Greetings (again) from NJ

I first joined SRP about 3 years ago when I decided to make the jump from DE shaving to using a straight razor. Unfortunately, I got discouraged quickly and didn't really stick with it. About a year ago I decided to give it another try. I still had the Dovo Best Quality 6/8 that I used before but had the urge to try something new. I figured that might keep me interested so I got a Leviathan razor from Portland Razor Co. and thought I was well on my way again. Wrong. I dulled the edge from stopping incorrectly and had to have it honed again. The guy I sent it to, who I met in another shaving forum and will remain anonymous, seemed to be well-respected and offered to do it for me. All I had to do was pay for postage. I got my blade back very sharp but with a very crooked bevel. It kind of curved up toward the spine at the toe. It wasn't really a smiling edge but more of a smirk because it was only near the toe and to a lesser extent at the heel. I didn't make a big stink about it because it was done as a favor and I didn't want to disrespect the guy but it just added to my frustration. I thought my brand new razor was ruined. But my determination (or stubbornness perhaps) kept me going. I decided to get my own stones and learn to hone my own razors. I am now at the point that I feel I can get a pretty good edge on my razors and also get pretty good shaves. My Leviathan is shaving great although I had to remove a good amount of metal to get the edge straight again. Hopefully that won't take too much life off the blade. But I really think I am headed in the right direction now and I feel much more confident than before. And since I had a 3 year hiatus from SRP I thought it would be a good idea to reintroduce myself to the community here. I look forward to learning even more and improving my skills even further. It's good to be back.

Welcome back and enjoy.

Welcome back! Sounds like an eventful comeback, indeed!! :)

Great job hanging in there!!

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Originally Posted by Prahston

Welcome back! Sounds like an eventful comeback, indeed!! :)

Great job hanging in there!!

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Thanks. Yeah it's been a bumpy ride for sure but I am getting better and better with my shaves and my honing is much improved although it could be better. It took me a while to get used to the PRC razor since it is quarter hollow and seems to be much thicker steel and feels completely different from the Dovo. But now that I have a better feel for how it handles I am much happier with the results.

An uneven grind can result in an uneven bevel. The honing was not necessarily done wrong and you may have wasted a lot of steel by making the edge straight. There is nothing wrong with a smiling, or smirking, blade. In fact many prefer it. Did the actual edge smile, or smirk, or did the bevel simply widen on each end?

It was actually both. The edge smirked AND the bevel widened in the same area. I know a smiling edge is very common and I actually like the way it looks. I have seen some vintage Wade & Butcher razors with smiling edges that look beautiful. I didn't know that a smirking edge (I'm assuming that means where the edge is straight for the most part and rounds a bit at the heel and toe) is considered normal. But the edge was perfectly straight when I sent it and that's what I was expecting to get back...still straight just much sharper. I just would have expected a heads up if the edge profile was going to be altered that dramatically. That's what bothered me. I probably did waste some steel getting it straight again but I am sure it still has plenty of life. I haven't measured it but it is (or was) a 6/8 blade so there is still plenty of steel left.

Hi and welcome back. I would agree that if it was straight I would expect it to come back straight. After all that is how it was honed originally.

Thanks eddy. And that's exactly my point. I mean the razor was very sharp but I was also expecting it to remain straight. I guess what really matters is I was determined enough to work with it and get it where I wanted it. Now it's straight again and shaving great and I am really enjoying it.

Smiling Blades are so common and desired you may just have to remember to request an edge that is honed to remain straight as so many people (.. and so many Instructional Videos..) hone in a manner to produce a smiling edge that, even on a new blade, they will be laying a foundation for it to eventually smile. Not a difficult thing, just a small change in technique to predispose straight over smiling.

Starting out with Honing as you are by fixing errors/issues, once you get a brand new blade to hone by yourself, you are going to feel like you are on vacation without errors to address!! :)

Is there a distinct advantage to a smiling edge? I've seen it a million time and I think it looks nice but is there any added benefit other than aesthetics? The blade I had to fix didn't look at all pleasing and really looked sloppy. If it looked okay I would have kept it that way but it really just made the razor ugly. I know the quality of the shave is most important but visual appearance is important too. Otherwise there wouldn't be an interest in fancy scale materials and elaborate blade shapes. Right?

By the way I hope I don't sound like a jerk or seem ungrateful for being unsatisfied by the work the guy did. I'm sure the guy is a member here too. And while I wasn't thrilled with how the razor turned out he did a fantastic job on another razor of mine and was a very cool guy to deal with. I was just kinda intimidated to say anything negative and didn't want to be disrespectful in any way. It was just an awkward situation and I didn't really know how to handle it.

Welcome to the forum.

I don't think you sound like you are coming across that way at all... Just seems like you are identifying your preferences and figuring the whole process out. Best thing to do when there are questions or concerns is to ask the person directly... Tough part is exactly as you described in feeling comfortable addressing the situation and figuring out a way to communicate that.

Smiling Blades... I don't know a lot about the history of one razor feature over another but believe the smiling blade is just a more efficient blade shape for cutting and that is why people chase/promote it. Could also just be largely subjective or an aesthetic preference. I restore and hone a lot of "Razor Wrecks" where the blade has serious issues of one sort or another... Heavy Toe Wear, Heavy Heel Wear, Chips, Dings, etc... In all those cases it is far easier and results look better if I produce a Smiling Edge. Just as you found out, taking the edge back to level straight can remove a lot of metal and it is pretty tough to find homes for 4/8" Razors; generally speaking. :)

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Originally Posted by rfn379

By the way I hope I don't sound like a jerk or seem ungrateful for being unsatisfied by the work the guy did. I'm sure the guy is a member here too. And while I wasn't thrilled with how the razor turned out he did a fantastic job on another razor of mine and was a very cool guy to deal with. I was just kinda intimidated to say anything negative and didn't want to be disrespectful in any way. It was just an awkward situation and I didn't really know how to handle it.

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Thanks for the reassurance Prahston. I actually measured the blade and it seems to have lost about 1/16 so far. That's not so bad I guess. What saved me is that I ended up rounding off the square point because I kept cutting myself with it and that removed the smirking part of the toe without having to take the edge back TOO far.

:beer1::beer1:Right on... Sounds like you did great! In the overall picture, I think that is a minor loss if the results produced the razor exactly as you prefer it... It will be a pretty rare person that can detect that amount of steel loss without you mentioning it up front and even more rare for them to be very concerned about it.

Sounds like a Homerun to me... Developed a friendship, learned a few things, identified an issue, 'fixed it yourself' and ultimately got near to the exact the results you were chasing...

Only thing missing is a "Good job!" and a pat on the back!! :)

Oh and in case you were wondering...here is the razor we've been talking about. These guys at PRC do make a fine razor.

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Beautiful razor.

Yep... Beautiful razor for sure! You did a great job with it... The rounded/muted point looks like it was that way the whole time. :)

Thanks. I did it very carefully using a diamond file. Then I polished it with some fine grit sandpaper. I am very happy with how it turned out. And I haven't cut myself with it since. :D