Straight Razor sharpening?

[Haitham Jaber]

Hello,

Don't know if I can write here. I'll try. If I'm wrong don't hesitate to correct me.
I have some experience with sharpening (some years ... not much ... but I'm not a novice)
I bought a straight razor (for me an unknown universe)
Brand: Thiers-Issard France
On the instructions they state that a hollow straight razor should be sharpened for
years on a strop before getting back to a stone. (they come razor sharp)
On this page of their website they say that the angle on a stone is different then on a strop:
https://www.thiers-issard.fr/en/razo...-aiguiser.html
But if I try just to lay down the blade on the stone, keeping in contact the shoulder(back) and the blade(front),
I see that the blade touches perfectly the stone. So why should I change the angle and raise it ever so slightly?

Ooh... This is a totally different world for me. Another learning curve.

Thx ^^

[Bill Dufour]

Get a rolls razor instead.
Bill D

[mike stenson]

There are straight razor enthusiasts out there, I've seen forums in the past. I would go looking for those. It's totally different than sharpening most woodworking tools, and being told to get something else is flat-out unhelpful.

Good luck.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

So why should I change the angle and raise it ever so slightly?

I found this on the web. the answer seems to be, you should not change the angle.
Take the straight razor and grip the end of the blade near the scales, between your thumb and index finger. Place the entire blade flat at the top of the stone (make sure spine and edge are both contacting the stone) and drag it toward you.
How to Hone Your Straight Razor?

[Mel Fulks]

Possible that some guys can keep a straight razor sharp for years by just using a strop , but I never saw it done on The Ed Sullivan TV
Show, so I’m skeptical. Razor hones are expensive because they work , so much better than grass clipper files. Lot of guys have shone up
on their job with some band -aids on their face.

[Allan Dozier]

I don't use a straight razor but my grandfather was a barber and as a child I watched him sharpen his razors and clippers. As opposed to what I saw on that video and what I typically do with knives, etc. is that my grandfather slid the blade linearly on the stone. Instead of the cutting edge leading the stroke. Of course all the barbers in his shop used the strop that was hooked to the chair to keep the edge straight until sharpening time again. On another note if you use a strop be sure to have the back of the razor (opposite the cutting edge) always lead the stroke. Typically when stropping, the back of the razor never left contact with the strop.

[Jerry Bruette]

If you lookup posts from a past member David Weaver you may get some insight. He seemed pretty knowledgeable on straight razors.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

We have an antique straight straight razor hidden away in a drawer. I do not like to touch it. The thought of having one near my face is terrifying. I can't see a straight razor without thinking about the barber shop scene in High Plains Drifter. Old school Barbers had to have been very serious about their work.

[Bill Dufour]

Reminds me of WC Fields as a barber with a razor.
Bill D.
https://clip.cafe/the-barber-shop-19...doing-in-here/

[Bill Dufour]

FYI: Rolls razor. Self sharpening razor. I like the knife grinder on my planer especially since the sharpener in town went out of business.
BilL D
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls_Razor

[Haitham Jaber]

I bought a couple of books on the subject.

Interesting thing about the straight razors (that I didn't know before) is that the blade (nowadays) is hollowed and the spine is in a proportion in width of 4:1 to the blade,
so that when you lay it flat on the hone you will get an approximate 15 to 18 degrees angle on the blade.
I think all the skill is in the amount of pressure and getting the spine always touching the hone otherwise you dull the edge.
The strop (with the hook) it's another skill to learn. I know just this thing: it should be hooked and not pulled strong but kept a bit loose so that when you
just lay and pull the blade on the leather, that subtle curve will polish and straighten the blade.

Thank you guys ^^

[John McCrea]

I've been using straight razors for the past 12 years — having used everything from old 1800s & 1900s blades I restored myself (it used to be my hobby) to new, Bokers made in Solingen.

The long answer — the length of time you get from the edge between the need to take it back to the stones depends on a lot of things: the metal used to make the blade, the coarseness of your beard hairs, how fast your beard grows (e.g. how often you shave), your own particular method of stropping (how much pressure, linen strop followed by leather ... or just leather, the type of leather, how much you tend to 'roll' the edge when you strop), the edge bevel (determined by the spine thickness and the grind of the blade (hollow, half-hollow, quarter-hollow, wedge), how keen and sharp of an edge your able to produce when you hone, etc. etc.

Because of all this, edge longevity will widely vary from person to person even with the same brand/model of razor.

For instance, I have a very course beard. Even with thick grind (quarter hollow), modern steels I still need to hone at least every 4-6 months.

But I also know of people who can go 1-2 years between sharpening.

The short answer — you won't know until you use it for a few weeks or months. The steel they use may help it hold an edge longer than other razors. But don't be at all surprised if you have to sharpen as often as every 4-6 months (due to all of the above). The more experienced you become the more time you'll get between sharpening sessions.

As for sharping...

- You'll want to finish at a higher grit of stone than is typical for chisels and planes. At least 8,000. Many guys like to go 10,000 or even 16,000.

- DO NOT try to raise or lift the spine when sharpening. Let it lay naturally on the stone. Then just apply very light pressure as you move across the stone.

- Even though it came razor sharp, it will probably feel better/smoother once you learn to put your own edge on it. (Like chisels and planes, modern straight razors come sharp out of the box ... but factory sharp, not user/owner sharp.)

You may want to visit this forum to chat with other straight razor users — www.badgerandblade.com

[Haitham Jaber]

Thank you john.

I see that Tiers-Issard guys use the normal split leather on a piece of wood wiht chromium oxide on it.
I would like to buy a hooked hanging strop instead and use it with some paste on it. What do you think?

If it's 12 years and you're still alive I will be more relaxed when puttin the blade on my throat

[John McCrea]

You're quite welcome, Haitham.

I never used chromium oxide, and instead preferred to use the combination of a linen strop followed by the leather stop. Not quite as effective as the paste, but cleaner ... because I too used a hanging strop and didn't want paste to get on the wall.

That said, I think I recall having heard that was only needed every fourth or fifth shave. And more frequent use than that might actually begin to wear down, or round over, the edge ... and require more frequent honing on the stones. I could be wrong that about that though, so be sure to do some research to find out for sure.

LOL, I was nervous my first time too. But by the time I got to the other cheek, I realized just how easy it is as long you pay attention and 'plow' rather than 'slice'. Remember, safety razors have only been around for about 100 years. For 1,000s of year before that, any many who shaved had to use a sharpened straight edge. If they all did it, you can too.

Enjoy the shaves!

[Haitham Jaber]

Thank you John McCrea

I will do it. I will. Just I have to ensure there's no nephew running around. If they push me in the
wrong moment I have to rely on my second left or right carotid

I was wrong. Strop is used bare. Some people use just some cream to revive the leather