Thread: Sheffield Steel?

Lots of real honemasters posted before these two cents.

At this point can you tell if the steel is just gosh durn hard or if it is softer than you are used to. If it is hard as all get out you might need more laps on each stone you have or a visit to artificial stones or perhaps a super fine diamond hone. Someone a while back implied that a super hard steel can take forever to polish.

If it is softer than you are used to it is possible that a couple things are going on. Watch for burr development quicker than you expect and change stones when you see one.

Lighter touch, lighter touch lighter touch. Perhaps with a light touch of lather on the hone.

More but much much lighter trips on the strop.

As always use the marker trick on both the blade and spine to make is
easy to see if something is off with the strokes.

I would also say that just because you can't get these razors to shave smoothly does not mean that there is anything wrong with your honing. Maybe no one could get them to shave smoothly... Maybe send them to someone who's honing you trust to see if they can get anything better out of them. If you can find someone close so you can compare techniques directly, that may be even more useful. (In the event that I am someone who's honing you trust, I would voulenteer.)

I've had some razors that I just couldn't get to be great shavers; I'm sure we've all been there before. It could be technique, it could be equipment, it could be the razor - there's never really any way to know unless someone else tries (and even then, you won't really know). What I can say, though, is that if you start to doubt your honing, you may wind up in a "honing slump" (not fun), and if you work too much on any one razor, you may, in frustration, remove a lot of unnecessary steel (and you may do so unevenly). So try to stay positive, and don't beat your head against any one blade too much.

The first time I shaved with my Sheffield extra hollow was coming off my Jnat (third razor I finished on it) it sounded like I was shaving aluminum foil with a flap-wheel paint stripper. I was using a fogged mirror and thought, "what the hell, no way this razor is dull". So I wiped the mirror and saw a perfectly smooth cheek.

I dropped my angle WAY in beyond what I typically use, still got a perfectly smooth swath of face without any tugging, but minus the angry velcro gods protesting in my ear. This has led me to believe that that particular razor (and the other 3 or 4 sheffield hollows I have used since) have lower grind angles than my german and american razors. I can't speak for the chopper-type sheffields as I have very bad luck with my purchases on those (one warped, one reground into some monstrosity I am still fighting to get back into a shape I'm happy with)... but with all my hollows my experiences shaving support this.

Basically what I'm getting at is that sheffields in my experience are sharper razors than most. This means that natural stones are superior finishers for them (talk to carpenters for why, I believe them, I just don't care to know why), that they are more fragile to folding edges if you take too steep an angle when shaving, and that they can and should be shaved with at a shallower angle than razors with differing origins. This is all conjecture, and I can't test it (didn't happen to bring any sheffields other than the aforementioned wedges with me this break). But maybe someone else with a big collection and good eyesight can confirm or deny my suspicions. Of course if you already did try to simply reduce cutting angle (I don't know how habitual other's shaving practices are) than this would obviously not be your problem.

Originally Posted by IanS

The first time I shaved with my Sheffield extra hollow was coming off my Jnat (third razor I finished on it) it sounded like I was shaving aluminum foil with a flap-wheel paint stripper. I was using a fogged mirror and thought, "what the hell, no way this razor is dull". So I wiped the mirror and saw a perfectly smooth cheek.

I dropped my angle WAY in beyond what I typically use, still got a perfectly smooth swath of face without any tugging, but minus the angry velcro gods protesting in my ear. This has led me to believe that that particular razor (and the other 3 or 4 sheffield hollows I have used since) have lower grind angles than my german and american razors. I can't speak for the chopper-type sheffields as I have very bad luck with my purchases on those (one warped, one reground into some monstrosity I am still fighting to get back into a shape I'm happy with)... but with all my hollows my experiences shaving support this.

Basically what I'm getting at is that sheffields in my experience are sharper razors than most. This means that natural stones are superior finishers for them (talk to carpenters for why, I believe them, I just don't care to know why), that they are more fragile to folding edges if you take too steep an angle when shaving, and that they can and should be shaved with at a shallower angle than razors with differing origins. This is all conjecture, and I can't test it (didn't happen to bring any sheffields other than the aforementioned wedges with me this break). But maybe someone else with a big collection and good eyesight can confirm or deny my suspicions. Of course if you already did try to simply reduce cutting angle (I don't know how habitual other's shaving practices are) than this would obviously not be your problem.

May I ask how long you've been shaving with straight razors? It's just that I don't know you very well (like many of the other members here), and I'm trying to understand the frame of reference. Thanks

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I would also say that just because you can't get these razors to shave smoothly does not mean that there is anything wrong with your honing. Maybe no one could get them to shave smoothly... Maybe send them to someone who's honing you trust to see if they can get anything better out of them. If you can find someone close so you can compare techniques directly, that may be even more useful. (In the event that I am someone who's honing you trust, I would voulenteer.)

I've had some razors that I just couldn't get to be great shavers; I'm sure we've all been there before. It could be technique, it could be equipment, it could be the razor - there's never really any way to know unless someone else tries (and even then, you won't really know). What I can say, though, is that if you start to doubt your honing, you may wind up in a "honing slump" (not fun), and if you work too much on any one razor, you may, in frustration, remove a lot of unnecessary steel (and you may do so unevenly). So try to stay positive, and don't beat your head against any one blade too much.

This is an interesting thought. Part of the reason that I started this thread is that my Sheffield steel razors that I got honed by guys who I know are good showed the same characteristic that I've noticed with my honing.

Don't worry, I'm not in a honing slump yet.

Around fifty shaves which at my rate of beard growth would be a little shy of two months with a couple unnecessary shaves to test razors thrown in.

Originally Posted by richmondesi

This is an interesting thought. Part of the reason that I started this thread is that my Sheffield steel razors that I got honed by guys who I know are good showed the same characteristic that I've noticed with my honing.

Don't worry, I'm not in a honing slump yet.

That makes me think it is more a question of what works given your face and technique than your honing. I bet if you used only Sheffield steel for a while, one (or both) would change. ;-p

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

That makes me think it is more a question of what works given your face and technique than your honing. I bet if you used only Sheffield steel for a while, one (or both) would change. ;-p

That's an interesting thought...

I've got one that I'll make a work-horse for a month or so and report back

Originally Posted by richmondesi

That's an interesting thought...

I've got one that I'll make a work-horse for a month or so and report back

You, sir, are far more determined than I. I have yet to use a single razor for long, for any reason. Gotta touch 'em all!!!!

Good luck.

Ok... I've got an update. Since the last post in this thread, Gugi graciously loaned me a nice little Bengal wedge. It shaved very smoothly, similarly to what I'm used to. I'm really glad that it was a wedge because that answers Bart's question from before, as well. Considering I've never really had any issues getting very good results from other steels, I'm thinking that Gugi's suggestion that I hadn't gotten a "quality" Sheffield blade yet. Either that or there's something in my technique that isn't quite working with Sheffield steel as well as it does with the American and German (and Chinese for that matter) steel.

Thanks again, Ivan