Thread: Can't get this razor sharp!

I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination but my observation is that sharpening that particular razor may be too ambitious a project for your first experience. And, no, I'm not suggesting that you send it out for pro honing. I think it would be better to set it aside and start over with another razor that doesn't have so many issues. That way you can apply all this great advice to a blade that will be a little easier to deal with.

Originally Posted by Man

Thanks for the feedback.

The stone I started with was the Naniwa 1k. I also have the DMT 325, but would it ever be a good idea to use a razor on that?

The razor will actually not shave at all. Not really pulling, but simply gliding over the hairs with no resistance.

Thanks!

Use a marker to color the bevels then swipe on the stone to see if there are areas where there is no contact with the stone.
This will give you some indication if there are bevel issues that you need to work on.

Originally Posted by Man

Been trying to hone my first razor for Larry at whippeddog.com, and have had a little trouble so far. The razor came to me pretty dull. The bevel is uneven and it appears that the edge is slightly curved in some places. Do you guys have any suggestions?

Tons of great hints, on honing, but I have one question????

Why didn't you just STOP at the very first shave, contact the vendor and say "Can you please double check this razor I bought from you and let me know what you think"


Now you have a Frowned, Hone Worn, 4/8, razor that is not near shave ready.. Trust me I am all about being self sufficient but you really bit into a problem razor there..

ps: The heel need to be re-contoured too..

Larry offers honing feedback - he essentially sends you an old razor to restore and gives you notes for improvement once he gets it back. Repeating this process a few times is supposed to be an excellent way to develop honing skills. This isn't my shaver, just something to get some hands-on practice with.

I have used my 12k to touch up the edge on my shaver, but this is the first time I'm attempting to restore a razor from the ground up.

I did the marker test and it looks like the entire edge is making contact.

Thank you for the answer, you have truly opened my eyes...

If this was mine, first thing I would do would be to check for a frown (hold razor edge down against a known flat stone and use a bright light), if there's no frown, then I would use two plus layers of tape and start on a 1k, do 20-30 light to medium pressure laps and check to see how it cuts arm hair, repeat until it cuts full length very easily then move to a higher grit and repeat with less pressure. Do this up through the finisher. If you have an eye loupe or some form of magnification check often, by 8k it should be very shiny and mirrored. The 1k will do most of the work and the higher grits will finesse the edge.

As others have said, this is probably not the ideal learning razor do to hone wear

Sorry to say, a regrind would be more appropriate than a restore.

RE: flash test - anybody got a video of it? I see a flash on razors of mine that shave well, but factoring in a smile the flash dances more than blinks. Would appreciate any visualizations anyone can provide.

I actually get razors like that to hone. First, get an eye loupe, it's invaluable. Second, get a lot of tape, 3M electrical. Third, spend a lot of time on the 1k. I like the Chosera, but the Naniwa will work. Check the blade for eveness. Lay it on the hone, make sure it's flat, and Yes, check for a frown. Apply two layers of tape, drag the cutting edge across the side of your stone, dull it, and reset the bevel. Don't move on to the next hone in progression until it's cutting arm hair. I want mine damm near shave ready off the 1k. That's the trick.

Those older neglected blades take forever to hone, Your fighting significant hone wear and lot's of age. You can see you have more of a bevel in the middle because of the hone wear. The tape will help, and you may have to "help" the blade in certain trouble areas" by adding a little pressure in the areas that are lacking. This is hard to explain, Watch Glen's video on youtube.

Zib, good advice! I find that the rolling x stroke really does the trick for any blades that have issues. Just be sure when doing strokes like this that you're not actually LIFTING the blade during the stroke. When you're doing this you're 'rolling' the pressure from the toe at the start of your stroke, to the heel at the end of your stroke.

Glen also makes mention to a 'swoop' at the end of the stroke and I find this extremely helpful to hit the toe of the blade/barbers' notch.