Thread: I need some help, please.

So I've done my research, I've read pages and pages about shaving with a straight razor, how to strop, how to hone, etc. I have sharpened knives for years, and can get very good edges, but I've never tried honing something as fine as a straight razor.

I watched god knows how many videos on youtube, so when I ordered myself a factory Dovo Best Quality, I knew I'd probably have to hone it. I got the razor along with a brand new Norton 4000/8000 grit stone and a Jemico strop.

The razor showed up today, I tried the hanging hair test, which it did not pass. So I soaked the stone for 15 minutes and went to honing.

For the life of me, I cannot get the razor to pass the hanging hair test. The best I can get (and only sometimes) is for the razor to snag the hair and split it lengthwise.

I went very slowly, was very careful, put minimum pressure on the blade and made slow, deliberate strokes.

In my final attempt, I gave the razor 50 strokes on the 4000 grit, followed by 50 strokes on the 8000 grit, and finished with 20 passes on the strop. I managed to get it to cut one out of 5 hairs, but that took some fanagling and was probably a fluke.

I have absolutely no idea what I could possibly be doing wrong... and I feel like an idiot, to be honest. I've maintained blades for years, just not one this fine, and apparently the technique is completely eluding me.

at first you shouldn't feel bad.
Razor honing is a new game and every single of us have learning curve.
100 strokes on norton 8k is way too much for your razor.
if you have done proper honing before 8k i would say between 15-35 strokes will be good enough on 8k.
Remember your blade has soft steel and shouldn't last more then 20 minutes max from scratch to finish the honing.
try less pressure and hone it again. see what happens.
if you steel have issues post the pics we can be more helpful in that case.
have patience.
Sorry welcome to SRP

Originally Posted by MilesVeritatis

So I've done my research, I've read pages and pages about shaving with a straight razor, how to strop, how to hone, etc. I have sharpened knives for years, and can get very good edges, but I've never tried honing something as fine as a straight razor.

I watched god knows how many videos on youtube, so when I ordered myself a factory Dovo Best Quality, I knew I'd probably have to hone it. I got the razor along with a brand new Norton 4000/8000 grit stone and a Jemico strop.

The razor showed up today, I tried the hanging hair test, which it did not pass. So I soaked the stone for 15 minutes and went to honing.

For the life of me, I cannot get the razor to pass the hanging hair test. The best I can get (and only sometimes) is for the razor to snag the hair and split it lengthwise.

I went very slowly, was very careful, put minimum pressure on the blade and made slow, deliberate strokes.

In my final attempt, I gave the razor 50 strokes on the 4000 grit, followed by 50 strokes on the 8000 grit, and finished with 20 passes on the strop. I managed to get it to cut one out of 5 hairs, but that took some fanagling and was probably a fluke.

I have absolutely no idea what I could possibly be doing wrong... and I feel like an idiot, to be honest. I've maintained blades for years, just not one this fine, and apparently the technique is completely eluding me.

Don't get hung up on the HHT, some of my razors can't pass that "test" at all with my hair, yet they shaves like a dream.
Try shaving, that's the only real test worth doing


Also, having a razor professionally honed is a super helpful benchmark, which is a must when you're new IMO.
I'm brand new to this as well and did my first few shaves with a "known good" razor, and now that I'm a week into honing I know what to strive for, and so far I've been doing pretty good. The last 4-5 shaves is off razors I honed myself, feels awesome!

I'm actually surprised you didn't even try to shave with it. The problem with the HHT is hair. It's all different. There's no consistency. At the Dovo factory, and you can watch this on youtube, Your razor cut a hair before it was shipped...Yup, it did..It was probably a badger hair or boar. The point is, they use the same exact type of hair each and every time. That way you have a bench mark. As previously mentioned, don't get hung up the hair test.
Shave....

Check your Norton stone for flatness. Don't be surprised to find that it is a ways from ready-to-hone-with condition. If you bought the flattening stone with your Norton, use it. If not, go to the sandpaper on a sheet of glass technique. I found out about the Nortons the hard way then spent about 2 hours flattening my 2 stones. You have a little work to do before you shave, my friend. Good luck and good shaving.

The subjectivity of the HHT is a problem, but so is the meaning of "passing" it. I have had blades that were not able to "pop" a hair on the HHT but were able to get themselves "snagged" on it...........and they shaved just fine. Remember that a passing grade in school was 70%, not perfection.

I did try to shave with the razor... I didn't cut myself or get razor burn because it barely even scratched the hair on my face. I ended up making my first pass with a Mach 3, then trying the straight on the second pass, at which point it did nothing.

I went back to the hone and tried 15 strokes on the 4000 and 15 strokes on the 8000, it still wont pass the HHT with hair from either my badger brush or my head.

Since there's no hair left on my face, I moistened the back of my hand and made a couple of passes, and the razor took off the hair effortlessly. I'm hoping that's a good sign, I'll try a shave with it tomorrow once some stubble has grown out and let you guys know.

Thanks for the tips and for making me feel welcome!

What angle are you holding the razor to your face? If you're holding it too flat on a with the grain stroke it could ride more on the spine and never get the edge to an actual cutting position against the hair.

Originally Posted by MilesVeritatis

I did try to shave with the razor... I didn't cut myself or get razor burn because it barely even scratched the hair on my face. I ended up making my first pass with a Mach 3, then trying the straight on the second pass, at which point it did nothing.

I went back to the hone and tried 15 strokes on the 4000 and 15 strokes on the 8000, it still wont pass the HHT with hair from either my badger brush or my head.


Since there's no hair left on my face, I moistened the back of my hand and made a couple of passes, and the razor took off the hair effortlessly. I'm hoping that's a good sign, I'll try a shave with it tomorrow once some stubble has grown out and let you guys know.

Thanks for the tips and for making me feel welcome!

I think'd angle too. Honing and Honing is not the answer, believe me. This whole hobby takes patience, and practice, lot's and lot's of practice, Shaving and especially honing. I could sharpen the hell out of knives before I started using straight razors. Straight Razors are a whole different story, it's like an art. No doubt you'll get the hang of it, but with a new blade, I'd suggest getting it honed by a pro, then you have a bench mark. You eliminate the razor as part of the problem, then work on your technique...

Welcome to the site!

You have gotten a lot of great info.
As you noticed (and zib stated) razors are a different animal from most other blades. A very well known knife maker started making razors a while back. He had to relearn honing when he started making razors. What makes this interesting is that I have shaved with his knives before.

Some of the best razor honers in the world cannot hone a knife.