Thread: Finishing techniques

hey everyone whats happening? Im new to Str8s but not new to honing...well at least with knives. My question is what are your finishing techniques. I have a 12,000 grit stone and Im just wondering what yall would do with it to a Str8? Thanks

A 12k should be a great finisher for a straight. I mostly use my Asagi, but I also have a vintage Thurry that I pull out now and then.

The 12k should work fine for your razor(s), just keep in mind honing razors is not the same as sharpening knives. When you work on a razor you apply almost no pressure, and on polishing stone just the weight of the razor is enough.

wellcome to the world of straights. i have to agree with mainaman your honeing skills with knifes will not tranfer to straight razors. two very different kettles of fish.it took me 1/2 a year to unlearn my 40 years of knife making /sharpening skills before i got a shavable edge on a stright razor. read all you can find in wiki and buy a prehoned razor so you can see what your shooting for

Welcome to SRP. A + 1 to what has already been said. For razors the bevel setting is the foundation and the sharpening comes next followed by the finishing. In the SRP Wiki (see the link in my sig line below) you'll find a honing section. I recommend you read "Lynn Abrams on Honing" in the wiki honing section for an overview of what it is about. From there go to the separate tutorials and videos available in the Wiki and you'll have a good head start.

I also came over from high end knife sharpening and can say that razors are very different, and most of your skills are not usefull... However...

Your understanding of edges and bevels will serve you well as you start learning how to sharpen a straight. Your learning curve should be faster as you know what to look for. But that is about all you can bring over from regular knife sharpening.

Read Lynn's bit on honing and see whare that leads you

To be fair there are some people who hone razors the same way one sharpens a knife (including some notable razor makers) and the edges ends up just fine after stropping.

Originally Posted by cotdt

To be fair there are some people who hone razors the same way one sharpens a knife (including some notable razor makers) and the edges ends up just fine after stropping.

Sorry, how do you mean? You should never hone a razor with the spine raised, as you would a knife, if thats what you mean.

In fact, you should not hone a razor the same way you sharpen a knife full stop, the two methods are totally different.

I'm not a knife guy, but DwarvenChef makes good points about the transferability and differences of the skills in his post. The understanding of how an edge progresses is transferable, but thats about it.

Who are these people who sharpen razors the same way as knives?

Originally Posted by cotdt

To be fair there are some people who hone razors the same way one sharpens a knife (including some notable razor makers) and the edges ends up just fine after stropping.

I am sorry but setting a bevel on a 270mm knife definitely requires motion different than what you gonna do on a razor , it also requires a completely different grip and very different type of pressure.

Originally Posted by Turbodude

hey everyone whats happening?

Welcome to SRP. The member introductions are in another thread, though.

Originally Posted by Turbodude

Im new to Str8s but not new to honing...well at least with knives. My question is what are your finishing techniques. I have a 12,000 grit stone and Im just wondering what yall would do with it to a Str8?

Well, you know, we have a set of Frequently Asked Questions, from which the following gem hails:

What hones can be used to sharpen straight razors?

That will depend on the task at hand. Hones roughly fall into three categories: Bevel establishment, sharpening, and polishing. See What hone(s) do I need?. Also, see the honing category, especially the guide to progressive honing.

I wonder which of the documents referenced above need improvemtn in order to enable beginners like yourself to answer this question. Because we are constantly trying to improve our information to make it easier to use for beginners.

Best regards,
Robin