Thread: Newbie Questions

Hello all: Got my first straight razor about a week ago (vintage German-made blade, dist. by Mohawk valley, Utica NY). Still trying to get it shave-ready. Came appearing to be reasonably sharp (seemed to grab my thumb a little + gave a little ting). Stropped it w 0.5 paste & leather, did not cut whiskers. Honed it w 1500 grit King stone then 12k naniwa (I know I need more intermediate stones - have a 4K/8k Norton on the way) + then stropped a lot, now it shaves somewhat with the grain, against not so much (I have a thick beard). I know my honing/stropping needs a lot of refining, my questions for now are 1) is anyone familiar with the razor mentioned & can you give recommendations based on the blade characteristics, and 2) I also have a Weck Sextoblade w personna blades on the way - will that give an approximation of a shave-ready blade, or is it a completely different animal? Thanks much!

If you are a novice honed I recommend you have the razor professionally sharpened. This will give you an idea how it should shave. A novice can destroy an edge very quickly without knowing it. Good luck.

First welcome.
2) post pictures of the razor.
3)Follow the order of operation for honing a razor. You have all the tools necessary to be sucessful.
4) post your location in your profile. A member might live 10 miles away. Greatly reduces your learning curve.
5) get a mentor and go to a meet.
Short of these mandatory tools. We are spinning our wheels. We the community want to help you. Give us what we need to help.

(To "bouchie") Yes, I've read that in several places. The razor has definitely gotten better since I've owned it, which is encouraging since I don't even have the right stones yet. I'm not all that attached to it, and I have a better second one, so my plan is to experiment with this one. I do hear you, though - I won't know what I'm looking for unless I get it professionally honed.

Like bouschie said get a pro honed blade for comparison it will help a ton. I just started honing myself and this gave me a bench mark to aim for. The intermediate hones will help a ton. I've got the Norton 1k up to 8k and naniwa 12k. It's a great progression very forgiving. One tip that helped me was to first find a mentor if one is in your area. The other being watch some videos on YouTube and pick one style and use only that. I used Lynn's circle method and got great results. The thing I had to remember was being new to honing I was not going to get the same results as fast as him. I actually went back to the stones a few times from bevel set to finisher until I was happy. Sorry for the long post hope this helps

Originally Posted by ultrasoundguy2003

First welcome.
2) post pictures of the razor.
3)Follow the order of operation for honing a razor. You have all the tools necessary to be sucessful.
4) post your location in your profile. A member might live 10 miles away. Greatly reduces your learning curve.
5) get a mentor and go to a meet.
Short of these mandatory tools. We are spinning our wheels. We the community want to help you. Give us what we need to help.

Thanks, will do.

Originally Posted by Phil129

Like bouschie said get a pro honed blade for comparison it will help a ton. I just started honing myself and this gave me a bench mark to aim for. The intermediate hones will help a ton. I've got the Norton 1k up to 8k and naniwa 12k. It's a great progression very forgiving. One tip that helped me was to first find a mentor if one is in your area. The other being watch some videos on YouTube and pick one style and use only that. I used Lynn's circle method and got great results. The thing I had to remember was being new to honing I was not going to get the same results as fast as him. I actually went back to the stones a few times from bevel set to finisher until I was happy. Sorry for the long post hope this helps

Not as long as some others! Thanks!

Originally Posted by Mohawkshaver1

Thanks, will do.

I have updated my profile - I live in the Hudson Highlands, NY - about an hour north of NYC. Is there a way thru this site to locate nearby members?

Your King will be a great bevel setter. Once Norton 4/8K arrives that will bridge the gap to the 12K.
Right now you should follow the direction for a pro hone.
That point of reference will last a lifetime. Also watch a video of Thumb Pad Test. TPT.
A properly done TPT will be used for the rest of your life. All honers use this method when deciding when its time to move up to the next hone.
Microscopes and loupes have there place. Feel is priceless and is hard to communicate over the internet.

Originally Posted by Mohawkshaver1

I have updated my profile - I live in the Hudson Highlands, NY - about an hour north of NYC. Is there a way thru this site to locate nearby members?

Yep
SRP Staff - Straight Razor Place Forum

Thank-you for making this easy. Pictures when you can will be appreciated.