Over honed razor

I've had one of my grandfathers straights for a while. He was a great man, pitched a 17 inning no hitter in semi-pro ball, sparing partner to Jack Dempsy, set out alone (at 13) on a buckboard to bring supplies to the family tending cattle on the Idaho border, master horseman, and uncanny shot and hunter. I've always thought it was a very personal memento. After finding this site and a few others I dedided to give the straight a try.

I thought I'd save money not buying all those cartridges for my Gillette Fusion. Ha! This will be the most expensive shave ever. The razor was free but I bought a double sided 325/650 DMT diamond hone, 1,000, 4,000, and 8,000 Shapton Glass Stones, a Latigo/Horsehide strop, Shavemac brush, 3 soaps and 3 shave cremes. The brush was supposed to come today but so far no brush and the soaps and cremes are still on their way as well.

I've over sharpened the blade. With a 20X loop I can see some micro chipping. I plan to add a strip of electricians tape to the worn spine and go back to 1,000 grit and start over. Before I get to 8,000 grit I'll add another layer of tape. That should make the edge stronger but I'm sure open to suggestions.

Next question: What stone do I get next? Stay with Shapton and get a 16,000, or go to a Chinese 12,000, or Spyderco EF, or Belgian Coticule? Thanks in advance for your advice.

This is of course just a personal opinion but I found the 16k Shapton to be a fantastic stone, so much so that I am going to spring for the 2-4-8 in the series..... and that damn expensive($278) lapping plate they sell....
I just have to keep my 1k Norton for bevel setting.....


Oh and yer other question, sounds like yer looking for a double bevel which there are a few threads that explain all about the pro's & con's of a double bevel...... in the advaced honing section

Hi Stan and Welcome :)

Well, sounds like your grandfather had a varied and very interesting life (to say the least)! And it's fantastic that you have one of his straights and will be using it :tu

This is just a suggestion, but if this is your first straight it *may* be useful to send it to a honemeister for sharpening the first time. Potential benefits are that:

(1) They can take a look at it and let you know what it's like (tricky to hone, easy to hone, provide recommendations for future honing, checking the steel, spine wear, general condition of the razor etc...). You know, give it a general look over for you;

(2) You'll have a baseline level of sharpness to compare and contrast your future honing with;

(3) Your first shave with a straight will have one less variable to contend with - you will know that the razor is shave-ready. If the shave isn't perfect, you will know that at least your edge wasn't the problem.

However, that's just a suggestion. There are plenty of talented guys here who I'm sure would be more than willing to help you out in this, but in the end it's entirely up to you.

In terms of a finer stone, I can only speak from experience to the Shapton 16K - nice stone which would tie in nicely with your 8K. Lots of guys here get a very good shaving edge off it.

An alternative (or in addition) to another stone is to try pastes on a strop - this, over time, will create a convex edge because of the give in the leather, which I'm lead to believe does provide a more robust edge. But you need to be aware that future honing on a stone will potentially require more work this way.

Whatever you choose, good luck and I hope your shaves with your grandfather's razor are all close and comfortable!

James.

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Originally Posted by Stan Eckersley

Next question: What stone do I get next? Stay with Shapton and get a 16,000, or go to a Chinese 12,000, or Spyderco EF, or Belgian Coticule? Thanks in advance for your advice.

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Hi and welcome!

I've got 2 of your options, the UF and the coticule, and guess what, I'm awaiting delivery on the Shapton 16K as it seems to be the next step after the coticule. The coticule are a magnificent stone IMHO, and 'm getting the Shapton 16K just because I'm curious about how good it could be. So fore now forget about the UF and the Chinese 12K, wich has a comparable grit of 10K IIRC, and decide if you want a natural stone or a manmade one, I think it's hard to go wrong with either a coticule or a Shapton 16K.

ps. please keep in mind that I only hone my own razors, so I don't have the experience that some of the other have.