Straight Razor Honing and Shaving Technique

S

sodak

Joined
Mar 26, 2004
Messages
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I have a DOVO Bismarck that I've had trouble getting sharp, so I did a little investigation, and thought you all might be interested in what I found.

I had somehow accidentally put a secondary bevel on the edge. The only way that I could think of was that sometimes when I'm honing the razor, I accidentally let the handle end drop a little as I'm drawing it across the hone. This causes the tip to raise off the hone, and ends up putting some extreme pressure on the edge, as it is hitting the edge of the hone rather than spreading the force out over the face of the stone. That's my guess, anyway. I had to use my Radioshack 60x hand microscope to see this. If you don't have one of these, they were about $15 at Radio Shack a few years ago. Great device!

To repair the damage, I decided to try using a Spyderco fine ceramic stone, then switching to the ultra fine for final honing. I used the Sharpie method. Note - always mark with a sharpie as if stropping. Even a dull razor will take the tip right off. Anyway, I found that if I use my free hand index finger behind the razor (touching the stone), it steadies the whole process enough that I don't lift the tip. I'm not pushing down, just holding my finger on the stone and on the spine of the razor at the same time. Much steadier (for me) than one handed.

It took a grand total of 5 strokes per side on the fine ceramic to completely reprofile the razor. I was surprised, this is some pretty thin metal. Then I gave it 10 strokes per side on the ultra fine, and it is now shaving properly. I have some very fine Lee Valley sheets, don't remember the grit size, but I'm thinking 0.25 micron. Did 10 strokes per side, and now it shaves sublimely. And I haven't even stropped it yet. :eek:

Anyway, if you find that honing isn't doing the job for you, you might want to look closely at your edge and adjust your technique. This has made all the difference for me.

Does anyone know of a good mirror that you can hang on a wall, like the old "vanity" mirrors? Part of the problem that I have is trying to see what I'm doing while leaning over a sink. After a while, it's hard to be steady when my old back starts talking to me...
 
For a Vanity shaving mirror try Marvy ( the barber pole makers in St. Paul, Minnesota on St. Clair Ave), $50 with a 5X magnification on one side.
6" mirror size. Mounts on the wall, swivels and extends out. Very well made.

Your honing idea is basically correct. Keep the blade flat on the hone with an even distribution of pressure. Use about 1-2 lbs of pressure to correct an edge and after that drop down to very little pressure. Finish with the weight of the blade only. I believe the Lee Valley green sheets were 0.5 micron chrome oxide.

A good forum dedicated to str8's is www.straightrazorplace.com
 
Just wondering whether anyone had used the Spyderco Ultra-Fine ceramic stone for honing their straight razors. Is it fine enough (followed by a good stropping, of course)?
 
You really need to get a good stone hone that is 100% dedicated to honing your razors. i.e. NO KNIVES! Dovo stainless razors are tricky to get honed-up or keen. I would suggest the Norton 4000/8000 hone. You can find them at straightrazor.com. A good thorough honing on a good stone like this will correct your bevel problems. The Norton 4000/8000 is the gold standard hone used by professionals that hone razors for a living. It is also reasonably priced and will last a lifetime. Their is some argument about then going to a 10,000 grit and even 12,000. From my experience they are not needed. A good linen/leather stop compensates for these fine grits.

I would start out with 30 licks each side on the 4000. Make sure the blade is entirely flat on the stone. Imagine you are slicing a 1-atom thin slice on the stone. The technique is called "push/pull". You are pushing the blade away from you and , at the same time, pulling the blade to your right to make sure the whole cutting edge is evenly honed. Then 20,15,10,5,2,1 each on the 4000. Alternate each side as you go. The key is putting no pressure and evenness on the blade strokes (edge leading) making sure you cover the whole blade each stroke. Also key is that your hone is 100% flat. Occasionally you will need to sand it. (Get an old mirror and apply 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper that has been wetted and sand each side in a figure-8 fashion. then do the same with a finer grit (800 is fine))

Then do the same on the 8000 side as above. At this point you are ready to use your strop. This time the edge is following. You can tell if your technique is right by the sound of the blade as you stop it. It will sort of sing. If you apply too much pressure you can ruin the honning that you just did. Make sure the blade is 100% flat on the strop and you have pulled the strop tight so that it is not curved. I would do 40 strokes each side (alternating) making your last 5 strokes extremely light.

The best way to test your blade now is to get a long hair. Let it point out from your thumb and forefinger. And slowly pass the blade over the hair appx. 1/4 inches from your thumb and forefinger. If the hair cuts your blade is keen. If it merely bends out of the way then you have to go back to honing. Make sure the same keeness is present along the entire cutting surface. If it is not you will have to rehone and check your technique.

If the blade is still not hair-popping keen then I would suggest re-honing as above but alternating between the 4000 and 8000 on each x-times set.

If done right you will only have to strop 10 licks or so before each shave and not have to re-hone until 3-6 months later. Hi carbon razors are easier to bring keen than stainless ones but they will not hold their edge as long. Stainless ones are great once you get them keen. They are never keen out of the box. The best hi-carbon razors are Theirs-Issard. Nothing comes close to their "silver steel" blades. No problem with hi-carbon as long as you dry it with a hair dryer after use and store in a dry place.

A properly honed razor will pop-cut the hair during the hair test. When you shave with it you will notice that 1 pass is all you need and you will never have ingrown hairs or razor burn rash. Like on the strop the blade will make a 'singing' sound as you make a pass letting you know it is shaving keen. A scraping sound indicates that it is starting to get unkeen.

Honing a razor is an entirely different game than sharpening a knife. Microscopically, when a razor is resting between shaves the keen end sort of curls. The stroping straightens those 'curved teeth' for your next shave. It is also good to strop on linen to 'heat up' the blade before stroping on the leather. This prevents the 'curved teeth' from breaking when you strop on the leather.

I hope this helps.
 
I sharpened mine on the Spyderco Ultra Fine ceramic and stropped it, and it passed the hanging hair test, and gave me a helluva shave, so I guess it's fine enough. I do need to make me a hanging strop, rather than the block-mounted one I use for my knives, though. I don't really see why you need all the expensive equipment and a dedicated razor stone. I clean my UF ceramic every time I use it with Bon Ami or Ajax cleanser, so I don't see the problem with having one stone for multiple uses. Maybe I'm missing something.
 
The concern comes from accidently gouging or nicking a stone with a larger knife. This will really mess up a razor. I haven't done it, but I have messed up a strop, now I have 2, one for only straight razors. I'm not sure if the UF stone is hard enough where this would not be a concern.
 
There's no knife I own which would gouge the UF stone. If there is, I don't want anything to do with it :D. I believe the UF stone is rated around 12,000 grit, and it's ceramic, which I don't think even Excalibur will cut or gouge. I will be making a separate, hanging strop, though. When I see lists which demand certain equipment or gewgaws, I think to how my grandfather or great-grandfather would've done it, and most of the time, I realize all this extraneous crap isn't absolutely necessary (although sometimes it does make the job easier). They didn't have a $90 razor hone...they probably just stropped or used a hard Arkansas stone. Of course, back then, a top-of-the-line strop was probably only $5, too. These companies that charge you $50 for a strop are totally ripping you off. You can buy a side of leather for $125 and make dozens of your own. The stropping paste may be a good idea, but I get by just fine on a homemade strop using 10oz. leather and jewelers' rouge.
 
I have used the Spyderco hones on straight razors. They are not my favorite hone's by a long shot but they will do an acceptable job on a straight razor. What it really amounts to is that each of us responds to a blade just a little bit differently.
Any given blade will be to dull, to sharp or just right for different people. It depends on your skin, the density, thickness and toughness of your beard and your shaving prep.

I doubt that the Spyderco UF is 12000 grit, more like 8000. I am comparing it to The Norton 8000 stone, the Chinese 12000 natural waterstone available from Woodcraft.com, Belgian coticules and various classic barber hones that I have used.

You would find that buy putting some 0.5 micron chrome oxide on a pasted paddle strop and performing 100 laps on it that your razor will shave you smoother.

The hanging hair test is actually performed by taking a hair from your head and holding it root end out about 1 inch, with the curve of the hair pointing down. Hold the razor "STATIONARY!", with the blade up,do not move the razor, then slowly bring the hair down over the edge of the razor. When the razor is really keen the hair will "jump" of the edge . If you feel it "tug" then you need a bit more work. I hone razor"s for other people and this is what I do.
 
Thanks for all the great advice everyone, especially randydance062449. I will try the compound, I have a whole bottle from Hand American that should last a lifetime. I will look up Marvy, they sound like just the ticket!
 
I got an antique ceramic razor hone off e-bay for $5. Trued it up by rubbing against some 600 grit wet/dry paper taped to a sheet of glass. Then just rubbing against the glass itself, with lots of water to flush stuff away.

The hone works like a dream; lay the razor flat against it - the bevel's automatically being set by the angle between the wider spine and the cutting edge. 5 strokes/side is plenty for me.

I hone very infrequently, stropping is enough. I have 2 strops - the everyday one has no stropping compound, just the leather. Once a week or so, I'll take 5-6 licks/side on another strop that's loaded with chromium dioxide honing compound (from Lee Valley). Since getting that compound, my need to go to the hone has been all but eliminated.

t.
 
Nicely covered.

I am new to straight razors and the honing technique is something I am yet to master.

I am waiting for my carborundum honing stone to arrive and my strop dressing as well is on the mail.

Out of the box a straight razor is sharp, but it is not passing the test in my opinion.

I did shave with it but it was not as satisfactory as I expected, hence, I signed up in this forum for learning the art of sharpening and honing.

I will try to post the result of my novice sharpening experience with a hair test video to see if I am doing it right.

Thank you for all this great and FREE! advice :D
 
Honing a straight razor takes some time to learn. As has been mentioned the razor is laid flat against the hone. The amount of pressure to use depends upon the edge of the razor. If it is either a new razor or and old Ebay special you need to create a new bevel. The bevel on the new razors is created at the factory.
It is slightly "off". They raise the spine off the spinning abrasive wheel just a little so as to avoid any wear on the shoulder of the spine.What I do is to put two layers of Scotch tape on the spine then go to the 4000 grit hone and create a new bevel of the proper angle. The amount of pressure I use is about 1-2 lbs but no more than that. I make sure that the pressure that I use is distributed evenly over the length of the blade. If you use an uuneven pressure then the width of the bevel will be wider where the most pressure is applied. I also use a cheap 30X handheld microscope to examine the edge and make sure there are no small nicks in the edge and that the amount of reflection off of the bevell is the same for the entire width of the bevel.
If you see two colors then the bevel has not yet reached the edge. if you see a brown/gold color on the very edge then you have overhoned the razor. This is called a "wire edge". to remove a wire edge you draw the razor thru a wooden matchstick 2-3 times. Once the bevel has been created using the 4000 grit stone then you can start honing on the fine hone. This is usually a 6000-8000 grit hone. The amount of pressure to use is very light. 1/2 lb or less and finishing with just the weight of the razor. At this point you need only one layer of Scotch tapeIf you are going to use a classic sized barber hone then you will need to use the X pattern. Go over to www.straightrazorplace.com and look in the help archives section under honing and you will see a number of gifs etc that demonstrate that stroke. I doubt that the Carborundum hone will be fine enough. Those are usually classed as a medium grit (4000-5000) or as a coarse grit (1000-2000) hone.

For a fine hone talk to Tilly at redtrader99@fastmail.fm. She also sells on Ebay under the seller name of redtrader99. Tell her what you are looking for.

Hope this helps and feel free to call me if you wish
phone 651-776-0699

Randy Tuttle



huhenio said:
Nicely covered.

I am new to straight razors and the honing technique is something I am yet to master.

I am waiting for my carborundum honing stone to arrive and my strop dressing as well is on the mail.

Out of the box a straight razor is sharp, but it is not passing the test in my opinion.

I did shave with it but it was not as satisfactory as I expected, hence, I signed up in this forum for learning the art of sharpening and honing.

I will try to post the result of my novice sharpening experience with a hair test video to see if I am doing it right.

Thank you for all this great and FREE! advice :D
Click to expand...
 
Thank you Randy for your response.

I gave the blade another go against my face. My hairs grow at weird angles, so smoothness was not the issue but shaving ALMOST against the grain did the trick.

Still ... I know that honing on stone will be necessary pretty soon.

Second go at shaving with blade quite more successful, yet not as satisfactory, and I guess that practice indeed will make perfect.

:)
 
Your best friend is hot water applied to your face. Those whiskers MUST! be saturated with water. Also be sure to stretch your skin while shaving.

Randy Tuttle


huhenio said:
Thank you Randy for your response.

I gave the blade another go against my face. My hairs grow at weird angles, so smoothness was not the issue but shaving ALMOST against the grain did the trick.

Still ... I know that honing on stone will be necessary pretty soon.

Second go at shaving with blade quite more successful, yet not as satisfactory, and I guess that practice indeed will make perfect.

:)
Click to expand...
 
3rd time the charm. While taking my morning shower, I used a small towel to hold the hottest water possible against my face for at least 3 minutes.

Then I got out of the shower, got into my robe, and applied the -crappy- shaving gel on my face.

What I did different today - other than emphasizing adecuate moisture on the beard - is that I lost the fear of the blade. The blade now glides on my wet face and neck at any good ole angle I please. Easy first, wet all the time, and just glide that blade till the wiskers are gone. Yesterday's and today's results are similar, but it took me about HALF of the time.
Today is the first day that I can actually say: I AM SOLD> this is the only way to go = straight razor IS better.
3 days of a learning curve is not bad ...

Thank you for all your advice!
 
Huhenio,

Good for you! It's nice to see someone else who enjoys this, now you don't have to buy any more refills...
 
I guess that I came to conclude that:

Positives:

1- Sensor 3 blades do not shave as nicely as the cheapest of the straight razors (soon to be fixed)

2- Mr Gillette has made enough money with me

3- It takes me rougly the same time, but I cannot shave in the shower.

4- The 5 o'clock shadow is gone


Negatives:

1- Need of sharpening: honing and stropping are necessary, but I always liked to play with knives

2- Unlike my favourite knives, I cannot throw it to make it stick in a target

3- I must resist the compulsion of using the blade to cut thin slices of cheese ...must ... resist (I can find a decomissioned blade for that too)

4- My friends keep asking me to split hairs VERTICALLY - on their axis - so to test the sharpness of the blade ... morons.
 
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