Thread: Curvature of a razor's edge

I was wondering the same thing as Rezdog. Sounds more like you need some hands on help ?

There is no need to straighten the edge and this may cause more problems than you have now.

Nice L Herder from Philly! Lynn's circles are great for straight edges. A smiling edge can be somewhat adapted with technique. Still, a smile must be swooped upon the stones and strop. A smiling razor is a GOOD thing. " A straight edge is the closest thing to a frown".
I always hone toward a smile. Heavier by a bit on heel and toe, lighter thru the middle.
How I roll!

Originally Posted by 10Pups

I was wondering the same thing as Rezdog. Sounds more like you need some hands on help ?

There is no need to straighten the edge and this may cause more problems than you have now.

There's no doubt I could use some hands on help. However I don't know a single person personally that shaves with or hones straight razors. Not that I know of. But I'd love as much help as I can get. I love to learn from "other people's" mistakes instead of learning from my own. Making my own mistakes just takes more time. The next best thing is having these forums and videos at easy access.

Causing more problems when doing something I'm just beginning to learn is standard procedure for me. That's where others help out. They made a mistake and learned from it and now they can tell me not to do something before I make that same mistake. Making the situation worse is one reason I won't dive in trying to "fix" this. The other reason not to "fix" it is others seem to think it's not something that needs fixing. Unless I make things worse over time. I don't think I'll make it worse now because I'm aware of it and I don't want to add to the curve. I'll be making sure not to remove more steel from the toe than I do the middle.

Something just dawned on me. Since I started learning to hone I've felt like I was always putting more pressure on the heel during every stroke. I may have overcompensated for this by while trying to keep the blade flat on the stones I raised it too much. This thought makes sense to me.

there is the potential that others may not be that far away from you. The only issue is that nobody knows where you are.

Would eveyone agree (or disagree) that if I caused any additional smile it would have been done on stones rather than when using a strop? I'm thinking a strop would never remove enough steel to change the shape of an edge.

It is on the lower grit strop that you remove material in enough of a volume that you can change the shape of the blade. 1 or 4K will do it. The higher grit hones remove such a small amount of material it would take a very long time to change a blade shape.

The smile is designed into the razor, very much desired IMO.

If you want to practice honing, grab a few Gold Dollar straights razor's, they are cheap, have challenging geometry, and it doesn't matter if you destroy them. I have two that I've been beating the crap out of...I'm still on the 8k stage...but getting better.

Originally Posted by Jack0458

There's no doubt I could use some hands on help. However I don't know a single person personally that shaves with or hones straight razors. Not that I know of. But I'd love as much help as I can get. I love to learn from "other people's" mistakes instead of learning from my own. Making my own mistakes just takes more time. The next best thing is having these forums and videos at easy access.

Causing more problems when doing something I'm just beginning to learn is standard procedure for me. That's where others help out. They made a mistake and learned from it and now they can tell me not to do something before I make that same mistake. Making the situation worse is one reason I won't dive in trying to "fix" this. The other reason not to "fix" it is others seem to think it's not something that needs fixing. Unless I make things worse over time. I don't think I'll make it worse now because I'm aware of it and I don't want to add to the curve. I'll be making sure not to remove more steel from the toe than I do the middle.

Something just dawned on me. Since I started learning to hone I've felt like I was always putting more pressure on the heel during every stroke. I may have overcompensated for this by while trying to keep the blade flat on the stones I raised it too much. This thought makes sense to me.

You will never know if there is someone close to you if WE don't know where you are. Rezdog has already stated this several times, PUT YOUR LOCATION IN YOUR PROFILE. A razor with a smile is preferable in my opinion as it is easier to maneuver around the face and get into tight quarters.

Originally Posted by Jack0458

Thanks for the comments guys. I guess for now I'll leave it as is. When it needs re-honing I may try to get the edge a bit straighter but not much. I could use Lynn's "circle" method keeping the curvature at the toe off the stones. Then again I'll probably get used to it and just leave it. I feel like that based on the comments that this "smile" isn't that bad.

I may have created a more dramatic curve at the toe but I'm not sure. I didn't take a picture of it when new to compare it. This is the type of condition I believe it would be easy to create by a newby (me) at honing.

I'm not sure you understand what we're trying to say. There is no such thing as a bad smile & western razors should be honed over time to a smiling profile to prevent the opposite ie a 'frown'

Read post #12 again. It is not just a preference but what was taught in barbering texts. You hone to a smile or you risk a frown.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

I'm not sure you understand what we're trying to say. There is no such thing as a bad smile & western razors should be honed over time to a smiling profile to prevent the opposite ie a 'frown'

Read post #12 again. It is not just a preference but what was taught in barbering texts. You hone to a smile or you risk a frown.

I think I'm getting it. I appreciate all the input about this. Especially how BAD a frown would be. My concern was for the last 1/4" or less where the curve is more drastic than the gradual curve of the rest of the blade. I wanted to ask about it now before it got any worse. Since you guys don't think it's bad I'm happy with that. No more worries.

I can't picture how you could "hone" a frown into your razor. The only way I can figure it is if you had narrow stones. 1" or 2" wide or so. Even then it would have to be almost intentional.