Thread: Stainless steel razors on Shapton Pros.

Originally Posted by outback

I feel the Clauss razors out of Ohio, the same

Absolutely! Love those Clauss razors! One of my favorites to hone and shave with.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

I was reading back through some of the posts in this thread and this one I guess I didn't notice before. Anyway, it prompted more thoughts.

1) a scything stroke is not harder on the skin. In fact it is a method meant to keep from using more strokes by maximizing the blades contact with the hair at each pass. It is not horizontal, not vertical in relation to the hair it is more diagonal so the blade cuts rather than hacks the hair. It took me a while to get that stroke and it seems wrong to do since you spend most of your learning in NOT slicing yourself. But that is what you are doing, slicing thought the hair, just in a.way that doesn't slice the skin. If you have sensitive skin and can't use too many strokes a scything stroke would help you. It is ,if not the main purpose, the main advantage of a.smiling blade.

2)In your particular case that Titan razor may just not be crafted well but a blade with a complex geometry may not need to be "fixed" necessarily. Typically a smiling blade would have a corresponding smile to the spine but it doesn't have to. You can craft a blade that looks like this
Attachment 351005

That blade would need a spine shaped like this...
Attachment 351006

...to get it to hone maintaining a consistent bevel angle. Otherwise it would be too obtuse (IF the edge would even touch the hone) at the ends and not shave well while being too acute in the center and tend to chip. That is even assuming that you knew HOW to hone it in the first place. Most of us would not want a blade like the drawing because it is not pleasing to the eye. Also, it is too complex for the layman to hone so anyone who makes blades would tend to not send that out into the public. You would hone that with a rocking stroke where the edge at the heel contacts the stone at the first part of the stroke but the edge at the toe does not. At the other end of the stroke that would be reversed. This is more easily done with a very narrow stone but it is not necessary. You learn to hone on the first inch or two of the hone to achieve this.

Forgive me if I over explain. I'm not sure where you are in your honing experience. Honing is one of those puzzles that seems easy to solve at the surface as is understanding blade geometry. Once you get some time into it you discover that the puzzle is more complex than it seems. Actually the puzzle itself is not but understanding it fully is. I don't mean to condescend but it is easy to look at the puzzle on the surface and miss the complexity.

Thanks for reviewing the thread again and providing the drawings.

1). I've no doubt your method will solve my problem better so that I don't even need a 30K edge. My beard isn't that thick and 2 vertical/horizontal passes would clear it nicely, leaving very little areas to detail. I guess it will take quite a few attempts before I can manage it.

2). I think we are on the same page. I know how to hone a curved edge and I have done a lot with knives, but not much experiences with razors. Regarding the the Titan, the bevel angle was too obtuse, I still feel it is a little bit too obtuse even after thinning the spines. And the spine was not only too thick but also not even. It was much thicker at the tip. See pics below for what exactly I meant. Excuse me for the bad drawing, had to use mspaint with mouse.
Attachment 350978
Attachment 350979


I could have done rolling/rocking strokes at the edges of the stone to get it honed up, but knowing what to do is one thing, getting it done as expected is another. As I didn't like the ground already, I would rather get the geometries right, straighten the edge and do whatever I do with straight edge ones. Then I realized that I could not get it done quickly enough and I need a good diamond plate with continues surface. So I put it away and forgot it completely until last week. Since I had to fix the spine anyway, so I straighten the edge too.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

Dang it. I've seen other posts where that happened also recently

That's me too, of course.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

There. Hopefully that fixed it.
Thanks

Thanks. I guess I've done it right. Now I get the sharpness and smoothness I wanted. The only issue was that S30K could not cut stainless steel efficiently. Stropping on diamonds bridged the gap. Never imagined that.

But still, I don't quite like the half hollow ground. I'll probably continue to shave with it to see if it hold the edge well and whether it micro chips. Or maybe I should just dry it and put it into the box and pick up the Clauss.

My vote is for the Clauss. I like a challenge as much as the next guy but give yourself a chance to succeed...so to speak. Even if you get that thing shave ready it is still is not as good as the Clauss.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

My vote is for the Clauss. I like a challenge as much as the next guy but give yourself a chance to succeed...so to speak. Even if you get that thing shave ready it is still is not as good as the Clauss.

I've just pulled it out form the box. I cannot find much details about it. The brand reads

Clauss
FREMONT.O.U.S.A


It looks like produced in Freemont Ohio, but nothing about model number etc. I'm wondering if anyone can identify it.

I never looked that deep into Clauss. But I'll say this. That's a nice one, and now you have a good razor that will shave and hold an excellent edge.

Outstanding razor! You'll like that one!

Looks like a larger Clauss. 6/8? It seems the edge took some light in the middle. Beware the excessive buffer. It's aweful shiny for it's age. More closer-ups of the edge?
Hard stuff. Tough to hone. Holds an edge very nicely. I have a couple I need to get to!
GD smoker.....unless?

Yeah, that one looks good and in good shape. Maybe I am not getting as good resolution as you Tom. I can't see the light on the edge you mean but at least the lines don't look rounded off on the angle breaks from what I can see. Not much hone wear either.

Take that one to your 30k and you should get an eye popper. Just make sure to go thoroughly up through the progression and the 30k should make that thing smoke.