Sharpen a straight razor

N

neredsenvy

Joined
May 20, 2014
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I ordered a new straight razor from a Japanese seller on eBay the knife arrived yesterday along with the brush. The item was as described handle is steel+wood and the razor/blade is steel as well. The blade is a straight blade not the curved one I washed the blade and tried shaving but this thing just isn't cutting I tried every possible angle and pressure but nothing. I tried against and with the grain nothing : /

I even tried shaving some hair on the arm but it's just not cutting at all. However the blade does feel sharp to the touch when I press on it with my finger.

What I have in my disposal is a sharpening stone, sharpening file both for kitchen knifes and I have few straps of Japanese tooling leather some are regular some are vegetable treated and off course the old
military leather belt.

I tried 100 swaps on the tooling leather and the blade is just not as sharp to cut when you pull against the direction of hair growth even if I apply pretty decent pressure I don't want to hit it with a stone to ruin the blade. What are my options ?
 
Neredsenvy, bringing a razor to shave ready edge takes some practice and a bit of cash in stones to get the proper finish. You will not be able to make the edge shave ready with the things you have at your disposal. You can send the blade to a honemeister to have it sharpened properly and build a reference point on what a great edge is supposed to feel like. If you fill out your profile I may be able to recommend someone relatively close to you. Your other option is purchase some lapping film ($), synthetic stones ($$$) or natural finishing stones ($$$$$) and spend a few weeks practicing before you can shave with it.
 
carbonsteel928 said:
Neredsenvy, bringing a razor to shave ready edge takes some practice and a bit of cash in stones to get the proper finish. You will not be able to make the edge shave ready with the things you have at your disposal. You can send the blade to a honemeister to have it sharpened properly and build a reference point on what a great edge is supposed to feel like. If you fill out your profile I may be able to recommend someone relatively close to you. Your other option is purchase some lapping film ($), synthetic stones ($$$) or natural finishing stones ($$$$$) and spend a few weeks practicing before you can shave with it.
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Man this seems like a very expansive sport. 599$ for the Razor 89$ for the Brush xD 100$ for the Oils and Foam : )) almost a grand and it seems I still can shave it xD Well I had worse
purchases : ) I have no one locally that could sharpen this thing for me the blade feels pretty sharp but I'm guessing this need machine tuning or whatever : P I asked the local barber
but they use the double sided straight razor where you replace the blades.

One more thing for the trash : )
 
If you paid $599 for the razor and that thing didn't come shave ready I would be sending it back immediately!

I bought a $99 Dovo from Straight Razor Designs and that has served me flawlessly for a year now. I give it 20 strops on the leather before and after every shave and she's good to go.
 
Maverick299 said:
If you paid $599 for the razor and that thing didn't come shave ready I would be sending it back immediately!

I bought a $99 Dovo from Straight Razor Designs and that has served me flawlessly for a year now. I give it 20 strops on the leather before and after every shave and she's good to go.
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I didn't want a steel blade and wooden handle I wanted a similar razor to what my grandfather had before it got lost. I got to try one once before and it felt pretty light not that heavy Pellec or Pelles something like that was the name of the manufacturer. This one was very close to what my grandfather had it's pretty heavy since both handle and blade are steel handle also has wood and some custom prest engraved into the blade but I never even looked/asked if it was shave ready I expected it to be was little worried since I didn't order the strap but still.

It feels pretty sharp to the touch if it swipe it as an angle on say wood, plastic or rubber it peels it of with ease. On the bright side I found a workshop that sharpens blades and whatnot for restaurants will call there tomorrow see if they can help me out.
 
^^ I would be extremely weary of giving a straight razor to a sharpener that doesnt specialize in razors. Many sharpeners will take your business buit there is a difference between cutting sharp and shaving sharp. Find a honemeister....especially if you spend that much on the razor. If you take it to a regular sharpener of knives and tools set your expectations low enough to walk over the bar....I have been straight razor shaving for 5+ years now and my honing skills are still marginal at best. When i need a new edge I seek out a pro....its worth the extra time & money
 
Rival1314 said:
^^ I would be extremely weary of giving a straight razor to a sharpener that doesnt specialize in razors. Many sharpeners will take your business buit there is a difference between cutting sharp and shaving sharp. Find a honemeister....especially if you spend that much on the razor. If you take it to a regular sharpener of knives and tools set your expectations low enough to walk over the bar....I have been straight razor shaving for 5+ years now and my honing skills are still marginal at best. When i need a new edge I seek out a pro....its worth the extra time & money
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Seems my problem is being in Central EU. I look for one in UK/US I find tons of them Slovenia ... It's like no one ever heard of a straight razor, can't even buy the damn thing here. Postage to US comes about 160$ both ways but If I need to do often then there really is no point better joust I was hoping I could use something around me. I'll keep this one as eye candy and I'll go order one for use let's hope this time I find a proper place to buy one from.
 
neredsenvy said:
Man this seems like a very expansive sport. 599$ for the Razor 89$ for the Brush xD 100$ for the Oils and Foam : )) almost a grand and it seems I still can shave it xD Well I had worse
purchases : ) I have no one locally that could sharpen this thing for me the blade feels pretty sharp but I'm guessing this need machine tuning or whatever : P I asked the local barber
but they use the double sided straight razor where you replace the blades.

One more thing for the trash : )
Click to expand...

You paid a bit much, you could have gotten a custom for the amount you've paid. Maverick is right too, I'd send it back if it came in and wasn't shave ready. Also, like Rival said, DO NOT let anyone who does not specialize in razors touch your blade. I've seen dozens of blades fall victim to people who have no idea of what they are doing.

Check out www.badgerandblade.com and www.straightrazorplace.com for a honemeister near you. I know of a few but they are in Italy and the UK.
 
carbonsteel928 said:
You paid a bit much, you could have gotten a custom for the amount you've paid. Maverick is right too, I'd send it back if it came in and wasn't shave ready. Also, like Rival said, DO NOT let anyone who does not specialize in razors touch your blade. I've seen dozens of blades fall victim to people who have no idea of what they are doing.

Check out www.badgerandblade.com and www.straightrazorplace.com for a honemeister near you. I know of a few but they are in Italy and the UK.
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So is this an annual thing or joust one time thing and then it's joust on to using some leather ? 160$ for postage then some 40-70$ for sharpening, comes out pretty expansive in the long run.
 
Those are some very steep prices on the postage and honing. I shave daily with my straight (head and face) and only hit the finishing stones every 6 to 8 months with Chromium strop and plain leather in between to keep the edge cutting well.
 
carbonsteel928 said:
Those are some very steep prices on the postage and honing. I shave daily with my straight (head and face) and only hit the finishing stones every 6 to 8 months with Chromium strop and plain leather in between to keep the edge cutting well.
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I'm guess it would not be a problem if it's a once a year thing. I shave once per two weeks so I'm guessing it would last longer than 6-8 months ? I really like this one so I'll keep it as eye candy and I'll go look for a cheaper one something in 80-150$ range.
 
check out the sites I posted. They have a classifieds section with great SHAVE READY blades at great prices.
 
There are a few members of straightrazorplace.com who are in central europe, you will probably be able to get help from them. They will also be able to help you select good stones to use to hone your razor. Do not allow someone who only sharpens knives to sharpen your razor. They will ruin it.

Razor sharpness is very different from knife sharpness, you get an edge so fine that even cutting paper can damage it. So while your razor may be sharp compared to a knife, it is not ready for shaving.
 
How is that helpful? the guy lives in a place where not too many people are willing to ship, and he could very well have a very nice blade, just not a sharp one.
 
I would implore you not to just send it to a "knife sharpener". As many have suggested, find a honemeister in Europe and send it to them. For the price you paid, have it done right. As for the price, I have NO idea if you over paid. It's irrelevant now, you have it. Maybe you didn't, which would be all the more reason to have it done right.

I can make a knife edge shine. I mean literally mirror edge. I understand that a true honemeister is different. The edge angles are very acute, and the level of polish and sharpness is insane. I would certainly have it done up proper and use her regularly. :)
 
neredsenvy said:
Seems my problem is being in Central EU. I look for one in UK/US I find tons of them Slovenia ... It's like no one ever heard of a straight razor, can't even buy the damn thing here. Postage to US comes about 160$ both ways but If I need to do often then there really is no point better joust I was hoping I could use something around me. I'll keep this one as eye candy and I'll go order one for use let's hope this time I find a proper place to buy one from.
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you can get your razor honed by Maksim from JNS (http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/)
Don't worry about razor prices, if you had the funds to afford go for it. Only hope you bought a NOS Tanifuji or something with tamahagane. I have had a $1500 Iwasaki western in my rotation and have no regrets in owning it, I have another one now and do not plan to part with it.
 
I would also recommend doing some internet research. With a couple of water stones and a good strop, you can become very proficient at sharpening also, and once you get used to it, it's actually a lot easier than sharpening a knife.
 
sodak said:
I would also recommend doing some internet research. With a couple of water stones and a good strop, you can become very proficient at sharpening also, and once you get used to it, it's actually a lot easier than sharpening a knife.
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Not always, some people can't develop the motor skills to hone a razor.
Couple of stones will not work for honing a razor. One needs 3 stones at the minimum if one wants to hone from scratch. 1k for bevel work, 5k for intermediate work and 10-12k for finishing work +stops. It is not easy to find the right stones for razor honing. There are many out there that work well but it is a matter of personal preference and also what steesl are honed that determines what stones will be optimal .Many times people use several lines of stones depending on the honing job. Unfortunately as simple as it to hone a razor, it is not so simple to get the right gear right away. There are several worked out systems that are very successful and leave less guess work when it comes to correct hone acquisition.
 
mainaman said:
Not always, some people can't develop the motor skills to hone a razor.
Couple of stones will not work for honing a razor. One needs 3 stones at the minimum if one wants to hone from scratch. 1k for bevel work, 5k for intermediate work and 10-12k for finishing work +stops. It is not easy to find the right stones for razor honing. There are many out there that work well but it is a matter of personal preference and also what steesl are honed that determines what stones will be optimal .Many times people use several lines of stones depending on the honing job. Unfortunately as simple as it to hone a razor, it is not so simple to get the right gear right away. There are several worked out systems that are very successful and leave less guess work when it comes to correct hone acquisition.
Click to expand...
Hence the need for a little research.

I use 2 stones and a strop, and have been shaving this way for almost 30 years. It's really not that hard. There is a lot of "mythology" (also called BS) around honing razors.

To the OP, do some reading, check out a variety of sites, google is your friend. I always wondered if my edges were good enough until I bought a couple of razors from the so-called "honemeisters", and they were not any sharper than mine. Don't be afraid to try, but do remember that it is very different from sharpening a knife. If you want more concrete suggestions, I'll be happy to give them. If you want to send your razors out to be sharpened, that's fine too. However, it's nice to be able to fix them yourself when you need to do that.
 
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