Thread: Shaving with a razor sharpened on heartstones

Hello, I would like to share with you my experience regarding shaving with a razor sharpened on heartstones.

I use heartstones grit 1000 CERAX, 3000 CERAX, 6000 KING, coti with water only, strop with a diamond dust and russian leather strop.

The problem is that the first few shavings are not as smooth as I would have expected. It seems that the razor, which is very sharp, does not copy my skin perfectly. It cuts wildly, lets say mell-mell. After three or four shavings everything is alright and my face is perfectly shaved.

Is this usual or am I doing anything wrong? What is your experience like?

So you strop on your face, LOL

Hi Radgost!

You could get a bit of a more gentle edge with a chromium oxide strop
or - even better - with a fine thuringian hone AND a chromium oxide strop.

The slates are also said to be good for finishers.
Some are even cheap, like the Dragon's Tongue from Wales.

So either that or just more time, more patience and less pressure on the coticule with first slurry and then water only. The jump from the King 6000 to the coti as a finisher is a bit big.

*waving over the border*

Have you been shaving with a straight razor for a long time ? Sometimes it is a lack of keenness in the edge, other times it is poor preparation, and others it is wrong blade angle with too much pressure ..... and/or improper stretching of the skin. The whole is the sum of its parts and it could be one of the above or a combination of all of them. I find that if a razor will easily and smoothly shave the tougher whiskers on either side of my chin it is shave ready and if there is a problem it is coming from pre-shave preparation or shaving technique.

Diamonds can create a harsh edge. You better go to a plain leather strop after the coticule or finish with CR2O3.

It sounds to me like a harsh edge from the diamond compound. Perhaps switching to ChromeOx (as suggested) would help. Or maybe just a lot of extra stropping on plain leather before you shave.