Thread: need help on sharpening

There are some new production razors that have been found unable to attain/hold a shaving edge. Frankly, looking at the photos yours might be one of those, though it doesn't have any brandname on it. If so, there might nothing you can do to make it shave. You can dull it completely and practice stropping with it.

Kudos for trying for yourself, but if you really want to feel how a real razor feels like, get a proper one, professionally honed. Ebay is not an option. Check classifieds (buttons up top) and the various vendor ads. Some members also have their own websites to sell shave-ready razors. While you're at it, get proper strop, good cream(s), stypic pencil, and brush. Those are far more important than hones at this point.

Leave the hone stones until you know what to aim at and you've got a good measure of the sharpness of your razor. Also check the beginner guides etc.

You may well be able to sharpen knives & maybe your razor but will it be smooth enough to shave comfortably & how will you judge that ? If you compare to a disposable you will not have a good point of reference. An inexpensive shave ready razor will give you that benchmark to aim for.

This is always the same old story with you guys

If a new straight_er can beat his old method of shaving by a standard of smoothness/closeness and comfort then he is ahead, and the game is afoot.

Until that happens (s)he can know they are not yet there. That should be enough.

Because it does not matter what level the pro honed razor is finished at unless anyone or everyone chooses to adopt their methods.

I dont want a 30k hone and 2 types of pasted strop. So I have yet to compare my edges with any other honer. I really feel I do not need to know unless that person is willing to come over and keep my razors going.

In the same way it is perfectly okay if you guys want to know and compare and continue to be dissatisfied or be extremely proud that you can match the best of the best.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

You may well be able to sharpen knives & maybe your razor but will it be smooth enough to shave comfortably & how will you judge that ? If you compare to a disposable you will not have a good point of reference. An inexpensive shave ready razor will give you that benchmark to aim for.

yeah I was just gonna compare to a disposable actually :P.
I was planning that would help me achieve the right technique to sharpen a razor, I mean if I can get it to be as good or better than a new disposable then I can't be doing too much wrong can I? And then when I buy a second pro honed razor I would see how much better I could aim for.

Also I was thinking if I got a shave-ready one off someone on the classifieds what if they're opinion of what is shave ready or not is very broad and at the lower end of what they consider 'ready' is only as good as a disposable?

Anyway that was just my train of thought, I'll still buy a pro-honed one soon as I can though!

Haha! I just looked up what a stypic pencil is for! ...I probly shouldn't laugh

Good points kevint but we all know you don't need a 30k hone & 2 pasted strops.
One good Oozuku is enough

Originally Posted by a1boy

yeah I was just gonna compare to a disposable actually :P.
I was planning that would help me achieve the right technique to sharpen a razor, I mean if I can get it to be as good or better than a new disposable then I can't be doing too much wrong can I? And then when I buy a second pro honed razor I would see how much better I could aim for.

Also I was thinking if I got a shave-ready one off someone on the classifieds what if they're opinion of what is shave ready or not is very broad and at the lower end of what they consider 'ready' is only as good as a disposable?

Anyway that was just my train of thought, I'll still buy a pro-honed one soon as I can though!

All valid points. "Shave ready" can be a a subjective term. To quote Nike
" Just do it"

Learning to hone can take some time. I JUST started learning. I've been straight shaving for several months. I've had edges from about 7-10 different people and everyone's is different. I know what I do like though. So, as I hone, I try to reach that level.

But, learning to use the straight razor in itself can be challenging enough at first. Perhaps overwhelming. Wet shaving as a whole is entirely different than what you are likely used to.

I was on the Classifieds yesterday and WOW, there are some remarkable deals to be had there. PLENTY in the below $50 range.

Don't think of it as $50 for a razor.

Think of a 4 pack of Gil. Fusion costs $18.69 + tax. Each blade lasts on average of 3 shaves. 12 shaves ~ $20. Or...a lifetime of shaves for $50. Even if that straight razor lasts you a year, 6 months, 3 months even....you are still ahead.

Also, if you were to purchase what you needed to hone your razor, it is very likely your razor won't hone or keep an edge. So that would create a ton of frustration.

Let us know what you wind up getting and doing. Look forward to the journey!

Welcome to SRP,

See, the problem is that you won't have a reference point until you have a really sharp edge. Your current razor is probably never going to get there, even if you have the best stones and best technique and spend many hours. It just looks like one of these razors with very poor metal on it.
There is a huge difference between a razor sharp edge and just sharp edge. The thickness of the edge should be something like 30 microns so you need steel that is capable of supporting that.
An ugly looking razor that was made 100 years ago will probably be just fine and achieve something most of these new ebay razors will never be capable of.
Then it does take some experience to put such a delicate edge on a piece of steel. A modern cartridge or DE blade may look cheap but they are high quality steel sharpened to the necessary level and coated with various compounds to further reduce cutting friction. You have to get there with a series of hones and that sounds easier than it's done.

Your best bet for inexpensive razor is indeed the classifieds. Yes it's possible that it may not have the ultimate edge that that razor is capable of having, but if you choose carefully the person you're buying for you can be quite certain that it will be very good. Most people actually test how the razors perform before selling them and knowing that somebody else has been able to successfully shave with that razor is pretty much the closest assurance you can get that the edge is quite reasonably good.
Of course, you'll have to learn to hone it yourself, but keep in mind that the hardest part of honing a razor is setting the bevel correctly. Just maintaining a razor sharp is far easier than getting it there in the first place.

So, resist the urge to shop by lowest price, that usually ends up the most expensive way, since low price usually means cutting corners. If you think a bit about the economics you'll figure out how it works. I'd recommend to get the highest quality edge you can afford and sacrifice cosmetics if you need to keep the cost down.

Have fun.

Yeah I understand now, I was assuming that a shaving edge was attainable on this razor but if the metal is too inferior then the only remedy is to buy a proper one.

I don't mind spending ~$75 for a first razor, that would buy a proper brand with decent blade metal won't it? That is if we're talking second hand and ugliness is no problem..

Thanks for the input everyone