Honing a Gold Dollar

I've done quite a bit of knife honing, but not razor honing. While I'm sure that the general process and philosophy is similar, there are also going to be some differences. As a result of having owned a lot of knives, I am also well aware of the inadequacy of most Chinese steel, with the best of it generally being no better than the Japanese Aus 8 and the worst of it being a piece of a 1972 Chevy fender. While I might be brave enough to touch up a "real" razor on a 12k, I don't want to destroy something that I like by attempting to do something that I have not practiced, such as setting a bevel. So the question is, would it be worthwhile to buy a Gold Dollar or two to practice honing, or are they inadequate for that purpose? If they are inadequate, what would be a better choice? I do apologize if this question has been asked 1,000 times before.

I understand the appeal of price when it comes to these things. However, the problem with learning to hone on a GD is that the issue with them is usually about geometry, not the steel (though I guess the steel isn't the most awesome either).

So often honing a GD successfully can require a level of skill that someone new to razor honing doesn't possess yet. This can also be true of any eBay junky vintage from a good maker, and it is a source of both frustration and disappointment to many new honers.

As weird as it sounds, the best razor to learn to hone on is usually a decent new one, or a nice old vintage with a good geometry bought from someone who knows what they are on about. You would have to be doing something fairly extreme to absolutely ruin a razor learning to hone it, and it sounds to me as though you have a level of sharpening experience which means you wouldn't do anything stupid.

Yes, the question has been asked before but I like that it has because it keeps the issue alive for new people. You might think cheaper is better for learning to hone, but the reasons for a razor being cheap (poor steel, bad geometry, rust, chipping, pitting etc) are the very reasons why they are bad to learn with. You will learn faster initially if the razor is of good quality and in good condition. You can find reasonably priced razors like that if you look around.

Good luck.

James.

My experience with Gold Dollar & Double Arrow razors (both Chinese made) is getting them to lay flat on the hone, a very bad geometry issue. The shoulders appear to be too thick and have to be ground down before they will lay flat on the hone. There is also the issue with some having a heel problem, which also takes some work to correct. Once these problems are corrected they do hone up fairly nicely and don't shave that bad.

The shoulder issue can be avoided by getting one of those newer ZY 430 razors off of eBay. They grind the shoulders down at the factory (crudely, but we'll enough for it to sit on the hone). Some of them have some spine issues, but that can be valuable learning practice that is easily transferable to pain in the butt vintage razors that you don't want to mess up.

I do tend to agree with Jim though. For learning, the easiest option would be a half-decent new razor, but that comes with a price tag.

I had not seen these before. Are they tweaked gold dollars or something different?

Allegedly they are a different operation than the GD's. They are also supposedly stainless. I ordered one to see what was up with them and I could hone it out of the package, but mine has very uneven spine wear from the factory "honing". Some people seem to have gotten better ones. It shaves well enough, but does have the overly thick spine issue that GD's have. For $10ish it is certainly an improvement over the GD as the scales are also sturdier and better quality. I waited a month or so for mine to ship to Canada

I'll agree as well, by buying a good, but reasonably cheap , (Dovo best quality $120 new) a person can always run the edge over a glass bottle to dull it, hone it, and still have a excellent blade to shave with

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Originally Posted by outback

I'll agree as well, by buying a good, but reasonably cheap , (Dovo best quality $120 new) a person can always run the edge over a glass bottle to dull it, hone it, and still have a excellent blade to shave with

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Or, they can just hone it and still have an excellent blade to shave with.

I'm a newbie. Been shaving with a straight razor for about 2 months. I don't know much about Gold dollars other than they get rather poor reviews from many people here. Others have better experiences. Here are my 2 cents. If you want to learn to hone a razor to shaving condition, start shopping your local antique stores, craigslist, flea markets etc. Look for a vintage razor stamped made in Solingen / Germany or Sheffield. Get familiar with other quality manufacturers from reviews on this site.

There are plenty of good deals to be had at the local shops and flea markets. You might even be able to trade something to get what you want. Spend your money wisely on a razor that will take a good edge. Before you buy, look for any obvious flaws (uneven hone wear on the spine and edge, chips in the blade, cracks in the blade, a warped blade etc.) Give it a good look before you buy, then pull the trigger. I think you'll save yourself quite a few headaches, and then you'll own something of value with some history. I'd rather spend $20.00 on a vintage razor than $20.00 on a Chinese Gold dollar any day.

I've scoured all my local antique shops, hit flea markets when I can, and check out craigslist frequently. I've purchased about 20 razors now. I don't think I've spent more than $20.00 on any vintage razor. Just today, I traded two razors that I purchased (a Boker for $5.00 and an Engels for $15.00) for a Wade and Butcher and a George Wolstenholm, both Sheffield razors. I cleaned/restored the Boker and Engels, honed them to a comfortable shave and decided I didn't care for them much. I've come to like wedge style razors, and the GW's have become a favorite. I bargained with the antique dealer that my 2 razors restored and shave ready were worth more than the W&B and GW in their current conditions. Now I have two nice razors that I'll have for a lifetime, and all I invested was $20.00 and some time and honing exercises. It's a learning experience, and I'm enjoying every bit of it!

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

I have to agree with the suggestion of the zy straight razor. They are made from gold dollar blanks but have the stabilizers ground off and are actually honed decently so you can shave with it out of the box. You can run the edge over glass to dull the factory bevel and start on your own.

Well, I might get one of those ZY's. I was reading the ad on eBay and it says that "Each razor is sharpened by our 67 years old Master (Shifu)". Wow! If that furry little guy that sounds like Dustin Hoffman is sharpening these things, then I gots to have me one of those.

Seriously, though. If the blade will lay flat on the stones that would be good enough for my purposes and for 7 or 8 bucks there's not much at stake.

I was shocked at how decent the ZY430 is! I have a handful of vintage straight razors that have all been successfully honed (but, not restored - yet). I do have a SS cheap Chinese "shave ready" razor that has driven me nuts. I refuse to believe that this razor cannot be properly honed! I was thinking about trying a GD but, the ZY 430 performs so nicely. I have been able to increase the edge to a high degree of sharpness and comfort/ smoothness.

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Originally Posted by Uzi

Seriously, though. If the blade will lay flat on the stones that would be good enough for my purposes and for 7 or 8 bucks there's not much at stake.

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That's a pretty big if.

But if master Shifu honed if you should be good.