end (or, in some cases, up to one half again the width of the hone, as most people pick up the blade before it drops off of the hone), and at that point, the amount of wear drops. If you're _aware_ of this tendency, it can be worked around. To correct another possible myth - even if your hone is wider than your blade, you'll still end up with that effect at the base of the knife. I can't tell you how many knives I've seen where the blade at the edge notch is full width, and up to the top of the blade it's worn to an awl point. I try to compensate for it when I'm sharpening my knives by focusing a bit more time and effort on the ends.
