What am I doing wrong?

[rg4056]

I'm relatively new to honing my own razor. My current progression is Naniwa 1k, 3/8k and 10K. The shave from the Dovo is good, no tugging but I checked the edge with a microscope, the pull stroke side is very smooth, the push side is scratched.

I'm left-handed but I think I'm keeping the strokes the same. The edge treetops and HHT great and quietly. Why aren't the sides the same? It shaves great but I would like the edge to be the same on both sides. Razor is the Dovo on the bottom.

The other question is the Bullseye and DublDuk are in my rotation and they are sharper than I can get the Dovo or the TI. Is it because of the old steel?

Thanks for any help

 

[Bogie]

My first take on it. The two sides were not equally beveled the same to start with. Whenever I have this kind of discrepancy, I'll go back to the 1K and set the bevel the same on both sides (microscope is handy here) and then go through the progression from 1K, 4K, 8K, coticule and I have a JNAT i finish with. I'll then use a Tony MIller paddle strop coated with .005 diamond paste. This usually take care of the issues you describe. Good luck. Perhaps there are others that will chime in.

 

[rg4056]

So on the side that's scratched, do I just work on that side only till it's the same width as the smooth side? Will that change the geometry of the edge so it's not an apex anymore?

I watched Lynn Abrams YouTube video on bevel setting and I did the thumb pad test and it sticks really well, should I still be concerned with the different sides or just move on. It shaves very good, I'm just falling down the honing rabbit hole.

Thanks for all the help

 

[Bogie]

IMHO. If it shaves great. Just go with it and don't over think it. I did use circles on a 1K in the past to make aggressive changes. Not sure I recommend taking a blade that shaves very good and doing much else to it. Is it not the goal to get a good shave? Pretty edges probably second on the list.
Its really your choice you want it to look symmetrical or shave well? or both? If you want symmetry stay on the 1K maybe even down to 250. I'm not sure the symmetry is worth it.

 

[Marshal]

Food for thought - it seems like both images are taken from the same side of the microscope. What are the chances that the light is refracting differently off the edge of the push stroke making those stria stand out more than the stria on the pull stroke? I can see the stria on both images, but in the pull stroke they're dark and muted while on the push stroke they seem to be highlighted. I think your edge is the same on either side, but the light refraction is making the stria on the push stroke stand out more.

I agree with Bogie - if it shaves great, don't overthink it. Magnification is a great tool, but the proof of the edge is in the shaving - NOT how good it looks under magnification.