My old straight razor will not shaprpen

I have done my research before getting everything I needed for a straight razor. I have a strop and a stone. I got my straight razor from an antique mall. I it is hollow ground and carbon steel. It has pitting but not on the edge of the blade. I have spend hours trying to hone the thing and strop it, but it won't get sharp enough. I was told the trick is to be able to cut a hair and I even tried it on my face, but it skipps (I do try to shave at the 30 degree angle). I am using a figure 8 or X pattern when honing and stropping and I go away from the blade when stropping and towards the blade when honing.I am pretty gentle, trying to let the blade slide with te weight of the blade and it makes that "shing" sound. I rubbed my thumb accross and i cannot feel any imperfections and it peirces the skin pretty easily, I think anyway, but I have not had experience with a shaep blade to tell.This id frustrating :shrug:

Welcome, and I commend you on trying to hone yourself! You may be using too low a grit or may have a double bevel..

To better help we will need more info, what hones are you using and do you know the grit? What kind of razor do you have? is there uneven hone wear? Im not a honemiester but feel free to PM me.:)

I agree with the frustration part. Be careful not to over hone.

I understand the frustration!:)

Short answer, get back to us with info on your hones and the razor.

Trying to restore the edge on an old razor is a bit of work.

Antiques often require you to reset the edge bevel using a fairly low grit hone.

What kind of hone are you using?

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Originally Posted by shadowfarside

I have done my research before getting everything I needed for a straight razor. I have a strop and a stone. I got my straight razor from an antique mall. I it is hollow ground and carbon steel. It has pitting but not on the edge of the blade. I have spend hours trying to hone the thing and strop it, but it won't get sharp enough. I was told the trick is to be able to cut a hair and I even tried it on my face, but it skipps (I do try to shave at the 30 degree angle). I am using a figure 8 or X pattern when honing and stropping and I go away from the blade when stropping and towards the blade when honing.I am pretty gentle, trying to let the blade slide with te weight of the blade and it makes that "shing" sound. I rubbed my thumb accross and i cannot feel any imperfections and it peirces the skin pretty easily, I think anyway, but I have not had experience with a shaep blade to tell.This id frustrating :shrug:

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Wow, attempting to learn both honing and shaving at the same time!

Sorry guy - It would be doubly frustrating to learn how to shave and hone at the same time, because it's just as hard to shave as it is to hone when first starting. Your razor may be as sharp as it needs to be and your technique & beard prep need much work, or it may be as you say that the blade is the problem. Or more likely it is both.

It would probably help to have another sharp blade to compare yours to and learn to shave with, but with practice you should be able to do it on your own. Be careful not to expect too much at first though

You can read all the manuals and resource material in the world but the only way to learn to shave and hone is to actually do it. Once you have some experience under your belt then all the stuff you read starts to make sense and can help you tweak your techniques.

In general trying to learn shaving and honing at the same time is not a good thing. However as the others have said tell us more about your razor and pictures will help even more and we'll see if we can't get you on the right road to successful shaving.

Cutting hanging hair is childs play. You don't even rate a reputation around here until you can make a razor sharp enough to shave and smooth enough to produce a good shave at the same time.

I suggest you get your razor professionally honed. A beginner has no business doing anything more than updating a blade dulled by shaving. Setting a bevel is complicated and requires geometric analysis of the spine and a car loan deposit invested in hones (or atleast enough money to buy some serious rocks).

After that you've still got lots of challenges to keep you interested. Shaving at the proper angle and stropping for a perfect edge are great endeavors that should last you months. On top of that you'll be dulling that pro blade and updating it is easy/peasy stuff for any beginner.

Soon, with a small nudge of help from a pro, you'll be easily getting the best shaves of your life. Hang in there and keep working on it.

It took me years to understand the complexities of it all and you know what, it was fun every single minute of the ride.

Big times 2 to Alan

I am using a "Colonel Ichabod Conk Straight Razor Sharpening Stone" and a "Zeepk Straight Razor Profesional Leather Strop". The blade says "The Cranford" on it, it is hollow ground, and it is carbon steel. The origianl scale was old and snapped when I got it, so I learned how to make a scale, carved it and pinned it. It's not the best job, but it works. I am still working on my teqhnique, I suppose I need to be more patient with it. Like I said, I try to go even with the balde in a figure 8 pattern, but I am possibly just going too fast. I wet the stone pretty well, but when sharpening, it will usually hear a scraping sound which I think may be my problem, but I thouguh was just natural with the spine of the blade dragging. I have watched quite a few videos on honing on youtube and I am still trying to perfect my style, but if that is all it is, then I will keep working at it. I have seen honing done without the figure 8 pattern and with it. The instructions that came wit the stone don't say to use the figure 8 pattern. Would it be better not to?

As for prep, I bought a bager hair brush, some handmade soap that contains all natural glycerine, bentonite clay for slip, castor oil (additional moisture), all natural colorant, and all natural essential oils and/or fragrance oils. I took a sower beforehand, I stretched the skin, and I shaved only the side of my face with a thirty degree angle. It was able to cut but it sounded and felt like I was sanding my face. Did I mention I grow a full beard in a week? Yeah, that's why I want to learn to hone.

I really do not respect the comment making this such a far off adventure, such comments make me feel excuded and give me the feel of an incusivistic forum. I don't want to make this into a technical scope beyond my reach, I just want to learn as I go. I am a poor college student just making it by. I want to be able to hone on my own. I am sorry i am not as good nor experianced as any of you, but I will try till I get it right.

Thank all of you for the concern and advice. I appreciate your help down this road.

Well, its no problem. A lot of people don't respect my comments, your always free to do as you please.

I won't bother commenting on your question about using an x pattern on a Col. Conk hone. Its far to low a grit to make any difference.

Good luck!

IIRC Col Conk hones are Arkansas stones which are really slooooooooow hones. It might take you ages. As for the Zeepk strop: Zeepk razors have a very bad reputation, don't know about the strops however. They wouldn't be my first choice.

Don't waste your time on poor quality equipment. Get it honed professionally or if you're adamant to DIY get a 4K/8K Norton hone and a Tony Miller beginners' strop.

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I don't want to make this into a technical scope beyond my reach, I just want to learn as I go. I am a poor college student just making it by. I want to be able to hone on my own.

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It really isn't that difficult. You can, if you so choose, tech-out and think you require 6 different hones and 8 different grades of slurry, laser bevel rangefinders, etc, etc...

That's cool ,and fun.

However, honing is actually pretty simple. The angle is already set for you: keep the spine and the edge flat on the hone and you're pretty safe to have at it.

Since it sounds as if your current hone is too fine to make much headway on a antique store find you probably want something with a bit more grit to it. You can get a Norton 4/8K, as mentioned, which should serve you well, but will require lapping, or flattening prior to using it.

If you want to go the cheap route (perfect for starving college students) to honing your blade: get a flat piece of glass and some sandpaper 400, 600, 1200 grits (higher grits can be found at auto stores, if you can find 3000, go get some of that too). That should set you back all of about $3. Tape the sandpaper really tight and flat on the glass, and start honing away. Try wetting the sandpaper for easier glide. And at this stage, don't just whisper the blade across with the lightest of touches, as you are trying to actually remove some metal at this point, not go for a shaving edge. Hit up the 400 grit until the edge bevel looks uniformly 400grit flat finished. The edge may have some curve to it, and so you may have to apply pressure to different portions of the blade to set the bevel all along the edge (i.e.- if while honing it flat, only the center portion of the blade is getting sanded, then you may want to press down a bit on the toe to hone the toe of the blade, and similarly the heel...)Then move up to the600, then 1200 & 3000 if you have it. By this point you should have established a bevel, a foundation for a shaving edge, but it is still pretty rough, as it was set using a 1200/3000grit. So now move on to your Conk stone, and work it over on that for quite a while until the edge is gleaming. Try a few HHT's, and see how it improves.

As a final touch, some crome oxide on a simple leather belt strop can put a very fine finish on an edge. You can get cheap chrome oxide from Rockler woodworking(~ $7). Actually, just rub the green stick on the backside of your Zeepk strop, and that should work pretty good for you.

I would reccommend that you invest $30 in a Tony Miller starter strop. It will be so much nicer, I'm sure of it without even seeing the Zeepk product.

In conclusion: you have an antique store razor that you didn't pay out $200 for (I hope you didn't at any rate!:eek:), so it is simply a piece of metal you want to put an edge on. I salute your desire to hone on your own. I started honing the day I got my first razor, as the "shave-ready" edge from the vendor was severely lacking. Putting an edge on a razor yourself is quite gratifying. Go for it!:tu

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Originally Posted by shadowfarside

I am using a "Colonel Ichabod Conk Straight Razor Sharpening Stone" and a "Zeepk Straight Razor Profesional Leather Strop".

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As Adam on Mythbusters is wont to say "well theres your problem right there!"

The Conk hone is to coarse to get a razor to a comfortable level of sharpness. If you wan to learn to hong you need the right tools or you will never have success.

The same holds true for the Zeepak strop. They are not known for their quality products and indeed the whole of Pakistan is known for poor quality leather goods. Again a better quality product will give you a chance to get the results you desire.

I'd also like to know how you Determined that the pitting on your razor doesn't extend to the edge. I personally use a microscope to visually check, but there are various tactile tests that are of similar sensitivity. Even a bump invisible to the naked eye will be felt on your face. I always polish off any tarnish and minor pitting to make it easier to examine the blade before sharpening (and incidentally give future rust a harder time getting a foothold.)

I don't want to sound overly critical but these things might be a few that are standing between you and the success you deserve.

I'll cut the discussion down to size. I'll take care or your razor for free. Just Send me your razor, I will even pay for the return shipping. I will evaluate it for you and if I think it could be a shaver I'll hone it up for you and ship it back to you. Send me a PM if you are interested.

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Originally Posted by shadowfarside

I have done my research before getting everything I needed for a straight razor. I have a strop and a stone. I got my straight razor from an antique mall. (...)This is frustrating :shrug:

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Shadowfarside,

You seem to have decided for yourself that you are a "straightrazorguy", which is fine. You have come to a place that joins "straightrazorguys", and that surely is the wise thing to do. But, in spite of what you think, you have NOT done your research before getting everything you need. At least, not very well. You would have run like hell from everything carrying the brandname "Zeepk" and you wouldn't have bought a Col.Conk hone for trying to hone a razor that only an experienced straightrazorguy could determine to be salvageable or not.
So where must we, that are all eager to help out a fellow straightrazorguy, start? Perhaps with explaining that, shaving succesfully with a straight is a chain with many shackles: a sound blade, honed with skill on hones (plural) suited for the job, stropped with competence, moved accross a well-studied face, with exercised pressure, exact angle, well-chosen direction, cutting carefully prepared whiskers?
No one can learn those skills all at once, and if you start off with equipement that spells disaster, peculiarly in inexperienced hands, than "frustration" indeed lies ahead of you.

IF you are a straightrazorguy, it's time to swallow a bit of pride and follow AFDavis' advice.
I'm in Europe, if you like, you can send that razor to me, and I will hone it for you, if it is honeworthy. If not I 'll send you a superb and shaveready razor back. I won't ask more than the 15$ I payed for it myself when I found it (in dull state) on Ebay. That's the least I can do for a fellow straightrazorguy on a studentsbudget, having a bit of a rough start.
If you are in the USA, perhaps someone living more nearby will come forward and make you a similar offer.

Good luck,
Bart.

I think it's easy to decide to have a go and come unstuck. Two examples - a customer bought a not-shave-ready wedge from me, saying he would hone it. Emailed me a week or so later bursting with pride saying he now had a great edge, was two stone lighter and also now had arms like legs and shoulders that made Mr. Schwarzenneger's look like a pretzel. He had of course used a 12k hone all the way through and about 3,000 laps!

Next was one poor guy who sent me two razors that he liked the look of and got off ebite. One had two cracks in the blade and the other a frown the likes of which I have never seen - like 1/2 the blade depth.

Both these guys suffered from trying to (a) do something with no training and (b) buy something they didn't look into. Yet both now shave with straights and count the cost of learning as well spent. It's easy to forget that newbies don't know how to strop, hone, shave or lather their face - if they did, they wouldn't ask. And then where would we be?:thinking:

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Originally Posted by blueprinciple

I think it's easy to decide to have a go and come unstuck. Two examples - a customer bought a not-shave-ready wedge from me, saying he would hone it. Emailed me a week or so later bursting with pride saying he now had a great edge, was two stone lighter and also now had arms like legs and shoulders that made Mr. Schwarzenneger's look like a pretzel. He had of course used a 12k hone all the way through and about 3,000 laps!

Next was one poor guy who sent me two razors that he liked the look of and got off ebite. One had two cracks in the blade and the other a frown the likes of which I have never seen - like 1/2 the blade depth.

Both these guys suffered from trying to (a) do something with no training and (b) buy something they didn't look into. Yet both now shave with straights and count the cost of learning as well spent. It's easy to forget that newbies don't know how to strop, hone, shave or lather their face - if they did, they wouldn't ask. And then where would we be?:thinking:

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+1, Along with the above situations, I often get the razor from guys who can sharpen a knife so it can shave. The razor often times was sharpened with a knife sharpener. It is amazing how much steel I have to take off the edge to make a good bevel. They too chalk it up to the learning curve. When newbies ask questions it is often from the place of frustration. If we recognize this and understand this and then respond with this in mind, we will show our true colors and be to them what SRP is intended to be. :tu

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Originally Posted by shadowfarside

I really do not respect the comment making this such a far off adventure, such comments make me feel excuded and give me the feel of an incusivistic forum. I don't want to make this into a technical scope beyond my reach, I just want to learn as I go. I am a poor college student just making it by. I want to be able to hone on my own. I am sorry i am not as good nor experianced as any of you, but I will try till I get it right.

Thank all of you for the concern and advice. I appreciate your help down this road.

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There are dozens of members here at any given time willing to help or answer questions you may have - feel free to ask them and receive honest answers! As far as I understand it, you're part of SRP as soon as you sign up, and we're glad to have you aboard

In my opinion, "try until I get it right" is the best method for improving your straight razor shaving.

Thanks to Kenrup, I will have my problem solved soon. I respect all of you for being helpful in your own way and sharing your opinions to me (yes all, I appreciate all shared opinions, but do not respect all of them. It helps me by supplying me an opinion of my own). I was about to go out and buy the sandpaper, but this offer should help me for now. I will probably use that information for the future though Seraohim.