A week without a straight

[Zamonium]

After yesterday's experience (the shave of 1,000 wtg weepers), I decided to switch back to DE for a little 1-week vacation, for one main reason:

I don't remember what shaving with sharp razor feels like.

This is a problem I've been having. I use feathers in my DE, and have never been able to stomach anything else as I get a lot of irritation and blood with anything but the sharpest blade. When I got my first straight from Larry, I thought at first that the blade was dull (Technique) but soon found it to be quite keen. Not long after that, though, I found it once again to be dull (Technique? Actual dullness? Bad stropping?) and thought I'd give honing a shot.

I got some films and went at it with terrible results. About a week later, I finally got the blade sufficiently sharp for shaving, but I don't think it's as sharp as it was to begin with. I've been doing all I can to keep it sharp (pasted balsa, etc.) but have been unable to keep an edge on it that is keen enough for me to enjoy my shave. Even three or four shaves after honing, XTG gets progressively more difficult, and ATG is out of the question (whereas two weeks into straight shaving, I was going ATG with hardly any trouble).

So I'll be going DE for a week to remind myself what a sharp blade feels like, and to remember how it is to enjoy shaving without struggle. Meanwhile, I'll be working on honing a straight or two to try to achieve an acceptable edge that will be more enjoyable next week.

Meanwhile, I would be thankful for any advice regarding keeping my razor sharp. I have a very tough beard, but I suspect that my shaving technique, honing, or stropping is suspect (or all three!). I'm going to start again, going back to the basics. Maybe I'll start a shave journal as well to keep better track of things.

I really am enjoying the process of learning to shave with a straight (despite the whining), but I need a breather. Thanks for letting me whine, and special thanks to anyone who has wisdom (or even just commiseration) to offer.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Whats your razor, hones and strop?

Stropping isn't hard but it's easy to slip up during. I'm sure there's some good closeup videos of stropping online. Emulate them. Don't try to go faster than you can, and never lift the spine or put rotational pressure on the razor (except when flipping it obviously). I would guess the most common mistake is people twisting to hold the edge of the razor down rather than simply holding the razor flat with slight perpendicular pressure to the strop. Doing so effectively bends the edge back and forth, causing it to break down quicker (metal fatigue), or even worse leaving you with an edge that is curved when you go to shave.

 

[Ackwired]

I'm a novice at this, but given your experience I am wondering if you have considered a Feather AC.

 

[dpmtherrien]

I'm a novice at this, but given your experience I am wondering if you have considered a Feather AC.

Based on what you've said this would be a great way to straight shave, and still have the sharpness of a Feather blade. The AC is a top of the line straight that IMHO will out perform any regular straight.

Its well worth looking into. If the price is holding you back than consider getting any of the Parker disposable blade straights and using a Feather DE blade in it.

 

[Slash McCoy]

If your shaving and stropping are in good form, the razor should NOT get dull after only 3 or 4 shaves, even if you don't use a pasted balsa post-shave. So, I suspect your stropping. Possibly you are letting the shoulder ride up on the strop. Maybe too much pressure, or not pulling the strop tight enough, or a severely cupped strop.

The most common reason for a newbie to fail to get a good edge when honing is that the bevel simply is not set. Each stage of honing must completely do its job before the next stage can do its part. And the initial bevel is by far the most important. If you have significantly rounded the edge, even though it was shave ready when you first got it, you need to set the bevel.

First diagnose your honing. Paint the bevel on both sides with a sharpie marker. Set up your film on your lapping plate. Give the razor one or two laps, and look at the bevel. The entire bevel should be clean of ink. Where ink remains, the blade obviously did not contact the honing surface. also check to see if there are any parts of the edge that seem sharp. Often the heel doesn't get honed properly but the toe does. This is usually caused by the shoulder riding up on the honing surface, elevating the heel.

Are you laying your lapping plate down on a workbench or table, or holding it loosely in your off hand? If you hold it loosely in your left hand so that it sort of floats in space, and hold the razor lightly in the right hand, they will find their own alignment. If you hone with the plate laying down on a fixed object, it is easy to apply unbalanced pressure and cause honing induced warp or to neglect part of the edge.

I will assume that you are honing with the edge leading, and using at least a slight x-stroke motion, and always keeping the spine on the honing surface, flipping the edge out when changing direction.

If your honing stroke is okay, then you are ready to learn the one absolute surefire method of ensuring that your bevel is indeed properly set. Hone just ONE side of the razor. Give it about 50 light strokes on the film. Your bevel setting film should be at least 12u. Even coarser like 15u is even better. Anyway, after the 50 or so strokes, feel the edge. As you pull your fingertip off the edge, you should feel a burr on the opposite side from the one you honed. You want this burr to be felt along the entire edge. If it is not there, or if it is not present along the entire edge, keep honing until you got it. Don't stop until you got it. DON'T. When you got it, hone the unhoned side the same number of strokes. You should now feel the burr on the new opposite side, the first side that you honed. It should be present along the entire edge. Got it? If not, keep going until you got it. When you got it, hone with normal alternating laps until the burr is GONE, COMPLETELY. Light pressure, remember! When it is completely gone, give it another 20 or so to be dead sure. Now your bevel is without any trace of doubt, SET. This should only need to be done once unless you damage the edge. This also works with rocks, so if you have a properly lapped 1k stone of sufficient size, you can use that. With the bevel set, the razor should certainly shave arm hair easily. Remember, a pocketknife honed on a 6oo grit diamond plate should do that, so it is perfectly reasonable to expect a razor honed on 1k or 12u to do the same.

Now run through your progression. On your 5u film, use light alternating laps, with a slight x-stroke even if your film piece is wide enough to take the entire blade. Be sure the shoulder of the razor is not riding up on it and elevating the heel. When the 5u has sufficiently polished the raw bevel, the edge should begin to feel like it is sticking slightly to the film. This effect is barely noticeable so be alert for it. You can expect this after maybe 50 laps. It is the result of the bevel being smoothed to the level of the 5u film, so that a vacuum forms between film and bevel. When you feel that, give it 20 more and move to the 3u stage.

Some honers will actually dull the edge SLIGHTLY by LIGHTLY passing it over a glass bottle. The trick is to make the edge just BARELY not shave arm hair quite as good as before. Now you hone on the 5u film until it once again cuts arm hair, but even better than before. This tells you that you have an entirely new edge, and that therefore the bevel is thorougly polished of all the scratches left by the coarse film. I don't use this technique but you may find it of value.

You should certainly have a good HHT1 after the 5u.

Anyway, the 3u must now remove the scratches left by the 5u film. Once again, hone until you feel the vacuum sticking the edge to the film. 50 laps might or might not do it, just to put it into perspective. Just remember, it isn't the number of laps. It is the keenness of the edge. After you feel the stickiness give it another 20 to be sure. The HHT test should show a considerable improvement. I would expect HHT2. Remember, though, the HHT test is very subjective. The actual HHT score will vary a lot just by the individual and the hair sample used. So go by your RELATIVE HHT results. The importan thing is to have a definite improvement at each stage. You should be able to shave, after a fashion, with a 3u edge. It is after all roughly equivelant to an 8k Norton stone.

The 1u is where things start to get magical. Again, hone till you feel the suction, then give it 20 more. You might also like to observe how the water ahead of the blade acts as the blade travels along the film. When the 1u has done its job, the water should ride up on top of the edge, not underneath at all, and not simply pushed ahead. Again, you should see an improvement on the HHT. And now the blade will shave quite a bit better. Rather well, actually. But we are not done yet.

Remove the 1u film. Apply a piece of damp copier paper. Make sure all bubbles and wrinkles are gone. Apply the 1u film right over the paper. Now give it about 50 to 100 of the lightest laps. For even better performance, use lather instead of water on the film and double the laps. Now you should get a good HHT4 and with practice, you might even approach the semi mythical HHT5 level. Your razor is now ready to strop and shave, and it should shave like nothing has ever shaved you before. But if you like, you can finish on a balsa strop pasted with CrOx or maybe .25u diamond paste. The film over paper does improve the keennness of the edge but it also smoothes and mellows the edge. The CrOx does the same, just a step finer. Another sharpness test I like to use is to pass the blade 1/4" over my forearm. If the edge is satisfactory, it should lop off a few hair ends on each stroke.

So start with your bevel. If your bevel is not satisfactory it will do you NO GOOD to progress to a finer film or stone. Get that bevel set and don't give up until you do. Each subsequent stage needs to be done with the same thoroughness and dedication. It will do you NO GOOD at any stage, to progress to the next finer grade before the current one is properly done. Now set that bevel and take no prisoners. You can DO this thing.

 

[Zamonium]

Thanks so much, Slash. Your post actually answered quite a few honing questions I had but didn't know how to articulate properly. Truly, thanks for taking the time and effort to put everything down so clearly for me. Just reading around on the forum, it's easy to miss a lot of these important facets of the intricate technique required to sharpen a blade to the keenness required to shave.

That was a nerdy sentence.

I think in a few days, after I've had time to cool off, I'm going to give it another shot with the films. I feel very encouraged. If that doesn't work out, maybe it's time to try out a parker or feather. Either way, I like the suggestions all around and I am feeling much better about this.

Thanks gents!

 

[SAPed]

Great post Slash. I'm getting ready to do my first film honing (also first honing of any kind) this weekend, and the post was very helpful. Thanks for taking the time to write it out.

Just noticed your location is New Orleans - hope you did OK during the storm.

 

[Slash McCoy]

I am working right now so not currently in new Orleans. But my neighbors took care of my boat which is my home, and I made out ok. Thanks for your concern.

 

[Giant Kiwi]

Great advice once again Slash.
Glad to hear you and your boat escaped serious damage.