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

Wasn't sure what forum to put this in. Hopefully this is the correct one.

Just a brief reader’s digest history... I have been collecting knives and sharpening them with an Edge Pro Apex for a while (120 grit - 6k grit). I have read the Edge Pro posts on this site and in no way do I want to start a "flame war". I wanted to see if I could use the Edge Pro because I have invested time in money in this system with my knives.

First off, I am very new to wet shaving and using a straight razor. I started using a Parker SR1 and could not resist the urge to buy a real straight razor. After visiting a local antique shop (and reading the beginners wiki) page I bought 2 razors: Bingham Quality and Giensen Forsthoff razor. I could have bought another 2 razors but I decided to stop myself.



















After looking at the edges with a 10x eye loupe I deemed them serviceable. By serviceable, I did not see any chipping or damage. I ran the blade on my thumbnail to check to any edge issues as well as running a cotton ball perpendicular to the edge to feel for issues on the edges. I started cleaning the Giesen Forsthoff with some polishing paste and a rag and some brasso. This was a first pass cleaning as I do not currently have any wet sanding paper.

Here is my EP setup.



To be cont...

EP table setup

Understanding that the razor is a very thin edge blade, I thought about how to set the EP up so that the razor did not get bent/distorted and came up with the plastic card shim. The shim allows for a small section of the blade to hang off the EP platform. The second card is to provide a stop for the razor's edge so it can be placed on the EP consistently.







EP arm setup

Ben Dale from Edge Pro suggested I keep the EP arm as close to the cutting edge of the razor as well as the spine without touching the spine. From the videos I have watched, the spine acts as a guide when drawing the razor across a strop or stone. To remedy this, I placed some painters tape on the spine of the razor and then placed the arm in a position where the cutting edge and the spine were in contact.



After the arm was set I removed the tape and went to the sharpening. As previously mentioned in other posts, I use the sharpie method. I cover the cutting edge with sharpie and then slide the stone/polish tape over the edge to see if the media is cutting the edge properly.





I verified that the spine was not getting touched by the tape by marking the spine and cutting edge again with sharpie.



Sharpening procedure

I first thougt of starting at my 1k stone but decided to start using my 2k polishing tape. I first tested the razor with the arm shave test to see how it performed. The blade was sharp but did not shave. Now the fun begins...

I sectioned the blade in two when I started drawing the tape over the edge. From the point to the middle of the blade and from the shoulder to the middle of the blade. After that I would pas the tape over the middle section. The tape would be lubricated with a water and dish soap mix between passes.

Here are the tape progressions Pass pattern 20, 15, 10, 5:

2k tape: 20 passes (front to back stroke = 1 stroke) - point to middle
20 passes - shoulder to middle
20 passes -middle area
Flip razor and repeat

15 passes - point to midle
15 passes - shoulder to middle
15 passes - middle area
Flip razor and repeat

All the way down to 5 passes.
3k tape: Same as above
6k tape: Stopped at 20 passes.

I stopped at 20 because I had to run some errands and I had to test the blade on my face.

All that I did for face prep was a splash of water and some Target shaving gel that I had left over (no time to make lather as I was running late). I wiped the blade down with some isobroply alcohol and shaved my cheek. I was very happy with the results. The blade cut smoothly and easily. I do need to make a point about what my interpretation of smooth is. My sample size of straight razor shaves is all of 6. I have been using a shavette with Shark blades. So the experience I have may be on the lower end of the shave scale due to my initial setup. I am going to run the 6k tape through the full progression before I shave with it again.

I also plan on buying wet sanding paper to clean up the blade itself.. As for a strop, I am not sure as of yet, not enough data against or for the EP...yet.

*Update*

I finished the blade with the 6k tape progression. Now to shave with it…

*Update*

After shaving with this razor, I was amazed how differently a real straight razor feels vs. a shavette. I enjoyed hearing the blade cut the whiskers. It was very satisfying. And yes, I did cut myself 3 times. The cutting surface on this razor is almost 3 times longer than the Parker SR1 I started with. Time to buy a pencil.

Mario-

Moving this to the honing forum. Don't know if it is my eyes, the lighting in the photos, or what but ...... looks to me like a slight frown in that blade. Might have to do with the method ? Anyway, good luck with it.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

...... looks to me like a slight frown in that blade. Might have to do with the method ? Anyway, good luck with it.

Thanks for pointing out the frown. I looked at the blade and then put it against the the counter top and sure enough there ws a small frown. I did a newb move when I got the razor. I did not check the geometry of the blade and went straight to sharpening.

m-

Mario,
It sounds like you are good at sharpening knives, but I have to say razors different.

I like your set-up by the way, I've been entertaining a set-up like that for my knives!

You say your razor shaves well, but what is your experience? Please understand that I am not trying to discourage at all, but you need to have a veteran shaver shave with that razor and ask their opinion or have a razor around that was honed by a veteran honer to compare to. I would hate to see you get frustrated with our sport before you really got off the ground.

Originally Posted by Mario

Thanks for pointing out the frown. I looked at the blade and then put it against the the counter top and sure enough there ws a small frown. I did a newb move when I got the razor. I did not check the geometry of the blade and went straight to sharpening.

m-

Look up at the before pics,,,,

Read Shooters post again, he is trying to help you out..

There is a You tube video of IIRC the guy that invented the EP or one of those types using it for a Straight Razor, it looked as though he had a fairly smooth rhythm going sharpening both sides at the same time..

Originally Posted by shooter74743

Mario,
It sounds like you are good at sharpening knives, but I have to say razors different.

I like your set-up by the way, I've been entertaining a set-up like that for my knives!

You say your razor shaves well, but what is your experience? Please understand that I am not trying to discourage at all, but you need to have a veteran shaver shave with that razor and ask their opinion or have a razor around that was honed by a veteran honer to compare to. I would hate to see you get frustrated with our sport before you really got off the ground.

Thanks for the input. I understand whole heartily that I am a n00b in this new adventure. When I first started sharpening knives, the learning curve did not stop me from moving on and enjoying that hobby. So my experience with straight razors is getting close to 10 whole shaves. With that being said, I have really no experience. Compared to the shavette that I started with (Parker SR1), these razors feel smoother. However, I am probably comparing not "very good" with still "not very good" shaves. I intend to get a razor from Whipped Dog Straight Razor Shaving Equipment first and shave with it. Then I should have a good comparison. I also want to buy a stop but require more reading on this site for a good starting point. I will put my razors to the strop and see what that does as well. There is a fantastic thread with microscopic images of a .3 micron honing and a .3 micron honing + stropping which is truly fascinating. The softening of the scratches is truly remarkable.

@ gssixgun-

I looked at the pics I posted and then went through my album. Here is the blade before my n00b move:



Had I been more patient and not jumped the gun, I should have seen the frown then. The sharpening system you are referring to is called the Wicked Edge. I have read up on it, but at the time it was just too expensive for me.

Thanks again for the info.

Mario-

I guess there are many paths that we can take to get where we need to be, and honing is no different. We've developed a set of methods here that work for us, but that is not to say they are the only way to skin that cat.

I have no experience with this EP setup at all, so really cannot comment on what it does or does not do. However my only comment on it is I personally think 6K maybe just a bit on the coarse side for my tastes. If all went well on the EP system up to that point I'd probably consider moving onto something of higher grit.

I guess the other thing is that it may be a little limiting on razors that require a "rolling" stroke using traditional honing methods - the smiley sheffields for example. But I can see how this would be a perfectly acceptable method for perfect geometry blades if you knew what you were doing with it.

James.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

I have no experience with this EP setup at all, so really cannot comment on what it does or does not do. However my only comment on it is I personally think 6K maybe just a bit on the coarse side for my tastes. If all went well on the EP system up to that point I'd probably consider moving onto something of higher grit.

Jimbo-

The polishing tape names are not really the true grit in terms of stones. That was a confusing part for me when I got into the EP system. The breakdown is as follows:

2k tape = This tape is the same as a 20,000 grit Japanese water stone or 9 micron. *Taken from EP's website
3k tape = This tape is the same as a 25,000 grit Japanese water stone or 3 micron. *Taken from EP's website
6k tape = This tape is the same as a 30,000 grit Japanese water stone, or 1 micron. *Taken from EP's website

After looking at Whippeddog's site, there is a lot of goodies for the n00b.

m-