Thread: Too Sharp

Well you all know where I stand on this isssue, but I'll try to stay on track. I find that teeth are very essential but they seem useful at the completely opposite side of the honing scale. So that if dull is useless and sharp is shaving the teeth come into play just after dull. I find a razor shaves nicely in this area but it must have teeth. Then as you get sharper and sharper the teeth become increasing less important and at some point dissappear and even if they were there they wouldn't be useful. Your shaving on an ultra sharp blade. Works great.

I think barbers sharpened there blades in a very different way then most of us do today. With teeth and not so sharp and they spent more time on prep and smoothing out the blade. The blades that I have perfected with this method are smooth, and are very, very, effective scything. They leave the skin feeling incredible, moist and supple. They cut almost like a serrated edge would on a tomato, very effective. I've always thought that these blades shaved so well with a scything motion that guys who sharpen their blades really, really, sharp and still scythed were probably being dangerously stupid.

But those blades are different and take a whole different learning curve to create and understand. I still have yet to perfect my understanding of it. But I would think that if you were shaving someone else a blade that shaves effectively and has a harder time nicking you would be beneficial.

I think the guys who talk about an 8k hone being just fine for shaving may still have some teeth on their blades atleast at the microscopic level, perhaps about 100x.

On the other end of the spectrum I think its possible to create a razor that is too sharp, but its too sharp based on your skin type and the human ability to control the blade. Not really too sharp per say. My skin is pocketed so I get a feeling of too sharp easily and prefer smooth. I think that your skin doesn't like a blade that is so thin microscopically that it fits INTO the pores of the skin as it rides along the face. That would irritate and feel too thin.

I have recently repeated the feeling I get with a Feather razor with my straights. I touch the blade to my face and get cut, never mind moving it on my face. I find this a little too sharp, more because its just annoying. Its just like shaving with a fresh DE blade. Get nicked like 5 times a shave. Grab a DE blade (blade only) in your hand and try shaving with that and you'll decide suddenly that its too sharp, its sharpness hasn't changed at all but your ability to control it has so you cut your self all up and its now too sharp. It isn't any sharper than it was a minute ago but its too sharp when you try using it without the razor, its like using a shavette, lightweight with a blade that feels too sharp.

Blades that I sharpen with an emphasis on striations shave easily and smoothly. I suggest, X, that you simply start practicing applying striations.

I think we overlook the importance of smoothness on the blade. It takes a few shaves for any razor to smooth out or lots of initial stropping maybe. I think an over sharp blade and an overhoned blade are too similar to really differentiate sometimes, even microscopically at 100x we may not be seeing it well. But an "oversharp" or "overhoned" blade may be really impossible to smooth out because its no longer a smooth bevel; its torn up at the microscopic level (not the molecular level, thats silly) of steel, the particles are starting to stop behaving in a supporting role to the bevel, that is you've no longer created an edge, you've created chaos. I think the smoothness of the bevel is important with this method.

I think .5 paste may dull because it removes all the striations. But I know I'll never convince anyone of it and since striations are so effective at a lower level I won't even argue the point because I think they dissappear after several 8K passes (which is why I think the pyriamid limits the 8K passes to a 3-5 area) At .5 I think the blade is getting dull because you've reached the human limit of control over the blade on the strop and your simply rounding the edge. Either the leather is compressing too much, your turning your hand while you strop, or as I have found leather is simply too supple. Which is why I went to balsa wood, and stopped using leather.

But I do wonder about guys who use the 8K in a pyramid method and then go to .5 paste directly. Guys who should have enough experience to use the .5 correctly get a "duller" blade? Hard to believe really, isn't it?

I also wonder about guys who say striations don't exist but believe whole heartedly in scything motions . . .what are they scything on?

I find a razor pulls a little more when ultra sharp but that they are more sharp then previously not duller, so I consider the pulling effect not less sharp, just missing striations. But, thats just my opinion at the moment.

I also wonder about guys with a lot of experience with a straight, when they say something like "Yea, it was sharp and all but the xxxxxxxxxx (whatever method they use to keep a razor keen) stops working and I gotta go back to 4K for a few passes" Huh? so 12K or .5 isn't getting the razor sharp ANYMORE? Huh? Its too bad they just don't say, "I went back and added striations" LOL

I think when Mr. Gillette, et all created machine honed DE blades they realized that they could get the blade shaving smooth with a sharp blade honed "sideways" but that the blade needed more wieght (the razor head) behind it to get it to shave, weight we usually don't have with a straight. But that a striated blade lasted too long and wouldn't be replaced fast enough. He conned everyone into thinking a razor that dulls faster is better then a razor that lasts for years shaving using striations and a strop. I wonder sometimes why a blade thats really sharp needs so little stropping and acts so much like a DE blade. MMMMMMMMM.

But, X, I'll tell you this much, even though its all written up in the barbers manual you can forget trying to convince anyone of the need for striations.