UUGGHH!!! Stubborn blade!

I'm very new to all of this. I have two razors. A "Van-Camp Hardware Blue Ribbon" that I believe is a 5/8. Shiny, real good shape and I believe is stainless and it has given me no trouble. It's about what I had expected as far as working on razors to get them sharp.

Now the other one is an old Boker "Red-Injun" that I think is a 6/8...or at least it's a step larger than the Blue Ribbon. I has much more of a hollow-grind to it. It is also definately a carbon blade.

I have worked and worked and worked on this boker using the same equipment and making little changes to the process to try and get it up-to-snuff.


I know the wiki sight touches on this lightly, but it deals more with why one blade will need more maintenance than the other. Why are some razors so much harder to get into shape?

In case it helps my setup is:
2000grit Sandpaper with oil
Sypderco Med and Fine ceramics.
Jewelers Rough Strop
Bare strop
...and then a piece of computer paper laid over a mousepad for some "give and flex".

That last step is unconventional and I've tried with and without it. Not sure it helps, not sure it hurts...I think it helps on the Blue Ribbon but the Boker has me clueless.

I bought a little 100X pocket microscope just for this blade and it's telling me exactly what I thought...but it's the basic processes with the same equipment?!?!?!?

Only thing I can come up with is that the Boker is THAT much harder steel...or it's had its temper ruined.


:shrug:

There are several reasons one razor can take more time than another. Its possible one has harder steel, maybe one is far closer to shave ready than another and the size and grind can affect it also.

I can't help you specifically as you equipment is totally different than mine.

Your sequence of use should be
1. Spyderco Med
2. Spyderco fine
3. 2000 grit sandpaper
4. rouge strop held taut or better yet laid flat on a counter top.
You should stay at each step until there is a noticeable change in sharpness. Then move on to the next step.

The final step is the plain leather hanging strop. That is to be used just before each shave. Just before, not the night before.


Hope this helps,:)

Your mousepad technique is great for knives but will give you fits on a straight. I have not found convex edges to be the most user-friendly.

Thanks you guys.

I've having better success now, but I've basically ignored the sandpaper and mousepad and started playing with the deliberately "cross-hatching" the scratches to compensate, what little I can, for not having finer grit hones. Results are surprisingly good. I'm getting both blades sharper than I had previously. (And the last shave I had with the Van-Camp was a solid "decent" lol)

The 2000grit paper is finer than the Spyderco Fine!? I will certainly try it as I'm needing something a little more between the fine and rouge.

I'm not using the mousepad anymore since I've "learned" the leather strops now, but I had used very very very light pressure....basically was using it since I didn't feel confident of my desktops "flatness" for the stropping level. Hadn't used if for the Sandpaper as I *thought* they were both at a coarse enough stage to not get completely anal about flatness.


Thank you guys......I'm now saving for some DMT and Shaptons....I think....unless I change my mind again....who know...I love this stuff

The 2000 grit sandpaper is roughly equivalent to a 4000 grit measured on the Japanese grit scale. So yes it is finer than the Spyderco Fine. But...It is not finer than the Spyderco Ultrafine hone. Make sure you know which one you own. Both are white in color.

To use the sandpaper what I do is to cut the sandpaper to fit on top of the hone , wet both the hone and the sandpaper then lay the sandpaper on top of the hone. Carefully start honing, edge first. This requires practice but it can be done.

Geez, no wonder some have gone to the micron system. Too many different grits!! So, 2000 paper is equivalent to 4000 on Norton waterstones or just the more traditional "japanese" waterstones?

My hones are definately just the fine. I only have the iddy-biddy "triangular rods" that come with the sharpmaker systerm. I can get ultra-fine rods though. Does anyone know what grit/micron they would be.

It's not as bad as it sounds...if you lay ONE rod in the "storage" position the flat side is up and will rock/yaw with the blade making it much easier to work on 1/2" wide hone than one would ever think possible.

Again, Thanks.

The Ultrafine is regarded as approx 8000+ grit in its effect. Ceramic is not measured the same as other abrasives that are a mix of binder and abrasive grain.