Thread: Slight bluning on finger nail; any point?

I have a blade that feels very sharp, and also a little rough. My skin gets a bit irritated and red from it but it cuts hairs like there's not tomorrow. I drew it over my finger nail a couple times, and will give it a slight touch up on my slurry strop, canvas, and then leather. The idea I had is that any sharp metal "teeth" sticking out would be a bit more even. I'm trying to get a sharp and smooth edge. Do you guys know if there's any merit to this?

After setting the bevel, running the edge on your fingernail will more then likely damaged the edge.

I have no idea if you can kill the edge on your finger nail and then bring it back with a pasted strop. There is one sure fire way to find out though. I'm interested in hearing how your experiment goes.

Originally Posted by trondsi

I have a blade that feels very sharp, and also a little rough. My skin gets a bit irritated and red from it but it cuts hairs like there's not tomorrow. I drew it over my finger nail a couple times, and will give it a slight touch up on my slurry strop, canvas, and then leather. The idea I had is that any sharp metal "teeth" sticking out would be a bit more even. I'm trying to get a sharp and smooth edge. Do you guys know if there's any merit to this?

Yes...

Just remember that you are dulling the edge slightly, it is a even more gentle way of "Killing the Edge" rather then using the Hone or Corner of the Hone

I do NOT know if a pasted strop will bring it back I don't use them to refresh an edge, I do know it works quite well with hones

I surely don't know as much as the previous posters but I'd think you would need to go back to a finishing stone to correct what you did with the TNT.

I guess I don't see this working, I agree that with a stone it works well but going to a pasted strop I don't know if it will have enough to bring back a nice bevel... Or I spose true apex may be the better way to put it. Curious to see how it goes though

A couple things can be happening, that it is sharp and shaving well means it has an edge, but the fin may be too long, from too many laps on the finish stone, is micro chipped or not fully set and meeting.

First, look at the edge with magnification, here you will probably need at least 100X to see anything of value. Most probably you will see very small micro-chips, that are cutting into your skin. At 100X compare the chip size, to the width of the bevel to keep the amount of damage in perspective.

Depending on what you see, will dictate the course of action. A quick simple repair to a micro-chip is to lightly, Joint the edge on a corner of the stone. Jointing as opposed to killing the edge on glass, wood or your nail will cut the edge straight, removing just a bit of the edge and make it straight, the damage is cut off cleanly. You now have a straight edge, but the bevels are not meeting.

A fully set and finished bevel, jointed straight can be re-set in 10-15 laps on a finish stone. You will now have a straight, fully re-set edge.

Running the edge on the finger nail can kill the edge, straighten the edge somewhat, by remove any ragged edge, by tearing it off or folding it over.

A better solution is to take a wine cork, and at the bevel setting stage or with another razor, make a small cut on one corner, the depth of the bevel, mark the location with a sharpie.

Now with the honed razor, run your razor in the same slot, do not cut a new slot or cut deeper that the existing slot. The goal is to straighten the fin with the sides of the cut in the cork. A felt block works, if you have one.

Both methods work but if you feel it on your face, it is probably a micro- chip, stropping or honing can sharpen the bottom of the chip, making it more comfortable, but that area of the edge will be weak and may fail after stropping a few times. Jointing and re-honing is a better solution, making a stronger edge.

Whenever you feel something unusual on an edge, looking at it with magnification, should be your first course of action.

Here is a recent post discussing a similar issue and some of the possible causes, there are also some interesting micro graphs, that might help you.
(Slurry Edge Dulling, Convexing and Micro Chipping).

If a pasted strop can revive the edge depends on the paste, strop substrate and the degree of damage. Stropping a weakened edge can cause failure from flexing during stropping.

It is an easy fix though.

Thanks for the info! The razor is actually straight from the SRD honemeisters. It shaves well, but also feels very aggressive. Maybe I am just not used to it. It could be due to using diamond paste or spray, which I have found to be a bit aggressive before.

Anyway, since I have already run it over my fingernail (a method that I know some people use simply to test for sharpness and evenness, although others warn against it because it is slightly dulling on a shave ready edge), I will go with it and see what happens.

My favorite "paste" as mentioned elsewhere is slurry from my Chinese natural stone (which I believe is about 12000 grit). Maybe I will do a few strokes on the stone, then slurry strop, then fabric, and finally leather. I have managed to get some amazing shaves like this before (but without the finger nail thing).

I've ran edges through my fingernail, pressed felt, handle of a toothbrush (both plastic and rubber parts), all in attempt to remove this micro burr or whatever it may be, that's sometimes left behind by certain stones in certain people's hands. It's been a while, but I remember this working OK. If you use no pressure whatsoever, you won't kill the edge. Simple stropping on leather will prepare the razor for a shave, as usual.

Of course YMMV. I don't recommend anything but pressed felt, or soft rubber.... at least not in public, and not to a novice honer.

Curious to hear your results @trondsi.

Another thing you might try is the side-to-side honing method, described in Iwasaki' pamphlet (handbook) of honing razors, translated by Jim Rion. Just remember, you need to use a very fine stone, and the process takes time and a very light touch. I've done that recently and still do it when I have the patience. The resulting edge can truly be perfect.

Mods, perhaps this thread belongs to advanced honing topics.