Honing?

Discussion in 'Razor Restoration' started by Claude Stewart, Feb 14, 2021.

  1. Claude Stewart

    Claude Stewart Well-Known Member

    Good day everyone,

    Hoping to acquire some information from all the experience and skill on this site.

    I just finished restoring a Taylor Hollow ground.
    411B86C4-1FFB-4BAC-B20B-DB07917FB295.jpeg
    However, as I started the honing process, from 3000 to 15000 grit whetstones, the blade won’t take an edge. It feels sharp to the thumb pad but, it won’t shave a hair from my arm.

    Tried a second time today and had the same results.

    I have successfully honed and shaved with a dozen straight razors so far. So, I’m a bit at a loss.

    Any help is much appreciated.

    Thank you
     
    lightcs1776 and Edison Carter like this.
  2. battle.munky

    battle.munky Has the menthol.munky on his back!

    Did you try the tap and wobble test? If your bevel is off you'll be dragging that blade all over all sorts of things with not a lot but frustration to show for it.

    If it taps and/or wobbles you have some warpage. Then you'll have to set the bevel but prior to that you either have to tape the edge and get the spine flat so you can then set the bevel. If I'm telling you stuff you already know, I apologize.
     
    Edison Carter likes this.
  3. Claude Stewart

    Claude Stewart Well-Known Member

    Thank you for your reply. I’m not familiar with that process. I’ll find a video for it.
     
    Edison Carter likes this.
  4. battle.munky

    battle.munky Has the menthol.munky on his back!

    Dr. Matt 357 on YT has a video on it. Its scary as all hell but its what you gotta do.
     
    Edison Carter likes this.
  5. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers


    You dont need to flatten the spine, unless the spine is grossly warped.

    First thing I would try is to tape the spine. Go to a 1k stone, and see if the edge is pushing water uniformly, on the edge, on both sides. This will tell if the blade is warped. Perfectly flat blades are great, but not necessary, to get a great edge.
    If not, just keep honing with very light pressure, until the bevel pops up, along the entire blade. Some razors take longer than others.
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2021
  6. Edison Carter

    Edison Carter Well-Known Member

    I’d recommend you send it to a professional first. Then ask what they did. If you are unable to duplicate what they found works then keep looking, asking and trying. Eventually you will get it.

    I hesitate to tell you what I found worked more easily for me than anything else, the pros don’t like it.
     
  7. Claude Stewart

    Claude Stewart Well-Known Member

    Thank you
     
  8. Claude Stewart

    Claude Stewart Well-Known Member

    Thank you
     
  9. Claude Stewart

    Claude Stewart Well-Known Member

    thank you
     
    Edison Carter likes this.
  10. TestDepth

    TestDepth Well-Known Member

    You mention above that your bevel test (thumb pad) says it is good but it doesn’t cut hair. Early on for me, choosing and interpreting my bevel test was an issue and provided inconsistencies. You may already being doing this, but I would add a test to the thumb pad and make sure not to leave your lowest grit stone until it passes with flying colors.

    I went a few years shaving forearm hair, but as my razor pile grew that was not sustainable. :) Luckily I found the cherry tomato test, and once I got the feeling of how the edge passed through the skin, I became very consistent in my edges. Maybe add that to your other tests and see what starts clicking there.
    Tom
     
    Edison Carter likes this.
  11. gssixgun

    gssixgun At this point in time...

    Supporting Vendor
    That razor should hone easily it looks in very good shape

    The 3000 start is going to take more work to set the bevel, which 3000 are you using ???

    This is from an article I wrote back in 2013 it might help you a bit

    Hitting the "Stone/Hone" Wall and Climbing over
    I have given this advice so many times I figured it might be a good idea to create a thread so these "Tricks" would be in one spot




    1. Learn to walk away, if a razor has you stumped, learn to walk away, set that razor aside, and move to the next one, or get up and go do something else.. Sitting there Grinding on a razor normally achieves nothing good.. I have read posts where people are putting in more then 1 hour on one hone, that is just too long...

    2. Change something up (the ideas below are in no particular order)

    2a. Change Hones, Go up a grit, go down a grit
    2b. Add slurry or subtract slurry
    2c. Add a layer of tape or Subtract a layer of tape
    2d. Change your stroke pattern, try circles, try X's , try Japanese, try Angled honing, get radical [​IMG]
    2e. Try stropping the razor
    2f. Try the Magic Marker test
    2g. Try killing the edge (Drastic) but it can work for many Chippy razors.
    2h. Try using a different brand/type of hone altogether (if you have them)

    3. Magnification is your friend, well lit Magnification is your BFF [​IMG]

    4. Jumping ahead, puts you behind, basically this really relates to the bevel set, if you say to yourself "Screw it, the edge is almost there, I will catch it on the next stone" you just added work for yourself and you are simply polishing the bevels.. Until that bevel is set from Heel to Toe and set correctly and evenly, jumping ahead is a waste of time...

    5. Going below a 1k (approximately) stone for anything besides serious edge restoration (Pre-honing) doesn't really save you time it simply cuts deeper into the bevel and that has to come back out, or you will have a weak/harsh edge in the end.. This is something you either have to trust me on, or you have to do the tests yourself.. Honest, if there was a "Faster" way to set a bevel I would be using it [​IMG]

    6. Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast, What does that mean ??? Well it means that doing it slow means that you will get a smooth consistent stroke, by getting a smooth consistent stroke you will hone better and faster [​IMG]
    If you try and rush the process, one small mistake sets you farther back, one single mis-stroke or miscue on the hone can erase all your work [​IMG]


    Be VERY hesitant about Grinding away Spine metal it can't be replaced, this is one thing my friend Matt and I disagree on :)
     
    DaltonGang likes this.

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