Thread: Antique store find won't sharpen

I have been trying to get an antique store straight razor to be shave ready for two days now. I've done the 1K/4K/8K pyramid, I've tried taping, I've tested it to make sure the blade wasn't warped at all, I've pretty much tried everything I can think of. My NoS Wapi and RollsRazor I've never had a problem with honing, but this antique Oxford razor is driving me crazy. Can someone please help me get this thing to at least pass the arm hair test? I figure if I can get it there, the rest I know how to do. But at this point, I'm at a loss...

You need to stay on the 1k until you can shave arm hair. Try using circles.

A picture might be helpful

Ok, I will try the circle method on the 1K stone to see if I can get it sharper. Also, here's the photos as requested. Had this thing for about a year and haven't been able to get it sharp. Guess I just decided that now's the time to do it.

Does your razor have "pakistan" written/etched/stamped anywhere on it?

nope, it says "Oxford Razor Warranted Germany" on one side, and "Germania Cutl. Works Germany" on the other

Be sure to try the magic marker trick along the edge to make sure you're contacting the hone along the entire edge. Once you've established that you're hitting the hone properly, keep at that 1k until it shaves hair easily off the arm.

Don't get discouraged. I've had antique store razors hone up in twenty strokes and I've had other razors take hours. Had a Frederick Reynolds that took two months...

what is your 1k stone?
Second you have to forget about the taping this blade?
why are you taping it?
Lastly
if you have 1k Norton you will not be able to make blade cut arm hair easily. in case you have 1k shapton you should be ok.
1k Norton the best test will be just check the edge under light and see bevel set from heel to the tip.
as soon as you get that you can move on.
gl

Ok, I have combined everyone's advice into one and this is what I'm doing now:

-marker tested the blade and found that the center on one side isn't being touched by the hone, so I have a significant high spot on the blade.

-So the idea would be to continually do the circle method on that side until the marker is gone, correct?

-I ditched the tape, it is now gone.

My 1K stone and 4K/8K stone are both Norton stones and have been leveled on a piece of glass

Originally Posted by Bdehlin

-So the idea would be to continually do the circle method on that side until the marker is gone, correct?

Not necessarily...you might end up with an uneven hone or even worse, a frown. The idea is to use the marker to find out which honing method (or combination of methods) get to all portions of the edge. Here's some different strokes to try Strokes for honing a razor - Straight Razor Place Wiki

If you find that one side of the edge has honewear on the toe and heel while the other side of the blade has honewear in the middle, you may have a warped blade.