10,000 grit whetstone fine enough for straight razor?

S

Sir Housecat

Joined
May 18, 2013
Messages
146
I bought a $5 united cutlery straight razor
because I was curious about trying a straight razor.
As the name implies, I have a 3/10,000 grit
whetstone and I just cannot get a razor edge on it.
Is it just a shoddy heat treatment? It is made of
"surgical steel" which I assume means 440c stainless steel.

Is there any trick to getting a razor edge that I am missing?
 
There is a LOT of skill used in sharpening a true straight razor.

There are specific forums dedicated to this topic and months or reading material.

From the data that I have collected, a halfway decent straight razor starts at about $75 and goes up from there.
A decent one runs $100 easily, and I've seen some good antiques go for $750 and the owners thought that was a steal.

Depending on how good you are with sharpening, or in this case honing, I'd start by buying a Jewler's loupe and start examining your edges.
Also, lots of videos on how to sharpen a straight razor.
This is one of the departments where a picture is worth a thousand words.

That being said, and with all do respect, I'd put my money on that $5 paperweight from china that United Cutlery mailed you.
 
Thanks guys I have a strop already, and truthfully I am not
very good with putting a razor edge on any knife. I did not want
to admit that at first. On the other hand, I can put an unbelievable
edge on an axe, hatchet, or anything other than a knife.

I also assumed that a 5 dollar knife would not be good enough for
straight razor purposes. I did have a friend that told me about
a German company that makes good razors for around
$20 that come with a shaving edge. I forget the name though
and honestly, I don't have much interest in straight razors
anymore, especially after I discovered my d2 mini grip is
sharp enough to shave with. I could use a safety razor, but
it is more fun to use my benchmade.
 
the good news is that in some ways straights are asyer to hone then knives (the bevel is made by having the blade and spine flat on the hones )
tricks
light touch and not building up a wire edge liek you woudl on a knife
that 5 $ razor woudl only hurt you the 20 might be worth a shot cheapest way to get a ok straight is shop an antique store and clean it up (least you can mostly trust its ok steel and heat treat
 
I would suggest you use the razor you have as a "test mule". A decent razor could be found in the "vintage" circuit for $5-$100. I have a few razors that I got from antique fairs that are quite nice in terms of shaving after I ran them through the Edge Pro.

The most recent vintage razor (paid $10) for it was a Cranford. Unfortunately I do not have a completed restore picture of it. I do have some in progress pic though. After sharpening this on the Edge Pro, it shaved very nicely.

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I will try to get some pictures of this razor. After restoring and sharpening it, I gave this as a gift.

m-
 
I usually finish honing on 15,000 Japanese water stone. Then, strop on leather strop. Sometimes I'll use compounds even.
The key, though, is to set the bevel properly. Sometimes it'll take me hours to hone a straight.
I've been restoring straight razors for a while, and it seems that I learn the best by trial and error.
Try to spend a bit more time on the hones. Try to start from 1,000 or 4,000 grit to set the bevel, and go up from there for the polishing of the edge.

Here's a photo of a Wade & Butcher razor that I restored a while back. Needless to say, it is easily over 100 years old.
Enjoy!
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I'm one of those on-a-budget shavers who doesn't have a whole lot of time or money to invest in the art. I started poking around yard sales, antique shops, and flea markets for old straights and was surprised at the shear volume of what's out there. I know own 15 or so straight razors (not to mention at least 10 safety razors), a usable strop, badger brush with stand, soap, dish etc. for a total investment under $50. The catch is that 10 of them are out getting sharpened and fixed up which will significantly boost that number. If you start with one decent old razor, (check the exchange!), have someone hone for $10-$20 (depending on the condition of the blade), and ask around for where to buy the rest of your kit on the cheap, you could be straight-shaving with a respectable setup for less than the cost of a Mach 3 and a 10-blade refill pack. PM me and I'll send you a link to an excellent one-stop for beginners who don't want to break the bank.
:thumbup:
 
1k stone=sets an edge
800grit diamond plate=does the same thing but quicker with steel removal
I use a combination Coticule=sharpens and polishes at the same time
black electrical tape works well on the spine to prevent any future honewear
 
Not exactly...strop must be pulled tight but not too tight...has to have some "give" when pulling tight...blades edge must make contact with the leather or linen/canvas side..but Only the weight of the blade rests along the strop..too light of strokes can result in un even edge. ..too much pressure and you can lose the edge and a touchup will be needed again...either green crox or barbers hone or coticule with slurry stone or oil..
 
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