Thread: Question from a Newbie - How to sharp my razor

Originally Posted by NickTheSlim

For me made no difference as I tried them all with very poor results: my razors are even less sharp then when I started! I tried to experiment many changes in the process (inclination of the blade on the grinding stone, speed of motion, direction of motion, number of times I passed the blade on the stone, etc.) Eventually, it never worked out.
Currently the razors are completely unusable.

AS I mentioned previously, poor honing technique can wreck an edge and your comments suggest that is exactly what happened to your razor. When you said “inclination of the blade on the grinding stone”, you highlighted the likely problem.

When you sharpen a knife, the blade is held at an angle to the stone often using a guide that sets the bevel angle at around 20°. When you hone a razor, you rest the edge and the spine flat on the stone before you even start to move the blade. The razor provides its own sharpening guide. Most of us also apply a layer of electrical tape to the spine beforehand to protect the spine and to increase the bevel angle slightly to create a micro bevel on the edge. You will see this process for yourself when you watch one of gssixgun’s honing videos.

Sharpening a knife and honing a straight razor are very different processes.