Sharpening a Straight Razor?

afishhunter

afishhunter

Gold Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2014
Messages
13,141
My patch knife (AKA: "Straight Razor") needs sharpened.

I recall maybe 60 or 63 years ago, my gramps said that when sharpening a straight razor, you put both the edge and spine on the stone to get the proper angle.
I found that difficult to believe back then, and still do today. "Logic" says the spine would be thinned every swipe every time you used a stone.
(Gramps also said that stropping would usually restore the edge, and it was rare to need to use a stone. That I can believe.)

Unfortunately, my patch knife (AKA: "Straight Razor") needs more than stropped.

So, my question i: What is the proper procedure to sharpen a straight razor, to keep the sub - 20 degree inclusive edge angle?

I'll be using an Arkansas Stone. I don't recall if it is "soft" or "hard". I think it is "hard".

Thank you in advance.
 
afish, I just now saw this... To sharpen my straight I do lay it flat on the stone. But prior I'll place 1-3 layers of black electric tape on the spine,
lapped over the spine corners. Test the edge w/ a felt marker to determine how many layers are needed to create the bevel angle you need.
A black Arkansas will give a good shaving edge, right off the stone. Then strop it to keep it tuned. Good luck, DM
 
Hi Afishhunter.

When sharpening a razor you do lay the spine and edge on the stone. This keeps your angle very shallow allowing for a super keen edge. This built in angle guide gets ground with the edge simultaneously to maintain the angle the razor was ground at. Like Mr. Martin said you can add tape to deal with the “hone wear”. Eventually though your edge would become too obtuse to shave well.

Alternatively if you grind too much of the spine down on a soft razor the angle will be to shallow to allow it to hold a shaving edge. This is where the addition of tape is NEEDED. Also you could use tape to put a small microbevel on the razor that technique works well too.

Freehanding it will prove difficult but I would keep it very shallow angle. Straight razors usually fall within 7-8dps but it’s irrelevant using the spine as the angle guide.

Usually more is needed then a soft Arkansas and stropping on compound.

Like DM said most razor guys that use arks do so with the surgical black or translucent. Reset the edge and polish the absolute crap out of it. You want it to be so fine running it on a finger nail could damage the edge.

Best of luck,

Scott
 
Sorry a little late on this one, as this corner is often quiet.

I hone all my razors flat with no tape. To each their own, and to each razor grind. As for microbeveling I've read of it being done, but if your hone surface is not perfect, its easy to catch the edge and take out a small chunk. Generally it takes a lot of use or some very aggressive honing before spine wear becomes a problem, though it can also occur due to slight twists or warps.

Another thing to consider is that the overall flatness of your hone will make a difference. flipping the hone end for end will mitigate it to a degree, but depends on what the wear pattern on the hone is from other uses. Not super important, but because the edge is so delicate, any variable that can be removed is generally advised.
 
Like said, to get the correct angle for shaving, it's supposed to be built in by laying the blade flat on the stone/strop.
Using a shave ready SR to cut patches will probably take the shaving edge away with the 1st cut, so does it really matter?

Curious why it's better using a SR to cut patches than a knife or scissors?

So far, my best SR shaves come off a hard black ark and bare leather strop.
Soft ark to set bevels.
 
jpm2 said:
Curious why it's better using a SR to cut patches than a knife or scissors?
Click to expand...
I think it would be a bit difficult to get the scissors to cut flush with the muzzle.

A straight razor is less expensive than a patch knife, (at least these days) and is also historically accurate, and period correct, should I ever attend another rendezvous.
The "mountain man" or trapper had a straight razor in his kit, from the beginning to the end of the fur trade era.
From what I've found in my research, they sure didn't use them for shaving.
True, no photographs exist from the period, but I've never heard of a "mountain man" or trapper that was clean shaven, except maybe when he got all gussied up for the rendezvous. (where the company bosses would also likely be.)
It is also true that some of the fur trade companies like the Hudson Bay Company wanted the company trappers and their free trappers to be clean shaven. Allegedly because "the natives do/did not trust a man hiding his face with a beard."
I've found no solid evidence that the men actually shaved once a week regularly, as the Hudson Bay company wanted them to when they were out in the field for perhaps up to a year at a time, and out of sight of the company bosses.

I'm not sure cutting a strip of linen soaked with bees wax, tallow, and whatever "secret ingredient" like whale oil or olive oil (not Brutus and Popeye's ho girlfriend) the individual may have used in their patch lube would dull a razor quickly.
Admittedly, I may be wrong about how quickly the razor would "dull".
 
Last edited:
Interesting info on the patch cutter/straight razor connection.

it’s hard to explain the difference in a shave ready sr edge vs a knife edge to cut linen.
I can assure you tho a good shaving razor will turn very unpleasant after cutting linen one time with it, unless the edge is restored on stone first, and then stropped.
 
I just grabbed my first SR (and now second as the first is crap) and this is priceless. Thanks for the banter gents. Please keep posting.
 
I'll never use this SR to shave with. I managed to give up that dirty, nasty, vile, expensive... shaving habit back in 1974. If I ever decide to take it up again (very unlikely) I'll get a double edge safety razor like I used back then, or maybe one of them new fangled cordless electric razors.

Anyway, this is probably a dum question, but I'll ask anyway.
When stropping a razor, do you use a dry strop, or put a green or red compound on the strop?
I've always used a dry strop on my knives.
 
I've got my best results using bare leather as the last thing that touches the razor before it touches my face.
But, the edge has to be set, and refined to a point that bare leather will make a difference, otherwise it's a waste of time.
 
Hi guys new here i see a lot for good info can some one send me a good storp place I had a knifesship free one but it narrows and hard. Is that ok should I just get a new one with the bark river green compound. Should I get a razor starp something. And where do you guys get your stones at I had a combo diamond stone from dmt but think its not good
 
afishhunter said:
A straight razor is less expensive than a patch knife, (at least these days) and is also historically accurate.
Click to expand...

I can't imagine where you go hunting for blades that a straight razor is cheaper than a patch knife.

afishhunter said:
The "mountain man" or trapper had a straight razor in his kit, from the beginning to the end of the fur trade era.
Click to expand...

Straight razors were relatively valuable items, especially in the late 18th to the mid 19th century. The image of a man with his basin shaving himself is pretty much historical fiction. Most men, if they needed to shave would have visited a barber. The upper crust of society may have owned razors but would have had their servant or butler shave them. The equipment to maintain a razor is a non trivial expense in the 1800's and would be out of reach for most men. Only in the very late 19th century would razors and the necessary accoutrements (strop, hone, pastes) become cheap enough for most men to invest.

Implausible that of all people, the mountain men would have owned and carried a straight, especially to use as a patch knife when you could just use a regular belt knife and save a lot of money.

If it is true that the Hudson Bay company wanted their trappers to be clean shaven, surely they would have advised their men against using their razors as patch knives since you will annihilate any edge and thus be unable to shave.

afishhunter said:
I'm not sure cutting a strip of linen soaked with bees wax, tallow, and whatever "secret ingredient" like whale oil or olive oil (not Brutus and Popeye's ho girlfriend) the individual may have used in their patch lube would dull a razor quickly.
Admittedly, I may be wrong about how quickly the razor would "dull".
Click to expand...

You will absolutely destroy the edge of a razor using it as a knife. Now due to it's sheer thinness it will continue to cut but the apex will be gone. A razor is for shaving, not for cutting fabric, buttering toast, cleaning finger nails. Shaving. It's geometry has been optimized over centuries for one specific task.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top