Thread: Sharpening Help?

I own a straight razor that I shave with, and sharpen it with a leather and canvas strop. I have been told that the canvas is more for mild honing and the leather is for more precise sharpening.

Right now there are some very small imperfections/nicks (2 or 3) along the edge of my razor. Should I use the leather side, or the canvas side, to get rid of the nicks?

To remove nicks, you're going to need a hone. Depending on the size of the nicks, maybe a low grit one. I would highly recommend going to the "Member Services" in the classifieds here and finding someone to hone it for you... you will not be disappointed by the sharpness of their edges!

If you can see them with the naked eye, without magnification, they are probably bad enough that you should hone them out or send the razor to a pro if you're not experienced at honing. You can find someone in member services in the classifieds here.

I concur .

Originally Posted by Dermoplasm

I own a straight razor that I shave with, and sharpen it with a leather and canvas strop. I have been told that the canvas is more for mild honing and the leather is for more precise sharpening.

Right now there are some very small imperfections/nicks (2 or 3) along the edge of my razor. Should I use the leather side, or the canvas side, to get rid of the nicks?

Everyone has already given you good advise. As a side note though the strop is not really doing any sharpening just aligning the fine edge on the razor.
Anyone, Please correct me if i'm giving misinformation.

Thank you all very much! I think I will visit the Member Services.

Originally Posted by paco

Everyone has already given you good advise. As a side note though the strop is not really doing any sharpening just aligning the fine edge on the razor.
Anyone, Please correct me if i'm giving misinformation.

nope you are right, strop of any kind is indeed polishing/aligning the edge rather than really removing metal as in sharpening.

Originally Posted by paco

Everyone has already given you good advise. As a side note though the strop is not really doing any sharpening just aligning the fine edge on the razor.
Anyone, Please correct me if i'm giving misinformation.

we certainly can benefit from more understanding on what stropping does, but as first approximation the canvas is able to remove a bit of a steel, especially if it's used for a while, or even more if it's pasted with abrasive.
all my canvas strops have been turning gray some black with just few months of use. it removes micro oxidation on the edge which is a major contribution to dulling.

the leather is much less abrasive and it's effect is much less understood. it certainly helps realigning the edge, but most of the realignment already happens on canvas. i think it also provides the final polish and dressing of the edge which makes cutting much easier, even if there may not be any added sharpness. but this still needs to be confirmed by electron microscopy or something similar.