Hey y’all,I’m new to the forum..I’ve been using DE razors for awhile and I just recently went to a straight razor..It’s a sight unseen shave ready razor..It has been a great experience..But after a month it has started to tug..I was wondering if there is a way to touch up the edge back to shave ready with out all the stones..I have stones for knives but all the grits are too low for a straight..Would using a green compound maybe do it..Sorry for being so long winded..I’m gonna buy some stones at a higher grit soon..thanks
Straitrazor touch up
- Thread starter Green manalishi
- Start date
Welcome to the forum. If it is just starting to tug, then yes a thin veil of green compound on a flat piece of balsa wood or something similar would work just fine. I used to do that several times before bringing the stones out, though now I just stick to stones.
A naniwa SS 12k and an atoma 400 for lapping will be your best bet long term.
This topic can be useful for u.
- Thread starter
- #5
I appreciate it..It’s almost there as is..But just starting to pull around the chin,upper lip area..I will try to touch it up with a balsa strop with some compound until I can get the proper stones/material.thanks to all replies!
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
If it's just starting to tug a little, best to set yourself up with three balsa strops and diamond paste at 0.5u, 0.25u and 0.1u. Details are give here:
Total cost should be well under what you would pay for just one decent whetstone. If used as directed, you should never need a whetstone for that SR.
A Naniwa SS 12k is a great place to start - readily available, well understood and known by many. You will also want to get a good loupe and strop. This is a good loupe that requires an external light source (versus a loupe with a built-in LED):
And Tony Miller's "beginner" and "value" strops are a excellent choices for a first strop - do not buy an expensive first stop, as you will cut your first strop - it's just part of the initiation ritual:
Heirloom Razor Strop Co.
Making the finest razor strops for 14 years. Artisan quality materials and construction, innovative designs favored by straight razor shavers across the world.
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
Once the razor is already tugging, the balsa is not the tool to use. The pasted balsa strop is not for making a dull edge sharp. It is for making a sharp edge sharper, and keeping it that way. Once your razor is actually ready for rehoning, then hone it. Your best bet is lapping film. If you set up and use the right stuff and PROPERLY, it is great stuff. A lot of guys go in not realizing that the details are important. They think doing THIS will be okay, or not doing THAT will be okay, and they get mediocre results even after months of trying. Same with the balsa. If you think this paste or that paste will do the same job as diamond, or if you put too much, or don't wipe off the excess because even if you don't put too much, yeah actually you DID put too much, or you don't back up the balsa properly or you don't lap it properly, then you will never know how sharp a razor can be.
If you really want to know how to get a crazy sharp edge on the first or second attempt, read the following thread beginning to end, along with all the threads linked from it:
Newbie Honing Compendium | Badger & Blade
Do you HAVE to do it this way? Of course not. Only if you want your razor as sharp as a razor can get, and only if you want it that way this week and not next year.
If you really want to know how to get a crazy sharp edge on the first or second attempt, read the following thread beginning to end, along with all the threads linked from it:
Newbie Honing Compendium | Badger & Blade
Do you HAVE to do it this way? Of course not. Only if you want your razor as sharp as a razor can get, and only if you want it that way this week and not next year.
An experienced shaver might be able to keep an edge going for months with some touch-ups on a finishing stone / pasted strop / 1u lapping film but there's a decent chance a learner will find ways to damage the edge which require more serious work.
That means you'll need a full progression either of stones or lapping film and learn how to use them. Some people pick that up quickly. I didn't. It's been quite frustrating but I stuck at it and it's slowly starting to bear fruit.
The other alternative is to send it off to get re-honed. Once you get some practice stropping on leather, and pasted strops, you shouldn't need to do that very often. A light touch is all you need on very fine pastes, or on a leather strop.
That means you'll need a full progression either of stones or lapping film and learn how to use them. Some people pick that up quickly. I didn't. It's been quite frustrating but I stuck at it and it's slowly starting to bear fruit.
The other alternative is to send it off to get re-honed. Once you get some practice stropping on leather, and pasted strops, you shouldn't need to do that very often. A light touch is all you need on very fine pastes, or on a leather strop.
- Thread starter
- #10
Thanks for the replies..I’ve been sharpening knives for years..But the straight razor is a different animal..I knew better than to touch it with my lower grit stones..I am doing the necessary research and weighing my options..I used a little compound I had on one of my old knife strops and had a good shave last night..It wasn’t perfect but not bad(by my standards).I just need to get the proper materials together...I’m used to progressing through stones to compound and then to a strop with my pocket knives..So I will have to check out film and diamond paste because it is new to me...I’d like to check it out..So I think that’s where I’m gonna head next..
- Thread starter
- #12
Yeah I was really surprised to find that my “high grit”stones were too coarse...lol..The highest grit stone I have is 4000k.I really never used it much...
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
I assume that "4000k" is a typo. I finish my bevel setting on 4k and the progress through finer to polish my bevels/edges up to 200k.
Yes, SR honing is a completely different animal compared to knife sharpening.
- Thread starter
- #14
Yeah I meant 4K..I ordered some stuff today..All I have as of now is my spyderco ceramics and a Norton 4K..As well as my strops and compounds..I ordered some 3m film...I am gonna try those out.
Spyderco UF can put a decent edge on a razor if you own one.
- Thread starter
- #16
I’ve heard before....I have the spyderco medium,and the fine.My lapping film will arrive tomorrow so I’m gonna give that a try..I can get my razor to tree top hair...So it’s close..Almost there
Nothing wrong with both hiring a pro and also doing your own touch ups.
Eventually you'll ding the edge on something and then it has to be brought up from the beginning, which involves a whole progression of stones. Sending it to a pro for twenty bucks will fix all that, and also you'll have a benchmark for a good edge.
For doing your own touch ups, you'll notice a lot of people here are praising the Naniwa 12k. So do I. Get the thick 20mm one, not the thin 10mm one.
Since you sharpen your knifes, you may already have a lapping plate for your stones.
If not, you can buy an Atoma diamond plate, 400 or 1200. If you want to save money, just put a sheet of wet dry sandpaper 400 grit, on your kitchen stone counter, hold it in place with your fingers, and lap diagonally until the pencil marks are gone.
Eventually you'll ding the edge on something and then it has to be brought up from the beginning, which involves a whole progression of stones. Sending it to a pro for twenty bucks will fix all that, and also you'll have a benchmark for a good edge.
For doing your own touch ups, you'll notice a lot of people here are praising the Naniwa 12k. So do I. Get the thick 20mm one, not the thin 10mm one.
Since you sharpen your knifes, you may already have a lapping plate for your stones.
If not, you can buy an Atoma diamond plate, 400 or 1200. If you want to save money, just put a sheet of wet dry sandpaper 400 grit, on your kitchen stone counter, hold it in place with your fingers, and lap diagonally until the pencil marks are gone.
@kohalajohn, "Sending it to a pro for twenty bucks will fix all that, and also you'll have a benchmark for a good edge."
I totally agree. You need to establish a proper goal and to do that you need the benchmark of a true shave ready edge. I am, getting there with my honing and whenever I finish, or if feel that I'm done, I compare with that professionally sharpened edge. And after making that comparison, sometimes I realize I am not done yet.
I totally agree. You need to establish a proper goal and to do that you need the benchmark of a true shave ready edge. I am, getting there with my honing and whenever I finish, or if feel that I'm done, I compare with that professionally sharpened edge. And after making that comparison, sometimes I realize I am not done yet.
- Thread starter
- #20
Thanks for all the advice..I got the lapping film in...I went from the yellow film on up to the white,then added the moist paper under the white.I then stropped the edge and it tree tops hairs half way up the hair..I had the best SR shave so far last night..So I’m on the right track..Next thing I’m gonna try is the diamond paste...I totally agree that sending off the razor to get a good benchmark edge to follow couldn’t hurt..I appreciate the member here(slash McCoy) who posted the YouTube videos as they helped a lot with the procedures...
