Thread: My razors won't get sharp...

So how does one make sure his honing stone is flat.....am I to use a sander...if so what grit....I wonder if my hones are flat the blade part is not even across.....quite sharp but not even.........and I am wondering if they are oil hones (use only oil right!!!)

Originally Posted by TDITim

So how does one make sure his honing stone is flat.....am I to use a sander...if so what grit....I wonder if my hones are flat the blade part is not even across.....quite sharp but not even.........and I am wondering if they are oil hones (use only oil right!!!)

Three standard methods:

. . . a coarse "flattening stone" (Norton makes them)

. . . a coarse diamond-coated plate (DMT 325)

. . . a sheet of 400-grit wet-or-dry sandpaper on a glass plate or marble/granite tile (what I've used).

For any one, do the flattening under running water if possible.

The Wiki has discussions of all including the "pencil test" for flatness.

Charles

Originally Posted by TDITim

So how does one make sure his honing stone is flat.....am I to use a sander...if so what grit....I wonder if my hones are flat the blade part is not even across.....quite sharp but not even.........and I am wondering if they are oil hones (use only oil right!!!)

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...ing-101-a.html

This was invaluable to me and probably many others.

Ok, thanks
How long does it take on the 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper.....I have been doing it for a while and it is getting there but I have a feeling it may be a while more. I have a small dip in the middle. But this is definately the reason I have uneven where on my blades and they are not sharp consistantly.

Well, I guess it depends on the severity of the 'dip'. Just follow the procedure outlined in Hone Lapping 101 and you'll get there... shouldn't take too long. You might need to change to a new sheet of paper if progress seems to have slowed, or stopped. I used a few sheets on my initial session. After that touch ups are done in minutes.

Originally Posted by TDITim

Ok, thanks
How long does it take on the 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper.....I have been doing it for a while and it is getting there but I have a feeling it may be a while more. I have a small dip in the middle. But this is definately the reason I have uneven where on my blades and they are not sharp consistantly.

It takes as long as it takes. Patience may be required, but the dividends are worth the effort you put in. And as has been said, once you get them flat, it's a simple task to keep them flat.


Mick

I finally got my razor uniformly sharp all along the edge. It can cut a dangling hair. However, the shave still isn't as comfortable or as close as my DE! I guess I'll have to get a finer stone and some strop pastes.

Hi everyone. I'm trying to sharpen my razor but so far I'm totally defeated hehe. What should I expect from my Welsh stone? I finished sharpening with a Japanese 6000 grit stone. I have a feeling that the Welsh hone doesn't affect the edge at all. Maybe the stone is too fine and I have to find a more coarse natural stone?

P. S. Sorry for my English, hehe. I'm Russian.

What kind of razors? Condition? What exactly are you doing with the stones you are using?

Originally Posted by RustyTorch

Hi everyone. I'm trying to sharpen my razor but so far I'm totally defeated hehe. What should I expect from my Welsh stone? I finished sharpening with a Japanese 6000 grit stone. I have a feeling that the Welsh hone doesn't affect the edge at all. Maybe the stone is too fine and I have to find a more coarse natural stone?

It's always best to start at the fundamentals. First, you have to establish bevel correctly, the two sides have to meet to form a shaving sharp edge, if not no matter how much you polish the bevels afterwards you will be trying to shave with something that looks like \_/ instead of \/