Thread: Hoffritz razor

Just got a Hoffritz straight razor from an auction site. One of the prettiest I've seen (the razor that is), anyway I've tried to hone this to shave ready and can't seem to get the toe quite sharp enough. I've set the bevel with a Norton 4k and used the 4 and 8 k norton. Finished with a 12k naniwa. I used a pasted strop and it seems the last 2/3 of the blade is good but again the toe or the front 1/3 will not give me good results with the HHt. I started to shave with it this morning and switched to another razor soon after a few strokes. Any suggestions on dealing with the toe. Also, I'm not sure whether its a stainless or carbon blade, or whether that has anything to do with getting the edge. I don't have it handy right now, but I think it says Barber's King etched on the blade.

If the toe is narrower than the center of the blade, you have a smiling edge. In that case, you should be using "rolling strokes" to get the toe into contact with the hone.

There are videos, and stuff in the Wiki, to get you started.

Charles

Thanks for the reply, but it's definitely not a smiling edge. After looking at the bevel through a30x loupe the bevel on the front on one side is very narrow. I'll try concentrating on the toe again.