Honing School - Honemeisters & Newbies Unite!

How many layers of Kapton tape do you usually use on a wedge, frameback or hollow ground razor?

 

Just one layer of the thin 1 mil stuff (actually 2.7 mil total with adhesive) unless I'm trying to increase the bevel angle, then I'll use multiple layers, sometimes with cheaper electrical tape beneath Kapton. That said, I don't do wedges in my collection, but I'd start by measuring the bevel angle of the razor rather than just slapping some tape on it.

Cheers, Steve

 

Thanks much!

I can't wait for the other installments of your honing information.

 

Crossed a 21st-century threshold here in the wilds of North Idaho this morning

I finally had the internet speed to do an actual live Vid Chat to show some J-nat Finishing Techniques
I have never been able to do that live in the past

Not quite as good as sitting across the table but it is the next best thing, pretty cool really

Also just going to say this
6 Razors on the hones this morning, 4 were new production Dovo and TI, 3 would fail the "Tap and Wobble" test, all were honed to nice even tiny bevels using Honing Gymnastics and 1 layer of 3M 700 tape. Not one single mark left on the spines

 

Glen, I believe in the upcoming (September) release of Apple's operating systems you can have up to 32 people in a Facetime (video calls) session. That brings up the idea of a virtual meet. It wouldn't be as nice as a real meet but a heck of a lot easier to arrange whenever you want. And you could do it no matter where in the world that you happened to be.

Congrats on success with modern Dovos and TIs, that's not always easy. I have my own theory about how TIs are ground with their wide wavy bevels (sans tape).

Cheers, Steve

 

@Steve56
If you watch the Vids of TI and Dovo making razors there is no real theory any longer, you can watch EXACTLY what they call "Honing" not one of us would do that to our razors, or anyone else's....
Nobody of any reputation hones that way that I have ever heard or seen

 

I haven't seen the TI videos on how they're actually ground, but if they're doing what I think they are based on the Spartacus I bought myself for Christmas last year, it's actually ingenious but not what most of us want. My theory - and I have no evidence except looking at my Spartacus is below.

All modern razor makers for the most part seem suffer from a lack of really skilled grinders - you can tell that by looking at the razors. So if I'm making razors how can I get by with apprentices and mid-level grinders until they gain experience - if they stay long enough to even get experience. Let's say that I take a blank, like the Spartacus is made of, and I hollow grind the top part of the blade. My grinders aren't very good so I just try to make it look decent. The bottom part, say from the middle to the bevel, is actually pretty much flat, so it would take less skill at the critical part of the blade.

What I've done at least conceptually, is made a frameback or rattler from a single piece of steel with a smooth transition below the spine. As a result of not having grinders that could grind a Filly 14, the metal at the bevel is comparatively thick and as a result the bevels are wide. There's of course some history behind this idea if it is indeed what they're doing, the idea behind a frameback is that you could make a razor with less amounts of hard steel, cruder equipment, and less experiemced grinders since they didn't have to grind a hollow..

Yeah I know, I've been thinking again lol, but my Spartacus doesn't seem to have much hollow to it near the bevel, it looks like it just tapers a little.

Cheers, Steve

 

Anyone have links to the Dovo and Theirs Issard being made??

 

The Dovo one is easy to find on Youtube

The TI one and the Revisor one are much harder to locate

I will search over at SRP and see if I can get them for you, but the honing repertoire is very similar in all of them

 

Thank you Glen!

Cheers, Steve

 

I was really wanting to see the improper honing they do.

 

There are more out there but those should keep ya busy for a bit

Basically, the standard is to use a Platen wheel and then a stone, there is some argument going on now about whether they are lifting the spine like it shows in some of the vids and the bevel appears to be under magnification
There is a Dovo Vendor that disagrees with what your eyes are showing you, and the magnification is showing

But I do know that they are far from what most of us consider shave ready

 

Interesting videos. Thanks. I've purchased a few NOS razors, and after I honed them, the bevels looked nothing like the originals. Lifting the spines, while honing, explains it.

 

Today I honed up this Ontario Cutlery Company razor. Set the bevel on the King 1k and then used the sharpie test to discover that I needed to give the toe a little more of a push. After that went to the lapping film(5,3,1 micron), again at each grit the toe took a little more work then the rest of the bevel to come around. Off the 1 micron the bevel was casting off a perfect reflection. 25ish laps on linen and 50ish on leather and we are tree topping arm hair.

In a side note, Because I wear glasses I find using the 30x X 22mm loupe to be a PITA, anyone use a larger loupe?

 

60x loupe, without issues. It is a lighted one.

 

My Loupe has a 30x and 60x lens and they are both way too small. Do you have a link for one with a larger lens ?

 

It's exactly like this one. Just type in 60x lighted loupe, in EBay, and you get a large selection. They come from China, Hong Kong, and some from USA.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/60X-Magnif...hted+loupe&_from=R40&rt=nc&_trksid=m570.l1313

 

I've got this one. It's good.

 

It's difficult to find large diameter ones, at least until the magnification drops. I'm using a 7x Hastings triplet with good resilts and it's a little larger than the 10x or 15x.

And although it isn't going to be high magnification, you might try an old 35mm camera lens around 50mm focal length if you have one laying around.

Cheers, Steve

 

That's a great idea @Steve56 I would have never thought of using an old camera lense! I still have my old 35mm camera and lenses here.