Thread: Edge that only lasts a few passes

I had a stuborn razor last week, a 'Newark Electric' that wouldn't hold an edge through a shave.
I tried to re-hone it a couple three times, finally I thought of "Jointing" the edge, with an after shave bottle[glass] before the final finishing, I very gently stroked the edge on the glass one time, you would think it would kill every thing but when I did my final finishing with just plain water and very light strokes and an conservative pyramid and low and behold, I got a great shave and it passed the HHT without a hitch!!!
I thank you all for all the advice over the years, it gives blokes like me the confidence to sit, scratch out heads and work through problems like this one, I thank you all!!!

As I've said before, a BBS for all!!!

tinkersd of SRP

I'm having this same problem with 2 razors (Dovo Natural 5/8 and Boker Olivewood Stainless 5/8). I'm sure it's not my stropping, because I also have a Dovo Best Class that works absolutely fine for me. Even though both the razors were professionally honed (SRDesigns), I'm considering attempting to reset the bevel with a Norton 220/1000. Any thoughts or advice?

Sometimes the spine can be worn down on old straights so that the angle is too shallow creating a very thin fin that can buckle after a few uses. This is rare, but a possibility. Another comment already made is that of heat which can alter the temper / toughness of the metal. One pass on a belt sander can reach very high temps. Once the edge has lost its temper it is over. Even professional re-tempering is not worth the exercise.

The first order of operations is to follow gssixgun's advice by killing the edge and then sneaking back up on the perfect edge through the 1/4/8 hone progression to leather. This will guarantee that the bevel is set properly.

I will now commit some heresy by suggesting that if all else fails apply tape to the spine before your final 8K pass. This may create a tougher micro-bevel. This is not what I normally recommend but it may help.

Thanks a bunch Gammaray!

Yes, I've read in my research about the heat tempering process. When I had this problem with one razor (my second one I purchased), I assumed maybe I just got a dud from the company. But then my third razor (from a different company) is also having the same problem...so, my first inclination is to conclude that something I'm doing is causing a problem. But I keep coming back to the fact that I'm having no problems whatsoever with my first razor, and since I'm doing everything the same, it's hard to believe that my stropping or touching up is the problem.

I hadn't heard about doing the final honing with tape--interesting idea that I may just be trying out this weekend! I have nothing to lose at this point.

Originally Posted by Gammaray

I will now commit some heresy by suggesting that if all else fails apply tape to the spine before your final 8K pass. This may create a tougher micro-bevel. This is not what I normally recommend but it may help.

Tis not heresy here on SRP tape is just tape

"At this point in time, we will put on new tape......"

Hi All,

I'm thinking that there is some sort of issue with the DOVOs that are coming out of the factory in the last year. I just purchased a brand new DOVO best quality from the art of shaving, and have had exactly the same problem that the original poster was talking about. The razor is honed to perfection when I start my shave, and the edge just fails in mid-shave, the first time I use it after honing it to perfection. If I strop it again, the edge comes back temporarily, but it seems crazy that I should have to babysit my new razor just to get a shave out of it. I know that new razors aren't really shave ready, in the sense of being able to shave with them, but shouldn't the bevel be set properly at the factory? One or two people having a problem with their blade would be normal, but it sounds like this is a common problem, particularly with razors for the art of shaving. I just emailed the art of shaving to see what they think I should do, and whether it could be exchanged for another of the same, to see if I have better luck. Do you really think it is an issue with the bevel in my case, or could it be that the razor wasn't annealed properly? Maybe a batch went out before they were ready? DOVO makes great razors, so whats going on with this?

Originally Posted by whiskey619

Hi All,

I'm thinking that there is some sort of issue with the DOVOs that are coming out of the factory in the last year. I just purchased a brand new DOVO best quality from the art of shaving, and have had exactly the same problem that the original poster was talking about. The razor is honed to perfection when I start my shave, and the edge just fails in mid-shave, the first time I use it after honing it to perfection. If I strop it again, the edge comes back temporarily, but it seems crazy that I should have to babysit my new razor just to get a shave out of it. I know that new razors aren't really shave ready, in the sense of being able to shave with them, but shouldn't the bevel be set properly at the factory? One or two people having a problem with their blade would be normal, but it sounds like this is a common problem, particularly with razors for the art of shaving. I just emailed the art of shaving to see what they think I should do, and whether it could be exchanged for another of the same, to see if I have better luck. Do you really think it is an issue with the bevel in my case, or could it be that the razor wasn't annealed properly? Maybe a batch went out before they were ready? DOVO makes great razors, so whats going on with this?

This is your problem in red... No the bevel is NOT set at the factory therefore the razor is NOT honed to perfection... Read post #5 and then #10 the bevel has to be truly set and your issues will go away... This is why we recommend over and over to buy the razors from a reputable vendor that hones the razors by hand, before shipping them...

Factory honing has been found to be "Sketchy" at best

Thanks for the response, I appreciate you setting me straight on this so that I know what to expect if I purchase new razors in the future.

When I purchased the razor, the people at the store recommended a local knife shop that does sharpening on all kinds of blades, and I brought it there before I started using it. Do you think I should bring it back to them and ask them to set the bevel properly, since I can't get a good shave out of it? Or should I try to do it myself now that I have a 4k/8k norton? I have a lot of experience sharpening knives, but not much working with razors...

Thoughts?

No knife shops

Unless the guy shaves with his own straight razor they have no clue how to hone them...


You need a solid base from which to start from..

There is a thread JaNorton that has the most amount of info you could imagine about honing with that stone, very LONG read

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...on-2012-a.html

Why don't you start reading that and watching the Vids linked to it, and package the razor up fire it out to me, and I will set it right using only the Norton 4/8 and you will know what "shave ready" means,,, no charge for the honing, shipping is on you though That way you will have a razor that shaves, and you will know just what a Norton 4/8 can really do



Fire me a PM if you want to take advantage of the offer