Any advice for a beginner?
Hi everyone
I have never shaved with a straight razor and I just stumbled into the art of wetshaving and DE or Straight Razor and I'm loving what I'm learning.
I got a straight razor yesterday from ebay. It is a "Kriegar" that cost $15 brand new. I know it's a POS but I wanted to learn to hone without dropping a bunch of cash. I also have a 350/600 grit DMT Diamond "stone" and a 4000/8000 Norton stone. The razor was not shave ready at all. It rips paper and I have no problem rubbing my thumb directly on the blade edge. I watched a bunch of YouTube videos and since the blade was in good condition with no nicks or distortions I started with the 8000 stone. I flattened the stone by making markings with a pencil and using the DMT. I used only the weight of the blade and kept the spine and edge on the stone.
So far so good?
No luck. If I hold the blade down on the stone in sharpening position there is no smooth transition from stone to blade. I've move down to the lower grits and back up again the edge is like a double bevel not a hollow ground. The spine is getting worn down and the blade is still wide at the edge. The first bevel is a wide +1/16th inch with the second bevel forming that is butter knife sharp.
I know my technique is probably lacking but what do you guys think is going on?
Any help would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
Mark