Thread: I can't quite get to shave ready...

I'm starting to suspect my problem is my bevel setting. I've been lurking here for a while and it seems like that's what trips most people up.

Now, I know the bevel should run the entire length of the blade, but should the bevel be the same width down the blade as well?

Originally Posted by biggbadwulff

I'm starting to suspect my problem is my bevel setting. I've been lurking here for a while and it seems like that's what trips most people up.

Now, I know the bevel should run the entire length of the blade, but should the bevel be the same width down the blade as well?

The honing and stropping is the base to have a good shave out of your Str8... Of course, you have to be regular on setting a bevel on it... and if after all the pyramid process, you still have a rough shave, you may consider to use diamond paste (fast cutter), chromium oxyde (0,5 micron) and/or some great stuff that I am using (less than 0,5 micron)..

Originally Posted by biggbadwulff

Now, I know the bevel should run the entire length of the blade, but should the bevel be the same width down the blade as well?

Not necessarily, but if it isn't it is a signature of uneven hone wear and wrong geometry, so I'd pick another razor to learn on. Check the wear on the spine. If it's uniform and your bevel is systematically uneven it's likely that you're putting uneven pressure.
Magnification can be quite useful as well.

Lastly it appears you've chosen to do this the hard way - nothing wrong with that, but you should be prepared that this will take you longer. I always recommend that people start with already honed razor and first do just touch-ups.

The magic marker trick seems to have helped. I can now get the razor to pop the hairs on my arm when I put the heel to my skin and leave the edge up a bit. Is that enough though? It still won't pop a hair from my head. I have really fine hair by the way.

The only for sure way is to lather up and shave with it! Everything else is just a test. Shaving is the real thing.

Don't forget to strop it up: light or no pressure on the blade, with the strop held tight. You might consider stropping it up on newspaper (stretched tight over something -- I read a post where someone used a book) for 50 or so passes, which will add to polish and a smoother shave.

Be sure to let us know how it turns out!

cass

You're close. If the last hone your razor hit was the 8k for at least 10-15 laps, strop and test.

good luck

I usually finish on chromium oxide, but last night I tried some different stuff, just for fun. I cut a 3 inch wide peice of MDF and glued a piece of glass of the same size to the MDF. I then taped down some newspaper tighly on the stone, and smeared a little bit of Mothers Aluminum and metal polish on hte newspaper, and stropped about 30 - 40 times. Since the glass is extremely flat and the polish is very fine, you could even do it a couple of hundred times probably and not over hone. Then I replaced the used newspaper with fresh, and stropped about a hundred times on the plain newspaper, i.e. no polish. The shave was surprisingly good. This was a on a 7/8 crown and sword 1/2 grind.
I felt no need to finish on a chromium oxide strop at all. The shave was very smooth.
It's dirt cheap, and you can even just pull the glass out of a picture frame and lay it on your table instead of gluing it to MDF.

You mentioned the belgian blue - it's not really considered a polishing stone. In terms of grit I would place it between your 4k and 8k norton. Your 8k norton would be your finest stone, most likely. Actually, in comparison to most other 8k waterhones, I think the norton ranks to be more of about a 6000 grit stone. I would finish your pyramids or whatever you want to do on the Norton, as gugi said 10 to 15 passes on the norton as a final stone, then go to your local auto store and pick up some Mothers polish. 30 - 40 passes on the mothers, then about a hundred on the newspaper. Provided you've set a good bevel to begin with as the others have pointed out, you should be able to have a good shave off of this. It's dirt cheap, and dang effective.

Good Luck!

How many pieces of newspaper are you using by the way? Just one, or a whole section's worth?

Wolff, I think you need to go back to basics. If your bevel is set, do a medium pyramid on the Norton combo and nothing else. That Belgian Blue may be the problem right there as it's not really a finisher. Test shave. If it's not quite there, wait a day or two and do 3, 1/3 laps and test again. If you're shaving and you just want it to stop pulling a little bit. Strop on newspaper for about 30 or 40 laps. That should help.

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