Thread: Honing Razors With A Jig and Stationary Blade

I have just gotten into SR shaving in the last few months. I currently use a shavette-type (Parker SR1). My technique has improved to where I hardly see any nicks. To prep for a "real" razor I built a sharpening jig, and just finished it today. It sharpens knives well. It's the kind that clamps a blade of any sort vertically, and there are rods with pivots to ensure my angles are precise while moving the sharpening film against the blade, which is fixed. I have wet/dry paper up to 1.5K and 3M lapping film up to 60K. My question is, for those of you with experience, is this a viable approach? Being an engineer I like this method, which I also learned off videos. My home-made jig will allow me to make contact from the spine to the edge. Thanks!

Although we stress learning how shave with a straight first since a shavette is a different horse, so to speak, before approaching honing a razor it would be good for us to see photos of your set up. Stationary blade and moving abrasive sounds too much like sharpening with an abrasive wheel.

Ok, not sure how this will play from my phone, but here's a pic or two, with a knife clamped in the jig today for practice.

What you don't see are the flat pieces that ride on those rods and hold the film against the blade. There is a commercial product called Wicked Edge, but I built my own to have more options.

My opinion is emphatically no, Tex. Those contraptions work well-enough for knives, but razors are all too different. They all need something different, more, or less. Hit that search box at top right. Put in any make/type of sharpening jig. Lots of threads in the past about it. I know for a fact men have contrived everything to make honing easy and automated since way before the industrial age. It is a hand operation, IMO.

Alright, thanks for the quick feedback! I should have phrased my question in terms of: are there any recommended jigs? You answered that. I have experience sharpening lots of different ways, just not something as delicate as a razor yet. I'm looking forward to the challenge.

I think your use of 'delicate' is key. You will preservere!

Maybe in contrast to Lynn's preference, I learned to hone (mostly through the generous help of a couple Sr members here who were kind enough to help me) but I don't think I'll ever offer honing services. To me, if you decide to do that, you have to be confident enough to grind away on a 1k hone with someone else's razor. That razor may be an eBay special or a Max custom. It might also be a severely screwed up wedge from a very different point in our history. But you have to be confident enough to take on all problems and enthused to take on the challenge. I've done a few for others but I'm always overly nervous when tha razor is not mine. I am not an authority on honing. I don't care if I'm recognized as an authority on honing. And I really don't want to hone razors for anyone else for my own profit or ego. But all that being said, the community can get a new guy up and running if he's willing to take selective advice and listen to instruction via email. Face to face is better but it can be achieved in less than optimal circumstances. But before you start, get the best advice offered and trust it even if it's blindly. There's a thousand opportunities to learn from mistakes, don't win any awards for having invented new ones. Later you may want to instruct others, hone razors for others, or simply remain a student the rest of your life and work exclusively on your own. But until then, stick to conventional wisdom and ask questions as they arrive.

I'd be willing to use your "jig" for experimenting on one of my axes ( not my Gransfors Bruks though), or other edged tools, but not for my straight razors.

Thank you for showing us a photo of your invention.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

I'd be willing to use your "jig" for experimenting on one of my axes ( not my Gransfors Bruks though), or other edged tools, but not for my straight razors.

Thank you for showing us a photo of your invention.

You're welcome. Maybe I'll upload a video or at least a pic of sharpening being done. I think those photos probably are too confusing. I don't care whether it works out for razors or not. I like everything about straight razors and all sorts of knives and tools. It's all good!

A video would be nice,,,,,Your photos are fine,, I'm mechanically illiterate & I understand your setup just fine,,,