Straight razor honing-What are the requirements?

Not so bad!

Just had my first straight razor shave (almost) and I'm not dead!

Took the "Agent" I was polishing and tried shaving with it and a Dovo Shavette.

I got the straight when my best friends Dad died, his mate was an alky Barber used to work on Mary St. Dungarvan. He'd nip across the road to the pub for a drink to steady the hand before shaves!

Anyway, the less good of two razors found me and I did what I know to do to knives. Being thinner, carbon steel and very hollow ground this blade took a great edge!

I am usd to my DE Merkur at this point, I have a good bit of razor burn now from the open blade. I shaved the right side of my face with the straight, tried the shavette for the left. Very uncomfortable with pulling and so I used the Straight to do both sides.

All was good until I hit the chin area, being I have a fat head I thought I could swivel the flesh and shave the smooth bits

I cut myself pretty well on the left corner of my mouth, the will to finish deserted me and I tidied up with the Merkur DE.

I am very surprised things went so well with a dodgy old razor I sharpened for a trial go. I could now see a time when I would shave with a straight if I had the time!

The shave was as good as any I get from Feathers, with the minor cuts and bleeding for inattention!

I think a few shave ready blades are calling me, so I can see the standard I need to meet. I don't think I can do a Murray Carter and only shave with machete's I've sharpened to see what is needed.

I will definitely shave more with my straight, and some economical ones I can pick up, so I can better know what's needed from a sharpening perspective.

I would hope that in time I can offer a sharpening service to Irish str8 edge lads, as I do to Irish Hunters and Kitchen Heroes.

I am not looking for a business, this is a hobby to me. I don't want to be paid. I just hope my other kit covers a lot of steps so this doesn't cost me a fortune! :rolleyes:

****e state!



Method Shaving stuff



Shavette and Razor



Ouchy!





Bleedin' Heck!

Cheers for that MadsL!

Can I ask what you use for honing? I know some people prefer Shapton or Naniwa stones over the Choseras.

My surgical black needs a lapping, and I forgot I have some King and Ice Bear waterstones (not been freehanding in a while). I have a translucent arkansas stone, and a big black chinese 12000 grit

I also have PSA backed mylar polishing films for the Edge Pro and glass blanks to mount them on and micromesh abrasives in 1500 to 12000 grits.

It looks like I may need to add a coticule or two :cool: They'd be usefeul for knives as well, and I like working on natural stones as well as synthetics and diamonds.

Have you tried any of the sub-micron sprays available like Cubic Boron Nitride or Chromium Oxide? All of my leather strops are bovine, has anyone tried horse or kangaroo strops.

I've also used worn polish tapes, surgical tapes and paper as strops, not had a go on balsa yet.

Thanks for the links, another reason to go OCD on edges! At least razors take up less space than my knife collection...:rolleyes:

If you want, send a razor my way that you've honed and I'll try my best to give you some decent feedback. I use a straight razor pretty much every day so hopefully I would be able to give you some feedback in regards to how smooth it is.

That would be fantastic! I only have one old straight atm. and it may be banjaxed? Not sure it's supposed to have that smile? The spine is curved also so it may have been made that way? I can give it a sharpen and pop it in the post to you or maybe get a test mule and do the same with that?

The feedback would be invaluable to me in learning what's needed for this application, I've no idea what level of sharp is needed here? Lads on a knife forum I use don't rate Dovo much? Would I be better getting older Sheffield steel ground in Germany? That may just be their national bias though

(A mule is a knife used for trying new stuff, Spyderco do a range of mule knives, all the same size and grind but different steels. It gives us knife knuts a chance to isolate just the steel as the difference in how knives perform.)

There are some differences between honing knives and razors from what I understand

Yea knives can have their own requirements and different grinds, but setting and refining a bevel should be pretty similar, as is the patience to work at each grit until the job is done!

Now the very important question, when can we expect to see you shaving with a knife?

I've played with shaving with a 1095 Izula but if I were going to shave with a knife I might try a very polished Mora flexi knife first! If it happens I will tape it and throw it up here. I know the lads who have used knives and cleavers to shave used very hard Japanese steel to do so. Kitchen knives that can survive five degree per side use in a kitchen are able to take a very refined edge.

I do have a paring knife made by Shinichi Watanabe carbon steel and chisel ground, with a hollow grind at the back of the blade...like a clam shell Japanese razor grind? I have some Gyuto (Cow Sword) size knives from Misono, Watanabe and Hattori. I'd be afraid of losing an ear though!

Holy grail is horse, particularly shell cordovan - horses ass.

I can understand for untreated strops that we are looking for the silicates naturally present to do the work for us. Since I generally use the leather as a substrate for holding abrasive I apply I'm not sure horse butt or shark skin are needed?

The lads on knife forums tell me that mule ass is the best of all, but having seen 200X pics of kangaroo leather I do like the consistency and lack of follicles shown there.

Generally I look for an edge I can shave with but is also sharp enough to pop my sideburns a 1/4 inch above the root and snick stray stupidly bushy eyebrows (feel like a real badass holding a blade over my eye!!)

Gangsta! Unless you slip and end up with an eyebrow scar like a member of Boyzone

I have sharpened knives to pop hair treetopping style, not much use in a hard use knife though :rolleyes: I have a Murray Carter that does this and it's a monster, Hitachi White Paper steel clad and forged by a Master Smith.

Thuringian

I've never heard of this? What grit would it equate to roughly? I know naturals vary a huge amount, does it get a slurry or cut more like an Arkansas stone?

I know my progression for knives can go from 80 grit up in less than double jumps, decent stones in 1000/2000/3000/5000/8000/10000 and 12000 as well as about eight strops with :

diamond in 3/1/.5 and .25 micron
starkie sharp compound on hard backed suede leather
Dovo Red and Black on Veg tanned leather
Green Chromium Oxide
White buffing compound (AlOx?)

and the mylar polishing films in 3000/7000 grits.

The Japanese and US grits aren't equivalent, but I use this table to roughly match the grits against each other.

http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/fbbuploads/1316340409-Grit_Table.png

I'm guessing that razor lads don't need me, but if anyone wants their kitchen knives sharpened I am happy to do that.
I use an Edge Pro and a 1" x 42" table belt grinder plus strops to do kitchen stuff.

A few knives I've done on Youtube...http://www.youtube.com/user/1972Musashi?feature=mhee

Thanks for the help and advice lads, hope I can return the favour at some point!

Must get some mule razors now!