Honing hollow ground SE (wedge) blades

wintoid

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468
I have a Heljestrand SE on the way, with a 7-day set of blades and an autostropper. It feels like there's a LOT to learn.

One thing I've just realised is that occasionally those blades are going to need to be honed. From reading about straights, some people say about 6 months between hones. So with a 7 day set, is it reasonable to multiply that by 7, and say 3.5 years between hones?

Also, as a complete beginner, with no concept of what honing really involves, do you think I should attempt to learn, or is it better to buy something cheap to practice honing before ruining the 7-day set (assuming you can ruin a blade through honing)?
 
If the blades are in reasonable condition i.e. already sharp, then keeping them 'refreshed' on a finishing hone is probably the best option - something like a 10k or 12k grit rating or equivalent. Whether you go for a natural stone or synthetic will dictate the price you pay - and you must ensure it's kept flat, but that's easily achieved with a piece of glass or tile and wet and dry paper.

I'm assuming that you set will come with a honing 'stick' this is nothing more than an attachment that holds the blade - when honing razors the angle is pre-set by keeping spine and bevel on the hone. With my Heljestrand, I tape the blade holder (honing attachment) so that it doesn't wear with continued use.

I'm not sure about your calculation as I don't know whether a razor would last 6 months of daily use - but I suspect not. It's really hard to judge - because most straight razor enthusiasts have several razors in rotation. I find that if I haven't used a razor for a number of months, an extended stropping session will generally bring it to shave ready status, but occasionally a razor just doesn't get quite sharp enough. You can generally tell just with a thumb pad test.

As to whether you can ruin a blade by honing - well the answer has to be yes if you are heavy handed. Maybe it would be a good idea to get hold of a straight razor to practice on - and make sure you do some research by looking at videos. There may even be so specific to Heljestrand blades - I've never checked.
 
Greetings

I did not pick up on this thread at the time of your posting.

My view is this and I am talking as a true novice honer; refreshing a wedge blade or straight razor that has been properly honed in the first instance on a very fine modern stone like a Naniwa 12k, which is what I have is a piece of cake, setting the bevel or truing up a blade that has been forged on the skew/wonk or honed on the skew is something quite different and they are miles apart from each other.

Setting bevels and honing requires a great deal of skill and talent that I certainly do not have and will only be acquired with a great deal of practice, I have personally 'buggered' up a wedge blade it's not that hard to do but you are unlikely to do it with a gentle refresh or by stropping.

Regards
Dick.
 
Thank you everyone for your responses. I'm still waiting on my razor set to be delivered, so just researching at the moment. Once I see the set, I'll almost certainly have more questions
 
wintoid said:
Thank you everyone for your responses. I'm still waiting on my razor set to be delivered, so just researching at the moment. Once I see the set, I'll almost certainly have more questions
Click to expand...

There are a Number of ways this can be done ..I have Lapping Film for honing which I am learning to use..Its probably the cheapest way & some say as good as good as anyway..Like stones it comes in different grades..

Before you get into all this you need to feel what a Sharp Hollow Ground Feels like..You need a bench mark..Rob can do that for you to get you started..You don't need to get in to all this anyway as its not expensive to get them done periodically anyway..

This Guy here..Slash McCoy is where I got a lot of Intel..He got me into SE Hollow Ground Razors & Gold Dollar Straight's..Don't let this Video Fool You..This is a Master at work..He says Nothing..Just Burbs & Farts..

Billy
 
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