Thread: Touching up a razor

I have a new Dovo 5/8 roundpoint that is currently being sharpened by a honemeister.

I am wondering how to touch up the edge of this blade after a few months of use, instead of having to send it back out. I watched the video on YouTube regarding barber hones, and that they can be used to finish off a blade edge due to their fine grit. Lynn mentioned that it only requires a few passes on the stone.

Can this be a method to bring back the sharp edge of a razor after it dulls from regular use?

In a word, yes.

A barber hone or other high grit stone (Naniwa 12k, Shapton 16k, coticule, escher, thuringian etc...) can be used to touch up an edge that is starting to dull.

You can get barber hones for about $25 on eBay and you just need to give the razor half a dozen passes on the hone to bring the edge back. Then strop and test shave.

Good luck and keep us posted!

That's good to hear. I guess I just have to keep a lookout for antique barber's hone's on ebay.

A barber hone, high grit finishing hone or pastes are the 3 basic methods that will keep your razor shaving for years, if not indefinietly.

When you're new to SR shaving don't expect your razor to last months before requiring a touchup, that's a level of proficiency you won't reach for some time. The general rule is as soon as your razor starts tugging or becomes uncomfortable, touch it up.