Too sharp?

FrenchBlade

FrenchBlade

Messages
2,124
Location
South of France
Just wondering if anyone else has had a straight that's just too sharp? (or is there no such thing, and just me being stupid...)
I had a go with one of mine (let you guys guess which one), and it wasn't exactly a pretty result. (had to use the styptic!)
I feel the razor might have been a bit too sharp. (it did have a few laps on the crox, then on the normal strop beforehand)

Am I the only one?

Max
 
No, you´re not alone :D. An edge can be to sharp and a good honer knows this and try to get a sharp + smooth edge. But sometimes, when you get a newly honed blade it needs a couple of shaves (and stroppings) before it settles down. If it´s scary sharp you can do 100 laps on a strop and then try again.
 
Nope - you are certainly not the only one! The usual remedy is chrome-oxide like you have already tried, failing that re-finishing on a medium to medium-hard coticule.

I would try 10 to 15 laps on chrome oxide followed by 75 laps on leather and try again. Of course, very sharp razors need a slightly different approach: a very light touch and a more inclined angle often help.

As Mikael says, a couple of shaves and stroppings (some say that three is the optimal point) will get the blade as smooth as it is going to get.

Which razor was it, by the way? I'm no good at guessing games! It wasn't that kamisori with the thin blade that I honed for you, was it?

Regards,
Neil
 
Blades said:
I was always told.."a sharper blade is less harmful than a dull one"

B
Click to expand...

So was I, but that was in regard to tools and knives where you risk getting hurt by using too much pressure on a dull blade to get the job done. Can't see that a dull razor could hurt you - unless it had a spike point and you poked it in your eye, for example (that's a joke, btw!).

Regards,
Neil
 
I ran into this in a big way when I started honing. At that time, I had the use of a Spyderco UF ceramic stone which produces very impressively "sharp" edges which are pure hell to shave with. My feeling now is that perceived sharpness has a lot to do with the scratch pattern left by the abrasive particles, and how deep those scratches are.

The Spyderco has very hard particles embedded in an almost equally hard matrix, and leaves deep striations which are just great for catching hairs, hence the very gratifying HHT results I got from the start. Charnleys are also known for very sharp edges, and the cutting action and resulting finish appear similar from the pictures I've seen, but on a smaller scale because the grit is generally finer.

Conversely, a coticule is composed of garnets in a soft friable matrix: the garnets break down easily and any pressure seems to promote slurry formation on my example. The result is a marginally rounded edge with very fine scratches, less obviously sharp but very pleasantly smooth on the face. I find it far more difficult to get decent HHT passes with a coticule, but that doesn't mean that the shave is any worse, just different. I'm as happy with a thuringian as anything else for my own purposes now, it seems a good compromise.

What to do with a too aggressive razor then? I think Mikael and Neil have it right - strop it to buggery and see what happens. Anyway Max, which razor was it then?
 
Neil Miller said:
Which razor was it, by the way? I'm no good at guessing games! It wasn't that kamisori with the thin blade that I honed for you, was it?
Click to expand...
No it was the Helje MK No. 8 you did a while back, the one I got off swebay via Mikael, it wasn't as sharp as I wanted, so I stropped it on the CrOx, and now it's wicked sharp..
I'm sortof weary of using CrOx now... :?

I suppose it will die down a bit... before I do! :oops:

The Kamasori shaved quite nicely, but I had difficulty getting a good grip on it, will need to try that one again.

I do tend to find my swedish razors a lot sharper than my other ones, my impression, or ar they just better?

Max
 
I don't know about better, but I suspect that Swedish razors tend to have a harder temper than many. The Törnblom frameback I got from Mikael has got to be the most refractory razor I've come across when it comes to honing... mind you, I don't suppose it'll need doing again for a long long time.
 
Max - you have 'maxed-out' the edge on the chrome-oxide! It gets over-attenuated. The razor needs to visit the hone again to really get it back to what it was. I only use chrome-oxide once every 4 - 6 weeks, myself.

As regards the Swedish razors, I think that the answer is in the ore - it produces some of the purest steel around. There is a good reason why Sheffield imported vast amounts of swedish ore, why a certain german manufacturer bought mining rights in Sweden, why decent japanese blades are made of swedish steel, etc, etc, etc.

Regards,
Neil

PS: a quick fix for that slippery kamisori is wrapping the handle in electricians self-amalgamating tape, not pretty, though! You could also get some of that rubber-dip stuff they sell in DIY stores so you put a rubber coating on pliers, etc - I guess you could slit and peel it off at a later date.
 
I have a couple of vintage TIs which were recently re-honed at the TI factory - scary sharp (heard they use large diamond wheels only for this?) But plenty of stropping tames them indeed. Michael in Brussels
 
(Apologies in advance; I have had some lunch-time mind lubrication)

When I was hunting for my ideal DE blade, I came to this same conclusion that at some point (which is presumably different for everybody) the "smoothness" becomes more important than the "sharpness" of the blade in order to get a comfortable shave. (The "s here refer to the fact that the definition and interpretation again vary from person to person.) I found a kind of range from say Derby/Astra through to Feather on which most people seem to settle somewhere along the scale. For me it was Personnas, which I'd class as somewhere nearer (but not close to) the Feather end of the scale.

Does the finish on DE blades have any analogue to straight razor hone finishes? If so, what finishing technique (stones/paste/strop/etc.) would you use to classify the various "big" brands of DE? I ask only because it might help people like myself who have already found the perfect DE blade in the past determine the best finishing effort to apply to straight honing.

Please try and include the example brands I've quote (Derby, Astra, Personna, Feather) and some other well-known and well-loved brands (eg. Gillette 7'oclock, Iridium Super, etc.) if you know them.

Thanks very much in advance to anyone who can enlighten me either way.

*hic*
 
After palm stropping the razor a few times & even inverted palm stropping, i.e. leading edge. (great for exfoliating, don't try this at home kids!) the razor has gone back to it's normal self :p

So all is well that end well!

Max
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom