Thread: I really see them!

Ok, this is the second razor I've sharpened and the first with an issue. It is a Whostenholm original pipe razor and I thought it was ready well it looked ready under a 60x optic. I shaved with it the other day and even though it did an ok job it left my cheeks with a little razor burn. I put it under a 100x and "BAM" there staring me in the face was some micro chipping I hadn't seen earlier. So back to the beginning I went to the 1K Shapton this time there are no longer any chips under a 100x microscope.

I found I was also having an issue keeping the edge of the blade in the sight of my little Radio Shack scope so I have this block I use to hold a blade while sanding that has a raised edge which worked good to allow me to slide the blade in a straight line to see the whole edge. It seems everyday I'm still realizing patience and being real purposeful with everything is the best key to success when it comes to all aspects of straight razors.

That makes me nervous. At 30x my honing looks real good. I'm afraid if I get 100x my honing will go down the tubes.

"I'm still realizing patience and being real purposeful with everything is the best key to success when it comes to all aspects of straight razors."


I completely agree with that. You have to complete step 1 before going on to step 2.

In the case of the Wostenholm it sounds like you did not remove all of the old, weak oxidized edge on the first honing. Thats why it developed microchips. It is difficult to be certain that an old weak edge has been removed. My general approach is to stay on the 1000 until the bevel look excellent under the scope and then I perform 25 more laps on the 1000 just for insurance.

Over time I have also noticed that if I still have a weak edge then it will show up when I hit the 8000 grit level. The final microscope test should be after you strop the razor.

For the new guys.. this is only done on old vintage razors and only needs to be done once ( usually).

Hope this helps,