Thread: I messed up my razor

Not to be the annoying guy, but people really gotta give the wiki a quick read first

Here's the pics.

Not the best razor to start with. Gold dollar are notorious for having geometry issues and that one looks quite rusty as well. You can pick up a nice beginners razor on the classifieds here that will be shave ready for a fair price. This will start you off on the right foot.

Originally Posted by Grazor

Not the best razor to start with. Gold dollar are notorious for having geometry issues and that one looks quite rusty as well. You can pick up a nice beginners razor on the classifieds here that will be shave ready for a fair price. This will start you off on the right foot.

Seconding this -- There are so many great sellers on the B/S/T threads here that it is almost impossible to not find a razor at a price that fits that will give you a great shave and be a blade that has the bevel set correctly and shows you how a properly honed razor feels... and you could get a backup to experiment with honing, if you like.


FWIW, I'm another newbie and am just starting to experiment with pasted strops and barbers hones as a way of maintaining my edges. I'm honing impaired and likely will be for a long time to come!

Watch the language also But not the best razor to start with and the advise you got on how to hone is not the right stuff, leather is for stropping, and cups are for drinking . Tc

It’s important to remember that most razors are not stainless and will rust very easily if left wet. Always make sure your razor it fully dried before storing and if you live in a humid environment you should also rub a thin layer of oil over the steel between uses.

As for the edge, you need to get a proper bevel set. Sandpaper isn’t bad for getting a chip out but you need a better system for creating a proper edge bevel and then refining it. Not all stones are good for razors either. I would recommend getting the rust off first, then getting a Shapton Pro or Kuromaku 1000 and setting a bevel on it with no pressure. It’s a quick stone and easy to use. Get something to make sure it’s lapped. Then use a Norton 4K/8K also lapped and consider a finishing stone once you can get a decent edge that way.

Alternately send it to a pro to get your edge right as a reference point. You may even want to get another razor new and honed as a reference point to work toward.

Send it to a professional. You can remove chips sometimes with stuff like sandpaper or a knife sharpening stone, but you won't be able to get it shave ready without the proper stones. Take from someone that has wasted money trying to put together a cheap honing setup, it will save you money and frustration getting your first razor honed by a professional. Gssixgun honed a couple blades for me and I was really happy with the results.
I've heard of old timers honing pocket knives on the bottom of ceramic cups, bit I would never do that to a razor.

Originally Posted by Grazor

Not the best razor to start with. Gold dollar are notorious for having geometry issues and that one looks quite rusty as well. You can pick up a nice beginners razor on the classifieds here that will be shave ready for a fair price. This will start you off on the right foot.

THIS. I didn't realize you were working with a Gold Dollar. Buy a shave ready quality razor. You can find them if you look for really good prices. I recently saw a NICE shave ready razor sell in the classifieds for a steal.

You were steered in the wrong direction about sharpening a razor with sandpaper. I use a belt sander for my knives, but never use it on a razor.

If you want to learn about all things straight razor related, the library here on SRP is the best source.

I would toss the gold dollar razor, or save it for practice honing in the future.

You're probably bummed out. Don't get discouraged, we all have things we wish we could do over.

Just as important as the razor you use is the strop you use. I think you mentioned you tried stropping your razor with a leather belt. Unless your belt is 3" wide, you're in for a difficult time learning to strop I'm afraid. You'd be better off getting a piece of 3"x 12" leather and gluing it to a paddle (commonly found at Hobby Lobby...). Then you can properly strop your razor.