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Razor sharpening .

A shortish blog on sharpening straight razors. It will be short because I know little enough , though I have learned enough to be able to get the job done . Maybe I can return to this in future when I have more information but for the present it will be brief .

1 . If you want to learn to shave using a straight razor the most effective way is to buy a new razor from a dealer who is known for sharpening their razors before sending them out . Buy a strop at the same time , not a terribly expensive one , you can pay an awful lot of money for strops . Don't pay too much because you will likely cut it , if it's not too badly cut sanding it down will make it serviceable again.

Whilst learning to shave save up for two stones one about 7000 grit and one finishing stone 12/15000 grit . these stones will bring your razor back to shave ready when stropping no longer does the job .

A video on how to do this ,

https://youtu.be/cXVW_S6VaBw

2. If you really have no idea about sharpening at all then when your razor needs honing send it off to one of the guy's that will do it for a few bucks . Course you won't have a razor whilst it is gone , you could buy two of course use one and send the other .

3 If you can't sharpen a knife to a reasonable level then perhaps that is the place to start because a razor does need to be sharp a half sharp razor is dangerous .

4 Okay now we have got that out of the way I guess most of us can sharpen and already have some equipment . For a razor you need stones , the various fixed angle sort of things like the Edge Pro etc aren't a great help here . The reason for that is that a razor comes with the angles sorted for you , assuming that we have a good or new razor and not one that has been mangled or botched in some way . So stones needed 1000; 4000, 8000, and a finishing stone 12/15000 .This is a list that could and has been argued about on various forums for ever . If however you have something like this you are good to go. To use these the 1000 only needs to be used once normally when setting the bevel , basically establish a sharp edge with this stone then refine that edge with the other ones . So far so good then simply take your razor and lightly stroke the thing edge leading on the first stone then through the progression strop it for a while and prepare for a marvellous shave .

Well that is it in the proverbial nutshell, but and there are a lot of buts! .It is best to have a jewelers loupe because it is hard to see what you are doing on the edge without .

You need to develop a method of keeping the heel and the point in contact with the stone evenly so as to even out the wear on the razor. This comes down to feel and observation , the loupe again . Course you could buy a USB microscope they are fairly cheap and I have been meaning to buy one for a while . The fear of more information than I have the skill to deal with has so far put me off .

If you have the stones and the loupe or microscope all you really need is to haunt youtube for a while as there are enough video's on there . From my experience try to stick to one or two people as too much information coming from different angles can cause brain ache .Then like any other thing it is a matter of practice and observation .

I did not have all these different stones to start with . What I did have was three Japanese waterstones and a reasonably comprehensive selection of stones to go on the Edge Pro . I hoped to use the Edge Pro and was dismayed to find that it was not going to be a big help . So the stones I had were , well I am not certain there is a course medium and fine , I knew what they were when I bought them but had forgotten and the only writing on them was in Japanese . They were bought a long time ago and had not been used a lot due to not having a PC to learn from youtube ! After spending what for me was a lot on the Edge Pro I was reluctant to buy a whole bunch of stones at $100 each so had to look around for alternatives . I bought a Belgian Bllue stone for say $50 and a Finnish waterstone for a similar amount and to finish of an ILR at $30 . These together with my three japanese stones allow me to sharpen to a degree that at present I am satisfied with , though heaven knows they are a strange collection .

So I have as far as I can tell,

Japanese 600 grit

Japanese 1000 grit

Finnish 3000 grit *

Japanese 5000 grit

Belgian Blue 7000 grit *

Imperia la Rocca 12/15000 grit *

The ones with stars after are natural stones so the grit rating is arbitrary .

If you go online and look at youtube you will very quickly find that there are so many variations some people manage with one Belgian Coticule and vary the slurry to make the stone work as if different grit sizes . Some have a staggering array of stones which must be used in an approved manner ending with a 20000 stone that costs $500 . Then there are others who use a 4000/8000 double sided stone and maybe even one from China . After a while i decided it was best to try to get by on what I had .

I haven't mentioned J'nats yet and have no intention of doing so cos it makes my brain ache to even read about such things .

It all get's to sounding complicated at times but if you remember that you are just putting an edge on a piece of steel it brings you back to earth .

One last point when you have ground your razor against the stones you have the big question comes up "how do I know if it is sharp enough". You can see a bunch of different tests on video's but the one I like , bearing in mind that shaving is the only real test , is run the razor along a hairy part of you with the edge a 1/16 or so away from the skin . See how the hair reacts if it seems to almost leap off and sticks to the razor , my razors are all carbon steel so always have a degree of oil on , If that occurs you have reached the promised land and can lather up . Anything else and it is back to plan two .

I have read this back and can only apologise for making it sound complicated I have loved learning to sharpen my own razors. I am sure there is still a lot to learn and that is okay by me cos I am enjoying the learning . It really is satisfying to buy a razor cheaply from the Bay and sharpen it up for what is likely the first time in 50 , 60 years or more .

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In Memoriam Comment by D ale on October 19, 2019 at 17:15: John,

I would appreciate your input relative to fabricating a strop.

I have access of plenty of leather .. a fair quantity of 0.050" (1.27mm) thick & another fair quantity if what must be twice that thick, ~ 0.10" (2.54mm). I also have 3 different unknown micron ratings of paste ..but.. when used w/ a dremel & buffing wheel The white paste will place a high sheen on bolsters, blades, & such.

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My intended approach is to stretch an appropriate width of leather across a flat pc of a wooden 2" by 2" section. Probably, about 7~8" (178 ~ 203mm) in length. Note: finished 2 X 2's actually measure 1.75" (44.45mm) per side.

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I'd appreciate (based on your personal experience) any suggestions toward a better / easier / more effective approach.
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NOTE: I recently purchased a slipjoint w/ VG10 blade steel. I had to re-profile the edge & started w/ 120 grit to 20 deg per side & then progressed up to 1K grit. I wish to finish it up using a strop.

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!!! .. suggestions are welcome .. !!!

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DD

In Memoriam Comment by D ale on October 6, 2019 at 18:50: I too have a few rocks more than I'll likely ever use .. 'n sharpening fixtures .. 'n diamond coated plates .. 'n ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Comment by John Bamford on October 6, 2019 at 12:13: I could have and do cope without using all those stones. If I had avoided buying eBay razors, which of course have often had colourful pasts, some looking like they have been used for general building work. Others, mainly from Sheffield, seem to have been ground by the visually impaired. I don't seem to see the wonky grinds coming out of Solingen.
Well as I say if I had been buying new razors then something like the two stones below would have saved me a few pounds.

I imported thes from Japan at a very reasonable price. One is a 4000 and the other a particularly fine 8000 stone. Quite reasonably a lot of folks would like to finish on a higher grit stone and indeed I do have Naniwa 12000 or the currently missing ILR at possibly 15000. However, at the moment I can manage quite well finishing on an 8k and using a pasted strop. I made my own strops, or at least some of them as it is easy and economical also the old fashioned red and black abrasive paste by Dovo works well and is much cheaper than a lot of the modern alternatives.

The strop on the left is the one with the traditional pastes on and the other has the more modern diamond paste. The diamond can leave a rather harsh edge and I do like the Dove red and black. So with the above two Japanese Naniwa stones and following up with a few laps on the pasted strop I could have saved myself a lot of time and expense. But then it wouldn't have been so much fun learning to sharpen my own razors, I don't really need all those stones but then again I don't really need 9 shaving brushes either.

So if any future reader wishes to try their hand at straight razor shaving then get a sharp new razor and a leather strop to use before shaving, and a pasted strop, the red and black stuff is a good place to start. Eventually, your Razor will need a stone to touch up the edge. A good quality 8k stone allied to the pasted strop will be good. Then, of course, you could stick at that or do what most people do and get far more stuff than you will ever need, there is always more stuff out there to be needed. For instance.

This is a small loom strop once again with the more traditional red and black psates, I quite like it but would prefer a wider example. Then there are paddle strops, I made a couple but have not been happy with them so have relegated them to knife duty,

In line with my desperate desire to spend money, I have bought a ready-made paddle strop but will not be able to enclose a photo until next weekend as it has been hidden from me pending a birthday. I feel that this will be better than my amateur attempts.

Comment by John Bamford on October 6, 2019 at 11:25: I started this blog in September 2016 and as I am convinced that I have made a little progress in the succeeding three years I thought an update is called for.

First of all a disclaimer, I am competent now but not an expert by any means.

There are a bunch of different methods of achieving a shaveable straight razor and some people get very attached to one method so if my way of doing things causes anyone distress then I apologise. Though to be honest anyone who gets upset about such things should really consider what their priorities are after all this is only putting an edge on steel.

Anyway, I am now the proud and poor possessor of a whole bunch of sharpening gear for both knives and razors but I will only show the razor stuff on here. I really didn't need all this but of course, the problem these days is that there is so much information online and it is hard to sort the wheat from the chaff as they say. I guess in the past year or two I have managed to buy a bunch of chaff at times. Which is why I have such a bunch of stones and if anyone reads this with an intention to start sharpening razors then believe me you really don't need all this stuff.

So here is my rapidly filling up sharpening box.

Some of the contents are as follows, coarse sharpening stones mostly for use on eBay purchases,

Medium sharpening stones around 4000/7000,

Then there are the stones that I use last.

The last picture is minus one stone which is around 15000, if you believe the retailer and some people don't. I have only just realised that it is missing so will have to track it down soon.

Comment by John Bamford on October 5, 2019 at 14:22: It is really good Dale I think that it is impossible to work without it if you are buying eBay razors. There is a razor I bought a while ago and although I could get it sharp it was an unpleasant shave. When I checked it out under the scope the corrosion was like blue cheese going through the edge and impossible to see with 66-year-old eyes.

At the moment I am unable to use the microscope as we are having building work done and the house has been a building site for the past two months. We have saved for this work for years to make the house suitable for an old couple. It has been just a matter of choosing whether to remain here or move to a smaller house but inthe end we decided to stay and have the work done though it is a pain.

I think using a microscope for razors, I can't really see the need for knives, is essential if you buy older razors. I would like to be able to take photo's but don't know how to do so with an older microscope. It is hardly essential but would be interesting to show some of the flaws on these old, often Victorian, blades.

In Memoriam Comment by D ale on October 5, 2019 at 14:07: John,

How's the microscope working out for you ?

DD

Comment by John Bamford on March 27, 2019 at 14:02: Thanks, Dale, you are right it is empowering to be able to see and understand what you are doing.

In Memoriam Comment by D ale on March 27, 2019 at 13:42: KUDO's to you, John.

It must provide a feeling of personal triumph. Both for the "view" provided from the microscope & the ultimate understanding of the straight razor's issues.

Again .. Kudo's to you !!!
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DD

Comment by John Bamford on March 27, 2019 at 13:23: As I have recently bought a microscope, not an expensive thing but very good quality as proven by my good friend Dale, I thought some feedback would be in order.

I have never used a microscope before if I used one at school then I have forgotten about it but that's not really a surprise as it is 50 years since I finished there. It has taken a few practices to get used to using the microscope, I needed to get used to the way things seem to be back to front when looking through the lens. Just finding the edge of a razor is a challenge at first but with a couple of hours practice, I am managing just fine.

The lens is marked as 10x but is so much better than the two loupes that I have used up until now, the loupes are marked 30x but are fairly cheap items. As I am getting used to using the microscope I thought I would check out a razor that has proven rather troublesome so far. It is a "Hamburg Ring" from the early 20c and has some visible corrosion on the blade. It doesn't look too bad with the loupe, nothing visible on the edge, however, it is a different story with the microscope!

This razor would sharpen okay but was never very smooth to shave with and using the microscope it is easy to see why. The bevel to the edge looks like a crumpet or a really holey cheese, there is a lot of corrosion and pits and chips so much so that it's life as a functioning razor is finished I think. I could grind away at the edge for a while and hope to get to some solid steel but I think there would be very little left before I had finished, better to spend the time on a more promising project I think.

Good job I have bought a bunch of razors I guess.

Wonderful to be able to get such a detailed view of the edge though and also to be able to see in such detail exactly what I am achieving with each stone. Maybe not as useful for sharpening knives but then again as good quality older microscopes are available at a very reasonable cost on the bay it may be a useful addition.

In Memoriam Comment by D ale on March 15, 2019 at 17:11: If I uncover any more data I'll certainly let you know, John. I have found that Beck London made many different slight varying units that were manufacture specific, i.e. specific to the manufacturer's needs / requirements. Further, those data sheets which were not disseminated to the general public.
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It does appear that the Model # 3195 is specific to Beck London. The 33747 was the manufacturers serial number .. whoever that specific manufacturer may have been that contracted Beck London for their specific in-house requirements.
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Enjoy,

D ale