Gold Dollar .... I learn the hardway

I asked recently about Chieese Razors and was given good advice. Looked at the 80 page post on GD's and came away with the thought that with some mods, it could be made into a shaver.
Well, the one I received had many flaws and questionable geometry.
Ignoring the bent tang and edge frown, I used my dremel to grind away the heel web so that the spline/edge could lay flat on a stone.
Then I hit the 320 DMT, 600DMT, 4k/8k Norton, 12k Nami, .5 Oxy, web and leather.
I hammered the 320 and 600 for a long time before moving on.
But the real "pi$$ me off " came on the strop. After a half dozen laps I was horified to see 8" long scratches on the left side of my new English Briddle strop !!! I looked all over the razor, but could not find anything that should have caused that. No sharp edges, burrs, or nasty toe point.
I started to shave one side of my face with it just to see how I had done.....it was passable, but not real good.
It's in the trash now...GONE !!

I wonder if the strop is ruined? I can feel the grooves with my fingernail going across them.

The strop's not ruined - the cuts or scratches that really ruin a strop are the ones that run perpendicular to the length, not parallel. And even then, there's sometimes things you can do.

I'd suggest a little strop dressing, then just work it in with your hand for a while. See if that helps with the scratches. If after a few days of the hand thing (just dress it once initially with oil/whatever) the scratches are still noticeable to the touch you can think about something a bit more drastic like a light sanding or pumice.

James.

Sorry to hear your luck. Anytime you get a razor it could have geometry issues. I just got one (German) that has a pretty bad warped spine. GD's are known for there issues too so it's the luck of the draw and the skill of the person. I lucked out and my GD is one of my best shavers.

Yet another warning re GDs. True, some people get good shavers, but the good to bad ratio is pitiably small and then you have to invest so much effort in getting the d**n thing to shave that you may as well have bought a decent razor in the first place.

Chinese junk IMO, it just so happens that whereas most reputed makers turn out the odd few rubbish razors, GD have reversed the trend and turn out the odd few passable razors.

Me - I wouldn't even consider buying or honing one.

Regards,
Neil

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jimbo

The strop's not ruined - the cuts or scratches that really ruin a strop are the ones that run perpendicular to the length, not parallel. And even then, there's sometimes things you can do.

I'd suggest a little strop dressing, then just work it in with your hand for a while. See if that helps with the scratches. If after a few days of the hand thing (just dress it once initially with oil/whatever) the scratches are still noticeable to the touch you can think about something a bit more drastic like a light sanding or pumice.

James.

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James, I immediately laid the strop on the counter and rubbed hard with the heel of my hand. The scuffed surface lost the whitish color, blending in, and I felt the grooves became more shallow and less pronounced.
A lot of potty mouth going on.
I'll work on it some more. I have the same thought with the parallel grooves being less detrimental,

I wonder whether going from 320 and 600DMT to 4k was not perhaps too big a jump, having 'hammered' those lower grits?

Could be, but it will be all theory from here on. It's in the trash.

Not a fan either but going from the 600 to a 4K is to big of a jump imo.

I got a 66 that isn't too bad. Takes a nice edge, just needs the stabilizer on the heel taken down. Only other thing is 1 spot on the hollow was ground a bit on the spine. Purely cosmetic and minor.

I payed 4$ new, so totally worth it. It is a real carbon steel blade to mess with and no worries about screwing it up.

If you're reasonably inexperienced and looking for a good razor to shave with, then stay away from them. If you're a competent honer and want something to play around with and do some experiments on blade shapes then they can be great fun.

It's kind of funny that this post came up. Tonight I decided to shave with my Dovo. I paid 90 bucks for this razor, and this seems to be my problem razor. It is not that it feels bad or that it hard to hone, but it doesnt seem to hold an edge well. this is one of the few that gets HHT sharp easy. I have only shaved with it 6 or 8 times since it last seen the stones (12000) and it is starting to pull, and leaves stubble behind. So how did I finish my shave? Gold Dollar 200, 9 dollars. This was the second razor I ever honed, and three years since it has seen a stone. I have owned a lot of Gold Dollars and all but one have turned out to be great shavers that have held an edge, and the one that sucked was just bad from the start. The one thing that I do that I think makes a difference with all my razors is that I work them by hand. It might take a little longer but I get two things from this one, I know exactly how to control what I am doing. It is hard to make a mistake with a file when you stop often to look at your work, a Dremal moves pretty fast and is affected by pressure. Two, I get the feel for the razor, knowing it's ins and outs meaning I can feel what needs to be done to make that razor work and function well. I would also like to point out that for me this is an awesome hobby and is where I spend my free time so it does not bother me to spend four dollars on a razor to see if I can make it shave or for me to spend 40 hours working on it (never have) but I really do like the challenge.