Thread: Straight razor sharpening and my Edge Pro - Pic intensive

Originally Posted by Mario

I just wanted to chat about technique offline. That is it. I did not want to clutter this thread with talk about reproducible angles, micro bevels, angle comfort, blade wear etc.

@ Zib-

Vested interest? Of course I have a vested interest. I bought this system and I am trying it out on straight razors. I know it works on my knives in various sizes, shapes, and steels. I find it interesting that you decided to take this thread into a path where I may have something other than sharing my experience with others.

Also, you make mention that: "I really didn't see anything that would work for straight razors. "

This is based on trial and error on your part?

m-

Yup, Pretty much Trial and Error. I guess I just like doing it the old fashioned way. I have some really nice hones I enjoy using, but more power to ya. Like Roughkype said, It seems like a lot of work/modifications to do a razor. It would be easier for me just to grab a hone, and get it done, but who knows, maybe you'll come up with some modification so the EP can be easily used for razors.

BTW, Nice job on the Axe. I would be interested in that system for my knives, but not for razors.

And, I'm out.

P.S. Yeah, I went there....

I think I would say again that the Edge Pro is an awesome system for sharpening knives and I would definitely recommend it. I have had greater and easier success with it on my knives (Bark River fan here) than any other system to date.

I would also commend the OP for trying to sharpen his razors on the Edge Pro and try to define what he has done to make it successful for him. The more we experiment, the more we learn.

I think the biggest problem I have had with using it has been to find a way to keep the angles consistent even trying the OP's methods and in keeping the pressure consistent. This has been especially true when trying to hone a few razors with considerable uneven wear on both the spine and bevel. I have up to the 10K stone and then the films. I have been fiddling with setting the bevel from scratch as well as trying to utilize micro bevels. So far, I have been able to get the razors to cut, but not comfortably. I'll keep trying though as this has proven to be quite the challenge.

Have fun.

I've been playing around with this, having fun, and here is my progression. Since the proof is in the puddin', I will say that the shaves are every bit as good as those from traditionally honed razors. I wouldn't encourage anyone to change to this method if they are happy with the results they are getting, but just saying it does work, and is convenient for those already owning an Edge Pro.

600 stone (if you need to go that coarse)
15 micron tape. You decide how many strokes
5 micron tape
0.3 micron tape
leather strop
glossy paper strop.
This may appear to be missing some "micron steps" and I will not try to interpret what stone or grit the micron tapes are equivalent to, but this is what I use, it works very well, and I am having fun doing it this way.

It is time for another *UPDATE*!

While I wait for some strops that I ordered, I decided to make my own.

1. I made 6 aluminum blanks using 2 old IKEA racks.


2. I cut the remaining leather I had left from an old weight lifting belt. After marking out the shape using the blank as a template.




3. My wife glued the leather onto the blank using a glue called Glossy Accents.
4. I clamped the leather and blank in my bench vise for about 1.5 hours to let the glue cure.
5. After I removed the completed strop from the vise I sanded the strop on 1200 grit paper to get a level surface.



The homemade leather strop works like a champ! Right now the leather is "raw" after I sanded it down. I am considering putting some leather conditioner on it this evening when I get home.





The 2 magnets that I put on my EP to a fine job of holding the razor in place. I still hold the razor when I use the EP but the magnets sure do help.



The more tinkering I do on my Edge Pro, the more enjoyable the shaves are becoming.

I have some Chromium Oxide (0.5micron) and diamond spray (0.25micron) to play with as well.

m-

*UPDATE*

The angle cube... Where to start. This little box will make my sharpening take much longer than what it takes now. This is simply because of fine adjustments needed to get the hundredths position set correctly. So here are some observations from my sharpening this evening.

Strops lined up:


1. The stop collar technique will work nicely with hard stones and tapes.
2 The stop collar will not work with strops due to compression. I was concerned about this and sure enough it was validated.
3. Getting the angle set correctly to the hundredths is a test in patience.

As seen in the pictures, I was able to get 20.25 degrees (relative to the EP table) on each strop and polish tape. Here was my progression for this evening. All strokes were trailing edge:

@ 20.25 degrees
Blue tape
10 strokes stabilizer to point
10 strokes point to stablizer



@ 20.25 degrees
Balsa strop with chom-ox
10 strokes stabilizer to point
10 strokes point to stablizer



@ 20.25 degrees
Bark leather strop with 0.25 diamond spray
10 strokes stabilizer to point
10 strokes point to stabilizer



@ 20.25 degrees
Homemade leather strop sanded with 1.2k grit and leather conditioner
10 strokes stabilizer to point
10 strokes point to stabilizer



After going the progression and trying the hanging hair test, the cut felt smoother. I will test shave with it tomorrow and see how it goes.

Well, you've raised the bar once again. I decided to take the challenge and have some fun, so I bought an angle cube and put it to the test. As expected, the added precision of an absolutely consistent angle proves itself in sharper blades that shave even smoother than using the stop collar. The stop collar was an essential step, in retrospect, but this takes it to the n'th degree. Again, this desire for precision and the best shave possible from a straight razor is not everyone's cup of tea, but I am sticking with this method and having fun in the process.

Originally Posted by Berthold

Well, you've raised the bar once again. I decided to take the challenge and have some fun, so I bought an angle cube and put it to the test. As expected, the added precision of an absolutely consistent angle proves itself in sharper blades that shave even smoother than using the stop collar. The stop collar was an essential step, in retrospect, but this takes it to the n'th degree. Again, this desire for precision and the best shave possible from a straight razor is not everyone's cup of tea, but I am sticking with this method and having fun in the process.

Can you explain this statement, please?

I still think you guys are doing it backwards... The razor has a built in angle guide.
You could still use your EdgePro and allow the razor to work like it's designed to.

The way I am utilizing the Edge Pro would be equivalent to someone adding a layer of electrical tape to the spine. However the painters tape I am using is not as thick. I will be playing with using zero tape to between the spine and my sharpening media in the future.

If you meant backwards in the sense that the razor is stationary and the stones are being moved, then yes, it is backwards in that sense.

Originally Posted by HNSB

I still think you guys are doing it backwards... The razor has a built in angle guide.
You could still use your EdgePro and allow the razor to work like it's designed to.

I have a friend that bought a Cooper mini to save fuel. He also thought the car would be an investment that he would make money on when he sold the car. In this regard, he decided that the best course of action would be to also purchase a trailer so that he could trailer the vehicle on long trips to prevent high mileage on the odometer.

No discussion could change his logic or passion for this project he dreamed up.

Backwards is a function of your vantage point

Simplicity be damned!

Have you seen any of those old automatic stropping machines? Those looks like a Rube Goldberg device, but I'm sure some people swore by them.