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Hi
I am new to the forum.
I have an old wald and a gold dollar.
I am considering buying a new razor like one of the Dovos or some other brand.
I am getting what feels like a good sharp edge on the two razors I have but not the best shave.
Will anybody venture an opinion as to the best brand in that price range.
Thanks
Dennis
There usually also are a lot of great options in the Classifieds of this forum.
And Glen should watch the profanity.:)
In terms of production straight razors that can be had without hassle and will come professionally honed and truly shave ready, I would suggest Straight Razor Designs. There are Ralf Aust, Dovo and Boker razors that will precisely match the description of what you say you are looking for. Two of the razors that I have came from them and I have absolutely no complaints whatsoever -- highly recommended.
A Ralf Aust from SRD will fit your needs perfectly.
What everyone said , cause the edge you have now isn't cutting it right? You need one pro honed to be able to tell what shave ready is, sharp is not everything, cause most sharp is way lower on the scale than shave sharp. Plus it needs to be smooth also,
See about the classifieds if you want to keep cost down, or talk to glen about the da*#fine shavers. See Ron I didn't curse, Tc
Dennis
I am in Pompano Beach. Where are you?
If you get our razor thru the Art of Shaving it will not be shave ready. Go thru SRD.
Hi
I am between Tampa and Orlando on I 4
I had not looked at the classified section. There seems to be a number of older razors for sale.
They look very nice in the pictures.
I may go for one after payday.
Maybe there is someone near you that can help you with your honeing. That may be part of your problem.
No one close that I know of for help honeing.
I watched all the vids and I bought a 10000 grit no name artificial stone from china.
The white stone seems soft but cuts metal fairly quickly from the razors I have.
I have a pretty strong glass to examine the edges I can achieve.
After watching the shave test vid from sixgun I am close to passing the shave test.
I want to get some diamond grit to make a strop.
THe leather strop I made by gluing the leather to a board works but I want a step in between.
Hi
Thanks for your long post.
I think I am looking for a 5-6/8 size razor.
Something about setting the bevel.
Most are taping the spine to set the bevel.
To my mind the tape raises the spine off the stone making a steeper angle then they remove the tape lowering the angle to the stone.
This lowering puts the blade contact behind the edge of the bevel that was set by the tape.
I saw this in action on the gold dollar blade. The smooth section made by the 10000 stone was behind the edge until I worked it long enough to see the smooth section meet the edge.
This condition was only on one side of the gold dollar.
BTW the Gold Dollar took longer to work down than the other razor. Harder steel?
Attachment 229164
By looking at the edge side on along a straight edge I could see a frown section.
I butter knifed this on a stone to get a straight edge. The smooth band is now pretty uniform along the edge now.
The green buffing compound is a poor grade and more coarse than the 10000 grit stone.
Thanks again for your input.
Looking at the straight razors on E bay is confusing as heck. Certainly some sellers prise their goodies unreasonably "<)
Thanks
Spine taping is done for a few reasons, The main ones been to preserve the spine against wear, or to correct a worn spine that doesn't sit well.Quote:
Most are taping the spine to set the bevel.
To my mind the tape raises the spine off the stone making a steeper angle then they remove the tape lowering the angle to the stone.
This lowering puts the blade contact behind the edge of the bevel that was set by the tape.
I don't tape my spines at all unless the razor actually needs it. It makes life easier when you touch them up after a few months use. That been said none of my razors are show quality.
The hardness of a razor is directly affected by the original temper of the steel, as well as it's carbon content. Vintage steel tends to have a lower carbon content but the hardness and temper of the blades can vary wildly. The final toughness of the steel doesn't always reflect the ability to hold an edge. Stainless is very tough, very hone resistant, but hasn't got the same edge retention in a lot of cases.
A good bevel check is the turn the razor edge up, and roll it in the light. A badly set bevel will reflect from the cutting edge, a well set one won't.
If the bevel is set correctly, and everything looks right and it still won't shave then start to look at the stone. A nice close up of the edge would be nice, to show us the scratch pattern from the hone. It may also be worth picking up some paste/Diamond spray if everything looks right and it's still not sharp, Or you could try 10 stropping strokes on the stone to see if it brings it up. I feel that is avoiding the problem and fixing it with a bit of a bodge, Rather than getting it right.
Also did you strop the blade after honing, It may improve the performance.
Some sellers have no idea, Others very much know the razors and know what people will pay. It takes a few months of looking before you can spot a seller that has a gem and doesn't have a clue how to sell it, These are the auctions you pounce on. It's worth just reading, and remembering brands. You will at some point start to be able to gauge age and condition and take decent gambles on poor pictures. Often these can have huge rewards if you are willing to take a potential loss. Antique stores, fairs, and garage sales should also be visited.Quote:
Looking at the straight razors on E bay is confusing as heck. Certainly some sellers prise their goodies unreasonably
Attachment 229178
One view of the stone.
The black rubber is a shipping protector?
Hi
I tried to post a view of the old razor edge that I have been working on. Some issue with my comp probably
I do strop on leather after working on the stone.
After this session I will wait a couple of days for my beard to grow out some.
I have a thin beard mostly except on my chin area. A lot of grey if that matters.
Attachment 229180
I tried to show the shiny band at the edge.
I would like to have a microscope so I could show my progress with the edge.
The spine on that razor is heavily worn. It's a 2 layer of tape razor by the looks. You need the tape to raise the angle to miss the big flat spot by the heel.
The other picture doesn't show this. I wonder if the last owner has flat ground it on one side for some reason.
My advice is leave off honing it till you have more understanding of the blade geometry.
Practice honing on the Gold dollar. And buy a shave ready SRD razor.
It'll blow your mind the difference in the shave. And once you have your hones in a few months come back to this one and re-evaluate it.
No doubt the razor is very worn. Just a hair over 1/2" blade. Worth the $5 I paid for it.
You could save a chunk by just getting one of your razors professionally honed. But you would probably want to contact your honer of choice first to see if they think it is worthwhile.
I like to do for myself.
I think I have gotten a feel for how steel works on various stones.
I would like to forge a piece of T 42 tool steel into a razor. I bet it would hold an edge for a very long time.
I know that stuff holds an edge on a metal lathe.
Portlandrazerco.com is a great choice for the price range. Made to order, so you will wait for a while for it to be made. Well worth the wait. They have a price point razor for 120. I own two prc, and I will likely own more in the time to come. It's money well spent.
Hi
Thanks for the referral. Portland razor looks very interesting.
OK well good luck, I am sure you will get there eventually, you just might be prolonging your learning somewhat.Quote:
Originally Posted by dkwflight
It's a good idea to be able to maintain your razors. I like my dmt 1200, Norton 4/8K and .5mu lapping film. I produce a very fine edge, including a gd66. I shaved with a gd66 today. The quality of the bevel is as good as most of my razors. I would put the shavability smack in the middle of my collection of 12 in rotation .
I bought all my hones from srd and film off of Amazon.com.
As far as prc , nothing but great shaves from them
You can use this link to find members living near you.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/memberlist.php?do=search
Hi
I think I am making some progress.
I got a half decent shave with my GD razor. GD= Gold Dollar. Really worth what I paid for it :<)
The first half actually went pretty good.
By the end of my shave the GD razor had definitely lost its edge.
