Thread: Straight Razors Dull Despite Little Use

Originally Posted by CrescentCityRazors

A highly polished bevel, even though we usually consider that to be a pretty good thing, can feel sticky sometimes. Lower your shave angle some more, and make sure your lather is very slick. That sticky suction effect can lead to weepers or even cuts if you lose your concentration for a bit. By the way, you will experience the same thing while honing, when a stone or film is beginning to achieve its maximum effect. We call that sort of feedback, "stiction". I am assuming you are using paste on a hanging strop. In time, the bevel will go slightly convex at the edge, and this will relieve the skin stiction quite a bit. Ironically, this also tells you that before long you will want to hit your finisher again, if you want that level of sharpness.

BTW, forgot to mention, I don't use a canvas, linen, or other fabric strop, either. Leather alone can definitely work.

How did you conclude "Ironically, this also tells you that before long you will want to hit your finisher again, if you want that level of sharpness?"

On ScienceOfSharp he determined that if you use only pasted leather without some sort of micro-convexity first, it tends to create a pretty intense burr. There is also apparently many ways to achieve this, including coticle, pasted linen, probably balsa as well (not sure). As long as you have one of those it's probably fine. The way I was doing it without the pasted strop was definitely giving me dramatically worse results, but that is the only step I have between 8k and clean canvas/leather.

In terms of "expensive" I meant mainly the guys who have these $100+ diamond plates, or $80+ high quality 1k stones, also the natural finishing stones get up there too. For me I have the King 1k, which tends to be disliked, and the Norton 4k/8k which is well liked, and a strop, that's it. Ironically I found someone who was selling high quality used stones for a great price locally, but I found out that he sold them all to my knife guy immediately before I spoke to either of them.