Sharpening/honing a straight razor

M

MAXIMUS666

Joined
Jun 17, 2007
Messages
26
I got my straight razor today and am pleased I finally own one. After a bit of sharpening on the stone, followed by stropping I put it to the test. It was quite sharp. Just not as sharp as I had expected. I heard when these razors are sharpened properly you cannot "feel" them shaving the hair off your face. Also I used Shavegel, because i had no shave soap, and was eager to try it out. Does this have a big effect??
So my big question is how do I get this razor to its most sharp? thanks for your input.
 
ah straight razors.....i went through exactly what you are going through. i could go into a long a lengthy description of what to do....but....my advice is go grab the current edition of Blade magazine. There is a great article that will answer all your questions.
 
Cougar Allen said:
I don't know whether to move this thread to The Toolshed or to Razors, Scissors, Trimmers & Personal Grooming Accessories ... let's try The Toolshed.
Click to expand...

Yeah Cougar I think your move to the TOOLSHED is appropriate. I think that all sharpening threads should be on the TOOLSHED. But maybe there should be at least a link put over on the RAZORs, Scissors section.

Great topic. I find that very few people do know how to properly sharpen a straight razor :confused: Even people who are good at sharpening knives.
 
What grit stone and what type strop? (I have a straight razor as of 7pm tonight so I'm interested in your test). I was planning on using my Syderco ultrafine ceramic benchstone and then stropping on CrO loaded paper on glass.
 
i have sharpened many straight razors for a few collectors in my area. most were in need of nicks removed. i use cardboard wheels to do this. if you want your razors sharpened, i can do them for you. if you get a set of wheels, dont get the ones from koval, i have a set and they are cheap. a member here wrote a book on sharpening called "Sharpening Made Easy" and sells these wheels, he goes by stevebot.
 
The Norton waterstones are pretty popular for sharpening straight razors.
 
I've used Spyderco Ultrafine successfully, and also the Norton 4000/8000 combo. You'll still need to strop after using the hone. Do a search on this forum, there's a lot of good advice on straights here.

If you want to go nuts, go to http://www.straightrazorplace.com/. Lots of good info, but people tend to be fairly "religious" in their beliefs about which way is best. If it works for you, then it's good!
 
I shave with a straight razor. Get it sharp with a Norton and then strop. I bought a 4 sided paddle strop and have it loaded with 4 grits. 3k, 14k, 50k and 100k. I don't know about not feeling the hair when you shave, but by god it is sharp! Easily cut yourself and not know until the blood starts to run. I've been using it for about 3 months now and have only cut myself a few times.

Start out slow and take your time. I'm now almost as fast as with my Mach. Many people post that they don't get as close with a straight razor as with a Mach, but just think about it for a minute. A Mach has 5 blades in line and so every pass with it, is if your shaving past that spot approximately 5 times.
Now I know in the world of hurry we want to spend the least amount of time doing these mundane things. What you need to remember is this, most people that shave with the straight razor do so for the nostalgia part of it. Go to Yahoo groups and join straightrazorplace and you'll see what I mean.

My beginnings were slightly different and for different reasons.
I always loved knives, but before joining this forum I could never sharpen one worth a damn. My wife and I took a 2 week tour of Europe before having kids. When we were in Austria, I saw a knife shop and went in. I was drawn to the straight razors. Man they were neat! Ok...now picture this...I think its just mind blowing sometimes. That trip was in 1996. The Internet was in its infancy and I didn't have it yet. Heck, it was just a work that was thrown out and I though it was kind of geeky. I mean, a bunch of computers all connected together...what good would that do? Anyway....I say all that just to bring to light that "back then", the only way you saw a straight razor was either in person or in a catalog! You couldn't Google it and buy one online.

Ok....back to my story. Checking out the straight razors in Austria and I had to have one. I bought it and up until the 3 months ago as I mentioned, its been sitting in its box in my bathroom closet. I would occasionally look at it and marvel at its sharpness. Too afraid to actually use it..."are you crazy" as my dear old dad would say. He told me about the flap of skin I would be peeling off my face if I attempted to use it. I believed him.

Well, I took it out again and I was feeling more practical. I thought, why should I pay Gillette some $25 for Mach5 refills a couple times a year when I have a renewable razor sitting in my closet?! I joined straightrazorplace, posted and read and then watched some videos on Google about shaving with a straight razor. There are also videos on sharpening.

Now the rest is history. I'm so glad I finally had the nads to do this after over 10 years of buying it. Do I cut myself?.....on occasion, but only very slight and I did that with a Mach too.

Please enjoy the nostalgia associated with your straight razor, take your time and you'll have a pleasureful experience that maybe you'll pass on to your kids. Unlike our parents....
 
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