Printable View
Somehow there's a jagged section on the tip of my razor that's tearing up my strop. Is there a way I can fix it without having to re-hone? What about that cloth part of the strop?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...9/DSC01186.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...9/DSC01185.jpg
Safest bet is to send it to a honemeister and see what he thinks mate. We've had a member not too long ago post the results of shaving with a damaged blade, it wasn't pretty. You can try the cotton side and see if it still tears the leather, but with my face I'd rather be safe then sorry.
Hello, Gaius:
Please don't shave with the razor, or try to repair it yourself. I suggest you send the razor to a honemeister.
Regards,
Obie
a strop will not repair the damage.
Well, I shaved with it before I saw any of your advice and the nick is in such an out of the way place that it didn't affect my shave at all. Did still mark up my strop, though.
Hello again, Gaius:
I still suggest you send the razor out to be repaired by a honemeister.
Regards,
Obie
No such thing as an out of the way place. At some point in your shave you use pretty much all parts of the razor.
+++1 on the previous advice. Get it expertly honed. Believe me, your face will thank you.
Twas me....don't shave with damaged blades!Quote:
Originally Posted by KimJongill
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v198/Red96TA/oops.jpg
i had a small ding on my razor, it shaved fine for maybe 2 shaves and then began to sharply decrease in comfort. I would advise sending it out. its worth the 30$ to get a new edge. Just get the razor honed and be more careful next time. Experience is a harsh teacher.
Seriously, you can't give me any DIY advice at all? I've only had it like 2 weeks, I don't want to have to use my free re-honing quite yet.
A pic with the rough spot marked with magic marker would really help, other wise all the guys here are going to err on the side of caution, and keep telling you the exact same advise....
What would be the best way to do that? I tried taking a pic but couldn't quite make it clear. What should I do with the magic marker? It's really small.Quote:
Originally Posted by gssixgun
Go to the Wiki for advice on getting clear photos:
Category:Photography - Straight Razor Place Wiki
Otherwise, the advice you're getting is sound. If you haven't honed before, have an expert do it. Send it out.
Please, don't bite off your nose just to spite your face.Quote:
Originally Posted by GaiusValeriusPulcher
There is no DIY fix for this. it the nick is bad enough to damage your strop, you need to send it back for honing NOW!
Don't rinse your blade off between strokes. Wipe the lather off on a towel or a tissue or a damp sponge. Only rinse your razor one time after your shave is done and be especially careful to not touch the faucet with your edge.
Namaste,
Morty -_-
Have you got 'macro' on your camera? The setting to take pics of flowers or insects. You cant get to close either otherwise the camera wont focus.
You, will have to get it rehoned. You need to remove metal of the edge with a hone till there are no more jagged bits. But if you can get away with not honeing it for a while, go for it, if you can avoid scratching your strop.
+B
Just put up some pics in the first post. They were the best I could get, the chip's real tiny.
Since you are asking for DIY advice, I'll share an experience I had that may help you decide what to do.
From your pics, it looks like the ding on your razor is on the very very very tip of the edge, and also the tip profile of your particular razor is a lot more rounded at the top than at the bottom. I had a razor with a similar tip profile, and was getting irritation in the valleys of my neck when I wasn't super careful. So I reground the bottom edge of my tip to be more rounded ie: similar in profile to the top / spine-side curvature. I used a 3" long soft arkansas pocket stone and just honed away the corner using a breadknife type stroke until the tip curvature was a tiny bit more rounded. (Use the edge of the hone since it makes a groove.)
Be careful about rounding the tip profile too much. If the edge starts too far back from the apex of the tip then it's a lot harder to shave hairs growing at the base of the nostrils and to pick up stray hairs in the neck valleys during clean-up passes.
If you are really really really careful you won't touch the actual edge with the stone (I didn't get that lucky even though I tried to be very careful). If you mess up and hit the edge even 1 time lightly, you'll have to rehone the tip - including resetting the bevel if you touched it anything more than super lightly. So you may get lucky and not have to use your free honing certificate yet - but you may have to use it anyways and now not like the new tip profile on top of that...
ps: I'd send it in. I wouldn't look at it as "wasting" your free honing. I'd look at it as getting a "re-do" on making a classic beginner mistake. I also think you are very lucky that the nick is small enough that a standard honing will probably take it out of the edge - since I believe "chip repair" is typically a restoration-type of service that is not included in the standard honing service prices.
What about one of those strop chemicals? Since it's such a small nick I feel like one of those could work. I actually tried it out on the cloth strop and that actually did help quite a bit. What exactly do each of the chemicals do and do you guys think that might work? If it did it would be a pretty cheap, easy solution.
What about one of those strop chemicals? Since it's such a small nick I feel like one of those could work. I actually tried it out on the cloth strop and that actually did help quite a bit. What exactly do each of the chemicals do and do you guys think that might work? If it did it would be a pretty cheap, easy solution.
If the razor is expensive DON'T do it yourself. My advice is to get a new hone, flat it, buy an inexpensive razor and learn how to hone. No offense but why shave with a straight razor if you don't know how to hone it yourself? It's really not rocket science =) Practise a bit with the cheap razor...The only way to repair a nicked blade is to expose new flat metal or flatten it out. Send it out by all means to an experienced person but once you learn how to hone it'll save you lots of $. Insured shipping, taxes, honing fee...
If there is a nick or chip on your blade, the ONLY thing that will take care of it is for it to be re-honed. No chemical will take care of any nick or chip on carbon steel & retain the edge. I'm not sure where you got that, but get rid of that thought.
I agree with Connor on this one, what's the point if I can't take care of it myself. Actually, I've run the blade on the cloth strop and now it doesn't damage my leather strop anymore. Just shaved with it for the second time since the chip and so long as I avoid using the very tip (which I do anyways because that's a sure way to cut yourself) it's fine. I think I'll wait to send it in until the blade's dull or it has a more dangerous chip.
The entire length of a straight razor's edge is meant to be used, but i'm not going to debate with you. After viewing your pictures, only the bevel appears to be damaged at the tip. If you have Lynn's video, you have a good baseline to work off of & then there's the wiki...educate yourself. Pick up a 4k/8k Norton stone and by all means go for it & learn to hone...just educate yourself BEFORE you put that good blade to anything other than your face or a strop. I'm a do it yourselfer as well, so I understand your wanting to learn it all...but you should listen to folks who have the experience. When we recommend a less expensive blade to practice on, we have a reason why...there's a honing learning curve & the blade suffers. We aren't going to lead you astray, we try to treat you newer guys like lil' brothers & want you to enjoy the experience, but most of all learn it properly. So when I say you must not be shaving properly...you probably aren't. The heal & toe of a straight is meant to be used...beginning to use a straight razor is a sure way to cut yourself if you try to wing it versus educating yourself first on how to use it.Quote:
Originally Posted by GaiusValeriusPulcher
Where are you from anyway? There could be someone close to you who could help you out...
Scott
My guess is that you are talking about pastes. Cromium Oxide (paste) is for smoothing out an already sharp but aggressive edge. Diamond pastes sharpen a little more, but leave an aggressive (grabby) edge unless used with a felt strop. Dovo makes a red and black paste with are reputedly "coarse" and "medium". (Cromium oxide would be "fine").Quote:
Originally Posted by GaiusValeriusPulcher
The wiki has a lot of info on honing and using pasted strops.
Well, I'm getting all the hairs and not cutting myself (except where I have zits and it's unavoidable), so I can't be too far off. What kind of razor would you reccommend for training for honing? A cheap e-bay one? I know you guys hate those, but my current razor is the cheapest one any of the websites you guys suggest have. Also, I spend most of my year in Williamsburg but occasionally get stuck in Purcellville/Leesburg, Virginia.Quote:
Originally Posted by shooter74743
check your pm's..
Classic faucet ding, you folded the fine edge over, (I can tell from the shine) by using your Linen you broke off the fold which is why it is not scratching the strop any more...
No big deal.... Depending on how you use your razor it may or may not effect your shaving... Myself I could not use it, I rely on my toe and heel quite a bit when I shave, others use mainly the center...
Put it back on the linen and strop with a little more attention to that area to smooth it out some and you should be fine until you send it for honing...Assuming you don't use the toe much while you shave..
Now if by chance that PM from Shooter is an offer of help, I would suggest you take him up on it :)
You've gotten a lot of good advice here, most of it saying not to use the razor. I'm throwing my hat into that pot, but I can offer some DIY advice: Hone it yourself. Whatever happens, to be repaired it will need to be honed. Period.
How much work that edge will need is a little tough to estimate from the photos, but leaving a nick on the edge is a sure way to cut yourself eventually. GSSixgun's advice on stropping 'til it's flat might work, but it won't repair the edge - only reduce the danger of the nick - and you won't be able to use the toe until it's honed.
As for learning to hone, I say stay away from ebay razors or junkers in the beginning. A new razor (like yours) will be easier to hone because you know it doesn't have the problems that force you to do some tricky honing maneuvers. X-strokes with really light pressure will be all it takes. Granted, you want to use a less expensive razor just in case, but if you read the wiki on honing and go really easy, you should be fine. If not, at least the razor wasn't really expensive.
And to speak to your comment about "using the tip is a surefire way to get nicked," in a few words, you're wrong. With a little more experience you'll be able to use the tip without nicking yourself, it just takes time to learn how to shave properly and become comfortable with it. That's another reason for repairing the razor: You can learn how to use the toe better, which is great for the small areas like under your nose and your sideburns.
At this early stage in the game, you really want to eliminate the variable of a subpar razor so you can focus on technique and improving the shave itself. Sending it out might be annoying and cost a few bucks, but I'm sure you'll be glad you did.
HTH :gl:
Just trying to "pay it forward" to a noob...it was done for me. Maybe he will do the same once he's got some experience under his belt.