Sharpening Straight Razors?

WadeF

WadeF

Joined
Apr 12, 2000
Messages
2,116
We need to get some more discussions going on in this handy forum!

I was wondering how my fellow straight razor shavers go about sharepning their razors? I have my own techniques, but sometimes I wonder if I could be doing anything to get better results. I have 4000 and 8000 grit water stones, strops, etc. I think the area where I feel I could use any improvement would be in the honing on the actual stone.

I've been using the artifical water stones from Leevalley. I know there are REAL Japanese water stones, and I also see many shavers talking about Norton stones. Has anyone experimented with different stones and found one type or brand out performs another?

I finish on my 8000 grit stone and then build up a slurry with the nugura (sp) stone for the last few strokes. Then I take the razor to a leather strop with 0.5 micron compound and strop, and then I may move to a strop with 0.25 micron diamond paste, and then finish on plain leather.

I have several hanging leather strops. I have the high quality Dovo strop, but not the wide version. However I find my Jemico Red Russian leather stop to be smoother than the Dovo strop and it seems to put a keener edge on my razors. However the Jemico strop seems to have a curve to it so that the razor doesn't make contact with the strop from edge to edge, it mainly hits in the middle of the strop. Anyone have a technique for flattening a strop?
 
Guess I need to browse this forum more often! :D

I have been using a combination of the Spyderco Ceramic extra fine stone for honing, and the finest sheet of sandpaper that Lee Valley sells. So far, that's been working well, as I have found that the ceramic by itself was a little too coarse, if you can believe that...

I don't know how to flatten a strop. I have a Jemico that I use with white paste, and it works well for me. You might try contacting one of the sheathmakers (Leatherman comes to mind), they could probably help you out there.

Sorry for the long time replying. After seeing that Costco wants $25 for 16 Mach 3 blades, I'm going to buy a companion for my Dovo and make the switch over. I have been using the Dovo on weekends only, but that's about to change!
 
I have used a straight razor exclusively for 4 or 5 years. I used it ocassionally for 5 years or so before that. For sharpening i have granddad's old razor stone and an arkansas translucent. I use granddad's once every 3-4 weeks. This seams to resore the bevel and fairly fast. once a week i use the translucent. This puts a fine edge on the razor. Before every shave i strop. The strop (rindleiter (sp?)) I leave plain with occasional strop dressing to restore the leather.

My razor is a Dovo 6/8 double duck. I use soap (need to find some more - links anybody?) and a badger brush.
 
I are a brazilian user of blades made for GILETTE.I have hundred old blades unuse and edgeless.Anyone have a method for restore the edge of inox steels security blades?Great ful for informations!
 
Daily stropping on an antique strop, probably about 10 strokes/side. I put Lee Valley's green crayon honing compound (chromium oxide based) on the rough strop, which I use about once/week for 5-10 strokes/side .... but use no compound at all on the one I use daily. When I first got the strop, I put some neets foot oil on the leather, to condition it.

Maybe once/month, I'll take a few swipes across an old ceramic razor hone, which was 5 bucks at an antique store. I trued it up against some 400 grit paper, on a sheet of glass. I use only the weight of the razor ... and about 4-6 strokes per side. Then on to stropping.
 
Since my jemico red russian leather strop wasn't completely flat I decided to give it a cleaning with a pumice stone and some shaving soap. I have read this is a good way to clean the strop. I have also heard it can damage the strop. I figured I wasn't happy with the strop anyway, so if I messed it up I'd just order a new one. So after cleaning it the leather was damp. These strops come with a lot of red residue so it was nice to clean some of the excess away. I then took a rolling pin and layed the strop on a flat surface and started rolling over it, back and forth. This seemed to help flatten it. Now when I strop the razor's edge makes much better contact across the surface of the strop. After cleaning and flattening I also rubbed in some strop conditioner to make sure it didn't dry out and crack from the cleaning.
 
WadeF, which water stones do you have? Are they the King brand? Those are outstanding stones! Ever since King got the waterstone thing going in NA, there have been a new brand of stones every year or so that are supposed to be better:

Bester, lobster, norton, shapton, and on it goes.

I have used them all, and owned most of them. The fact is that none of them do a better job than the King 8000. I mean there is a shapton 20 000, and presumably it is better, but no way you can freehand that stone. I spent some time at the importer's place (Harelson Stanley), and I can asure you they sharpen with jigs when they are going for a super fine finish. It's overkill for this purpose. You can jig a razor, but it is pretty awkward.

The 8000 edge is sublime. I once sharpened a plane to take a 4/10000" shaving with that very stone.

By the way, when I say none do a better job, yes, some might have a better combination of fast cutting and low wear, but not by much. And not to the extent that one should get new stones. I mean if you are worried about, say, wear, and keeping the stone flat, just flaten the stone more often until you use it up. It will cut faster and flater. The new stones can wait. But as far as edge is concerned, the 8000 King is pretty massive.
 
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