Thread: Can You Get A Straight Razor Too Sharp?

Originally Posted by ace

Reading the SRP Library prior to making mistakes helps you avoid them. Reading the Library after making the mistakes proves that diligent research would have helped you avoid them.

Mistakes are hard teachers to beat.

Originally Posted by bookdoctor

I sharpened my sr using a king 1000/6000 to set the bevel and a 12000 Chinese stone, finished with 1u film with wet paper underneath film. This sr pop hair off arm and was really sharp. First shave with it cut beard really well but when the razor came to my chin it seemed to drag and almost stop. I continued and I knew the razor was sharper then usual and it finally let go and big gusher on front of chin. I don't know if it was a mental thing or maybe the razor was too sharp and dug into the skin. I know what you are thinking, had razor at wrong angle coming down the chin, but the razor was at proper angle. Lather was wet with proper pre shave prep. Any thoughts?

Your post has been on my mind for quite some time and probably because my recent shave results haven't been my best.

I initially went through a progression of stones like you did and wondered if the shaves weren't as good because I honed too much. I think I used the finishing stone to the point of dullness. It looked great under a little $15 microscope I use, but the shaves weren't up to snuff.

Today I used only a barber hone (a Swaty) and kept it lathered to keep the blade from getting hot. This Swaty I'd estimate would be the equivalent of 6000 grit. The result, I got a much closer shave. I wet my thumbnail and ran the blade across it before using the Swaty and it didn't dig into the nail. After using the Swaty, I got the desired result.

I'm still kind of wondering why my normal honing routine didn't give me the expected result. When I need to merely refresh the blade maybe a hone job is overkill.

Maybe in time I'll come up with an explanation behind everything I do. I continue to learn a lot and I have been at it four years. You'll figure it out too.

Originally Posted by ace

Cuts don't result from razors that are too sharp. They result from razors that are not sharp enough and some manipulation with them is required to pull off a shave. That manipulation is what causes the cuts.

I would have to agree.Sometimes the edge becomes thin, like foil.The edge starts to breake off causing a microscopic serrated edge.It grabs instead of cutting.

Since I posted this thread I have been like you trying to figure out this honing to get that perfect shaving edge. What I have learned is that if you don't get a even bevel on both sides you are just wasting honing stone. I am still working on this. There are so many things that can effect this stage with vintage razors. The biggest problem I have found is if the razor has a spine that has been honed uneven this effects the way you sharpen it to get that bevel. I can get a pretty good edge and bevel using Lynn's circle method. I also found out that your stone has to be lapped evenly. I tried to sharpen with film, a 3 and 1u to finish but I like to finish with a 12000 grit stone better. I also follow up with chromium oxide, 5 micron. I have noticed that you have to strop at least 60 laps on the c/o to get a nice edge followed by 120 laps on leather. Maybe this is over kill but if I don't follow this procedure the razor just drags and won't shave very well. I still have not got to that perfect edge yet and still working on it. One last thing is there are so many ways to hone that I think you have to do what works for you and continue to read and learn.

Originally Posted by dexter90723

Yes you can!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

simple answer

No.

even more simple answer

I get cut-up on every first-shave-after-honing. Little bleeders where the surface of the skin gets skimmed off.

By the third stropping, it's smooooooth.....

If this is occurring, it is not because the blade is too sharp but sharper than you were used to having it. One way to avoid this, of course, is to minimize pressure. I find that when shaving with my Feather SS with a brand new blade in it, I have to do some readjusting of the pressure I had been using as the blade had gone through some shaves.

Something that has helped me is to visualize shaving with the bevel flat on the skin with the edge actually parallel to the skin instead of digging into it. Starting with a newly-honed razor nearly flat to the face allows one to raise it until the sweet spot is encountered and whiskers, not skin, are being cut. Still, we all make mistakes, and those are more telling when one has a newly-honed blade in his hand.

You can get them too harsh. Happens when too much time is spent on high grit finishers. If you're on a synthetic for as long as you say you need to go back and work the bevel more. Never had it right. The cut sounds like drag. Lather was not lubricated enough. I know you say it was but you missed something obviously. If it was too harsh it presents a different feeling not like you've described. Could have been hesitation but at some point you inadvertently made a slicing motion.

Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

Your post has been on my mind for quite some time and probably because my recent shave results haven't been my best.

I initially went through a progression of stones like you did and wondered if the shaves weren't as good because I honed too much. I think I used the finishing stone to the point of dullness. It looked great under a little $15 microscope I use, but the shaves weren't up to snuff.

Today I used only a barber hone (a Swaty) and kept it lathered to keep the blade from getting hot. This Swaty I'd estimate would be the equivalent of 6000 grit. The result, I got a much closer shave. I wet my thumbnail and ran the blade across it before using the Swaty and it didn't dig into the nail. After using the Swaty, I got the desired result.

I'm still kind of wondering why my normal honing routine didn't give me the expected result. When I need to merely refresh the blade maybe a hone job is overkill.

Maybe in time I'll come up with an explanation behind everything I do. I continue to learn a lot and I have been at it four years. You'll figure it out too.

It didn't work because you're using a microscope and not a face to test an edge.

Is there a way to get a really good shave from a SR that would be easy and not so involved with all this work with different stones, different pastes, different methods of honing, films, glass, marbles. Does anyone have any simple ways of getting this back to basic's? What did our forefathers do when they didn't have access to all of this high end expensive garbage.