Thread: Razor won't cut

Originally Posted by ladykate

I'm not an expert - far from it - but I do hone my own blades and own a good range of straights from Gold Dollars to Grelots. I also work with metals quite a bit in my other life. I will comment but cede any emotive issues to the old heads who may contribute.

If the razor isn't shaving (but was), the chances are that it is simply dull. The spots are most likely corrosion. Edit: It is also possible the blade edge was rolled when stropping which caused the sudden loss of sharpness (as was posted by others).

The fix for the dull edge is to have it honed - or stropped with a pasted strop. You can also try stropping it carefully quite a few times - be sure you are using a tight strop and not lifting the blade.

The fix for the spots - if they aren't on the edge - is to polish the blade with MAAS or similar mild polishing paste. Then oil the blade with light oil of some sort. I have a stable of about 40 razors (which really means I'm a newbie compared to some on here) and I use oil on them regularly to prevent corrosion. I might not get back to a blade for a couple of months so I want to protect it.

Your post seems to imply that you didn't strop it between each shave - forgive me if I read that wrong. I would always strop before shaving - always. My beard is tough and even with some very expensive and high-end razors I may end up stropping during the shave (I shave both my face and my head so there is a lot of territory - fat head ;-}).

Depending on your desires, you might look into getting a pasted strop and touching up the edge every 30 days or so. Myself, I don't hesitate to use a pasted strop - I do it much more frequently than is recommended. I want the blade to be sharp and I can easily forget if a blade has been tuned up - so I strop it with paste, wipe it, and then linen and then leather before putting it away. Most on here would say that is completely unnecessary and it probably is. However, I never worry about whether the next razor in the rotation is sharp - it is always sharp. I'm leaving metal behind with the procedure but I figure I won't wear any of my razors out since I only use a specific razor about seven times a year.

I initially learned to SRS before I had the inernet some time ago. And once I read about paste I tried it. I really liked it and I was under the impression that using paste on a blade after each shave is a little much, which is what I was doing. However, since I no longer use the paste regularly, I've noticed that my shaves are not exactly bad, but they're not like they were when I would paste b/w shaves. So what I should say is, I think I learned something here today - Thanks.

Originally Posted by Zjgilbert

How would that vary from just using a stone? How is buying a barber's hone any different from just getting a stone from a hardware store?

1. Paste vs Stones. Paste is easy to use and is cheap (comparatively). Stones are expensive and take a while to learn (there is a mystique about good honing and people who have mastered the technique are called honemeisters - deservedly)

Good stones will set you back a bit - some stones are a few hundred (each) although a Norton 4k/8k is about $75 and is a good purchase (IMHO). Stones are used to set the bevel and to get the blade into shape but the finer ones can also be used to polish the edge and make a great shaver. Pastes are used to 'tune' an edge that has already been correctly set. Some do not use pastes but rely on progressively finer stones to polish the blade to completion. Some stones can be used for multiple steps in the honing process (such as when one uses a slurry with a Belgian Coticule for heavier work and no slurry for finer polishing). I have done that with my stones and I just like to put the final polish on with pastes (a kind of misnomer because after the pastes are put on the base, they are not 'pastes' as such but abrasive material embedded in the balsa/strop/linen. There are some good links on YouTube and here and elsewhere on how to hone a razor and on what kind of hones people are using. One caution, do not put pastes on your daily stropping leather. Keep that clean. When you strop on a pasted board/pasted leather or whatever, always wipe the blade before final stropping on clean leather. You will contaminate the leather with the paste over time if you don't.

2. Most hardware stones are very coarse for the needs of honing a razor to a fine edge. The finest stone I could find at my local hardware store was a 625 grit and it was in the SALE bin because no one wanted it ($20 for a DMT was a pretty good deal). A 'Barber's Hone' is usually a smaller hone that is about 6000 or finer grit and is used to polish - although when I first started, I used one to go from nicked blade to finished blade. (ugh... took a loooonnnnggg time).

3. If you want a complete kit for honing and stropping and are on a budget, check out Whipped Dog Straight Razor Shaving Equipment and get one of Larry's kits. It has a 'Barber's Hone', a plain strop, and a small pasted board with 1 micron and .5 micron sides. For $54 (I think) he also throws in a shave-ready razor and a page of instructions. If you just want a strop and the pasted board, I think it is $20.

I am not associated with whippeddog but I have used his products.


Dan

Sounds to me like you got a razor that was marginally sharp to begin with and now it's way past honing time. Unless you are skilled with a hone I'd send it out for honing.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Sounds to me like you got a razor that was marginally sharp to begin with and now it's way past honing time. Unless you are skilled with a hone I'd send it out for honing.

I just read over my lengthy posts and realized that I said that but didn't emphasize it. Got caught up in the pasting thing. I think you are right and your succinct post should be emphasized. In all probability, it just needs to be sharpened. Continuing on after it gets sharpened with a regular regimen of proper stropping (and pasted stropping if it suits) will insure it doesn't get to this condition - at least as quickly.

FWIW - I've had several DOVOs and two Thiers-Issards that all needed work when they arrived. Shave ready from the factory really hasn't proven true for me.

Originally Posted by ladykate

FWIW - I've had several DOVOs and two Thiers-Issards that all needed work when they arrived. Shave ready from the factory really hasn't proven true for me.

I got it from Straight Razor Designs. They say that each razor is professionally honed, tested, disinfected, then shipped. This kit from Whipped Dog, would that require a good amount of experience to restore the blade? I'm on a bit of a budget, so if I could pay the $54 and hone it myself and keep the stones I'd prefer to do that over paying the $20 plus shipping I'd pay to send it in to SRD. As I said previously, I have some practice using stones, but not with a straight razor.

A lot going on here. If the blade was used since Xmas without problem, it may be ready for a re-honing in any case. Based on the posting as not a problem until now. If you get the scales wet, then for most, staining and rusting on the blade or edge can occur when the razor is closed into the handle, even though you think the razor is dry. It is possible that the stropping for some reason could have rolled the edge, but if it hasn't happened until now....??? Chromium oxide can be used to refresh and edge and is always worth a try. Put it on sparingly and only 5-10 light strokes is all that is usually necessary. Wipe off the edge and then 50-60 strokes on the leather. I have heard that SRD has a free second honing on all razors sold, so I suspect this is an option too.

Have fun.

Originally Posted by Zjgilbert

I got it from Straight Razor Designs. They say that each razor is professionally honed, tested, disinfected, then shipped. This kit from Whipped Dog, would that require a good amount of experience to restore the blade?

Honing is not for everyone. If you've honed other items before and been somewhat successful, you may want to learn how to hone a straight. In some ways, the beginning of honing a straight is easier than a knife because the angles are decided for you - at least on most razors that have had the edge set. You just lay it flat like you do when you are stropping (exceptions exist - such as taping the spine on a wedge - but probably don't apply here). It is getting that keen edge that requires a bit of patience/skill/art.

Lynn's comment that SRD may hone it for you a second time is dynamite. Take advantage of that if it is true. Then get the kit from Larry and you are good to go for when you need it the next time. Touch ups are fairly easy to do so it wouldn't be a big learning curve. In addition, Larry throws in a shave-ready razor in the $54 kit so you can keep on shaving.

Hmmm... this is sounding more like an advertisement for Larry. I don't want to over-sell whippeddog - I mentioned it as an alternative only. You have to decide what you are willing to do. If you don't want to take the time to learn to hone or don't think you have the skill or patience, then pasted strops and occasionally sending them out for sharpening are other alternatives. Lots of people never try to hone razors - nothing wrong with that at all.