Thread: Getting the razor sharp!

Any thoughts on how to get my razor sharp again?
It's made of carbon steel (I hope the translation is right). At the moment it starts to pull the hairs rather than cutting them. With the regular leather belt I can't get it sharp enough anymore.

So what to use? Which paste? Which tool? I'd like to hear other people's opinion.

Thnx,

Felix

Welcome to SRP, glad to have you here.

As a suggestion, you should check out the Honing Forums as there is a wealth of information about freshening/honing razors. Assuming that you haven't damaged the edge somehow (faulty stropmanship being a leading cause) you might just need to touch up the blade with a finishing hone or pastes. I think you will find that most use some combination of the Norton 4000/8000 and a finishing hone, something like a coticule or a chinese 12000. In addition chromium oxide or diamond paste are frequent favorites to add a final polish to the edge. As you will see in the honing forums, there are lots of alternatives and different ideas. Trying them out on your own is part of the fun.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by Bill S

Welcome to SRP, glad to have you here.

As a suggestion, you should check out the Honing Forums as there is a wealth of information about freshening/honing razors. Assuming that you haven't damaged the edge somehow (faulty stropmanship being a leading cause) you might just need to touch up the blade with a finishing hone or pastes. I think you will find that most use some combination of the Norton 4000/8000 and a finishing hone, something like a coticule or a chinese 12000. In addition chromium oxide or diamond paste are frequent favorites to add a final polish to the edge. As you will see in the honing forums, there are lots of alternatives and different ideas. Trying them out on your own is part of the fun.

Good luck.

How about a paddel style strop with the green paste (dovo)? Any thoughts on that?

A pasted paddle should work fine for you. If you don't have one you might consider a four sided paddle so that you can use different pastes. Another good choice would be a Handamerican flat bed hone that has removable surfaces (leather, felt, glass) that will allow a great range of options from pastes and honing paper or film to bare leather. Take a look at Tony Miller's site (The Well Shaved Gentleman) or Handamerican's site for some ideas. You should consider picking up Lynn Abrams great DVD. It covers pretty much all the basics of razor use and upkeep. http://straightrazorpalace.com/showthread.php?t=7412