Thread: Not sharp as a feather!?

greets all.
long time listener / first time caller.

i'm not really new to SR shaving.. but am just coming back to it.
Lets say I'm re-acquiring my appreciation for it.

Sort of started when, on a whim, i picked up a 'shavette' style
razor (was just there staring me in the face).. a Muster (?)
brand.. and a pack of Feather DE razors.

Having a great time / can get a really good shave in ~10 mins.
Was sort of like riding a bike.

So broke out my old kit: 5/8" Mehaz Solingen and old Little Devil.

Got a new strop.

The Solingen was a little worse for its storage but after some clean up
looks (almost) good as new.

Thing is (sorry so long winded).. I can't get it as sharp as the
shavette with the feather razors.

Question: is "as sharp as a feather" a realistic goal? is that possible?

I'm using water stones.. highest I've got is 6k. I *think* that should do it.

The solingen doesn't really "tug" .. but its definitely more force than the
feathers.

Should I got to 8k stone? 10k?

Funny aside: my Little Devil actually feels (and sounds!) finer than my 6k
waterstone. Is this even possible?

Not using any compounds on the strop.. just a dozen or so passes on
webbing side.. and another dozen or so on the leather.

Thanks!

Welcome to SRP.

Getting a straight razor as sharp as a Feather blade is, IMO, not very realistic. The two are very different, so it's like comparing apples to oranges. Your 6k stone is likely capable of producing a relativelly shave ready edge, but we recommend a minimum 8k grit as a final finisher. From there you can go to 12k or pastes, which will really bump up your edge to a nice level.

If you haven't experienced a pro-honed edge I'd really recommend sending out one of your razors to have a bench mark of what a proper shave ready edge should feel like.

Welcome back to the sport and have fun!

I forgot to mention that you will want to increase your stropping laps as well. Most of us do (on average) 20-40 laps on the material side and at least 60 laps on leather....

The Mehaz is a so-so razor

The 6k is barely at the level to shave comfortably off of

The Old Little Devil is a Barber's Hone I take it ???



Either way,,, IMHO and after honing a few of the Mehaz razors, No I seriously doubt that the edge can get in the neighborhood of a Feather edge ..

There are razors and hone combo's in the right hands and the right work on the strops that might match a Feather for shaprness, but your set up is not one of them..

That is just my opinion with a wee bit of experience tossed in

Perfect feedback, thanks!

Looks like I'll have to pick up an 8k.
Shame they don't seem to offer an 8/10k (or 12) combo.
This hobby sure adds up.

Yes the Little Devil is a barber's hone. Got the Mehaz, the stone, and a strop from neightborhood
barber.. maybe 15 years ago.

re: Mehaz as so-so razor.. does this mean I can't get as fine an edge as I'm hoping due to
steel / quality, etc? Or its just so-so in feel/balance?

PS: Ryan, thanks! I assume if I can get a good finish with an 8k+ stone
I wouldn't need to use any pastes on my strop?

Originally Posted by NFG

PS: Ryan, thanks! I assume if I can get a good finish with an 8k+ stone
I wouldn't need to use any pastes on my strop?

Technically the answer is no, BUT....

Many people use pastes as a finisher, many use stones only, and many use both in conjunction with each other. Unfortunately, as you pointed out already, this hobby adds up and the only way to form an opinion is to try the different methods. But if you end up getting great shaves with what you have (or will eventually have) there is no reason why you couldn't stop there and be happy with your setup. It does take discipline though

Ok now we have some more info

The barber's hone, most likely is a better finisher than the 6k hone, it might be all you need...

Try doing about 5 laps with just water, followed by 5 laps with a watery lather (google "gssixgun, honing, Barber's hone") like I show on my vid after you bring the edge as best as you can on the 6k.. There are several BH's that I could be very happy shaving off of for life, you don't have to catch HAD to enjoy SR shaving...To many of us the chase is the fun..

Then as Ryan pointed out, strop it out and try the shave...

I'll give it a try.

Now if only my beard would grow faster.
(Maybe there's a different section for that).