Thread: Losing my smile

Expense aside, you will look back on this with regret having defaced a piece of history
Learn the rolling X

Absolutely if you do not change your stroke you will unlikely be able to get that razor sharp. Those are good links. You will have to spend some time fixing the damage to the shape. The way the geometry works on a razor is that the edge is meant to follow the shape of the spine. As it is now you may have a smile with a flat or straight spot in the middle. You may either have to put it aside for a bit or send it out. Do a little research and watch some videos before you go back at it. Going to meets is always a great way to learn these things.

I will learn how to hone the smiling razor as mentioned in the videos and articles, but tape is just a personal preference of some that I choose not to use.

I have it on good authority that Ghengis Kahn used tape on his sword. Tc

Don't "learn" to hone on a mint condition heirloom W&B - before you damage it any further, find someone near your location in the Member Services in the SRP Classifieds and send it to be professionally honed.

If you want to learn to hone, do some reading here on how to begin the process and use a razor that you don't mind sacrificing.

I have already successfully honed my other 8 "straight" razors and shave with them regularly. I'm just new to the smiling type. Just because I'm a junior member to this forum doesn't mean I'm an idiot. If you talk to me as such, I'll believe you are one.

They might not have used tape, but they might have lifted the spine slightly, used some form of slip on guide or slack strops with coarse grit to high grit at the factory. Realize that they don't make Wade & Butchers anymore and never will again so be careful with a piece of history.

I've seen MANY screwed up wedges with messed up spines

Originally Posted by benjamin2515101

I will learn how to hone the smiling razor as mentioned in the videos and articles, but tape is just a personal preference of some that I choose not to use.

Originally Posted by benjamin2515101

I have already successfully honed my other 8 "straight" razors and shave with them regularly. I'm just new to the smiling type. Just because I'm a junior member to this forum doesn't mean I'm an idiot. If you talk to me as such, I'll believe you are one.

No insult intended :-)

I've honed about 25-30 of my straights, and consider myself a rank beginner on a good day. Speaking for myself, any blade I acquired in pristine condition like that I'd get honed by a pro - at least for the first go round, so I didn't end up damaging a razor, you can't get back the steel once it's gone.

Calm down their just trying to help ,, idiot what a word , everyone including you is one,, we shave with straights. Tc

Thanks Phrank, that's why I posted the thread, I don't want to mess it up. Where do I find out about getting it to a pro?