Thread: Beginner cannot get a sharp edge,

Its my first go with straight razors so i thought i would buy a complete kit, so i have everything i need. the kit was fairly pricy so i thought i would get good equipment, sadly the honing stone it came with was awful, it was so small i could barely even attempt to learn on it so straight away i had to replace the stone, i have a 1000/6000 king combination waterstone now. My first shave was an absolute disaster, my razor just wouldnt cut hairs without putting on lots of presssure (which i know is not necessary and hurt like hell) so i tried a few of the tests to check for sharpness, hanging hari test, no chance, the blade wont even cut the fine hairs on my inner forearm arm unless i really push. Even after about 100 or laps on the 1000# and about 80 on the 6000# the blade is no better, ive repeated several times and ive been at it for hours, is it possible its a crappy blade that came with the kit and wont get a good edge, i know im new to honing too but im following all the guides the bevel is even and looks smooth, this is the one ive got Cyril R Salter Straight Shaving Razor - Black Cut-Throat Razor

You have quite a few things going against you on this...

First off your new
Honing a Salter can be a effort in futility, they are not on our recommended razor list, but that is more because of the cost than the fact they are hard to hone.. Salter's can be made shave ready, BUT essentially you could have had a proved DOVO instead for the same money..

Anyway back to honing that puppy, second, you don't have the stones
They are notorious for a hard bevel set, then they have to be babied into the final edge....
You need a complete set of hones and you need the experience to use them to get a Salter to shave...

I would recommend two things, find another "Shave Ready" razor, and then send the Salter out to be honed... and then you can smile...

Originally Posted by captainmark

Its my first go with straight razors so i thought i would buy a complete kit, so i have everything i need. the kit was fairly pricy so i thought i would get good equipment, sadly the honing stone it came with was awful, it was so small i could barely even attempt to learn on it so straight away i had to replace the stone, i have a 1000/6000 king combination waterstone now. My first shave was an absolute disaster, my razor just wouldnt cut hairs without putting on lots of presssure (which i know is not necessary and hurt like hell) so i tried a few of the tests to check for sharpness, hanging hari test, no chance, the blade wont even cut the fine hairs on my inner forearm arm unless i really push. Even after about 100 or laps on the 1000# and about 80 on the 6000# the blade is no better, ive repeated several times and ive been at it for hours, is it possible its a crappy blade that came with the kit and wont get a good edge, i know im new to honing too but im following all the guides the bevel is even and looks smooth, this is the one ive got Cyril R Salter Straight Shaving Razor - Black Cut-Throat Razor

at firs welcome SRP
with your bad experience you have help some new members. Please someone add that razor to our WIKI list.
you have useless razor for shaving. If you can return it go do so.
buy Razor from SRD(YOUR BEST CHANCE 0R FROM CLASSIFIED)
I would love to help you out but unfortunately you are overseas .
I am sure we do have great members from UK someone will jump in and help you out.
IN case you stuck then contact me.
Please read wiki article razors which is bad (no quality at all)and for beginner advices.
good luck and be patient.

How much I wish people could read the SRP wiki files before spending money. The article on "good" and "bad" straight razor brands has saved me so much grief and frustration!

I'm just a newbie, so my advice is worth what you pay for it! But many frustrations, some lost money, and more than my share of cuts and facial scars lead me to suggest, like the others here, that you pick up one of the professionally honed shave-ready razors offered by the reputable straight razor vendors, such as Straight Razor Designs (home-board favorite!), ClassicShaving.com, or some of the long-term vendors on this site. Get it shave ready and do nothing but strop it lightly before and after each use.

When stropping won't bring it back, buy yourself a Naniwa Superstone 12K for a 5-10 stroke touch-up followed by light stropping on fabric then leather. The stone is pricey, but totally worth it. When the 12K won't bring the edge back (by now you'll have been shaving for nearly a year!) you can pick up a Naniwa Superstone 8K to restore a sharp edge.

And read the wiki articles here from top to bottom. Many things about straight shaving earlier generations of men simply learned from their fathers, and from the local expert--their barber! But that is gone, so thankfully we have this place to educate ourselves.

i wish id found this forum first, i think i would have just got a dovo, they seem to be very reputable, i suppose theres no harm in having 2 blades is there but i would have liked to save the cash

Originally Posted by captainmark

i wish id found this forum first, i think i would have just got a dovo, they seem to be very reputable, i suppose theres no harm in having 2 blades is there but i would have liked to save the cash

well most members here will tell you that there is no harm to have anywhere between 2 and a few hundred razors so no worries you are in a good place.

If you are from the Uk, I would highly recommend having a look at Neil Miller's website. www.strop-shop.co.uk.

He really knows his stuff and has some good vintage shave ready straight razors for sale.
He is also willing to give sound advice when buying items wether its razors or strops.
He helped me out loads when starting off, come to think of it I still consider myself to be starting off months later.

No shame there--many of us made some unwise early choices. I still have a Kriegar and 2 Gold-Dollars...which I use as "hobby knives" in my shop. I didn't even try t learn honing on them.

When I taught guitar lessons, i urged people to buy the nicest guitar they could afford. A pro can make any piece of junk sound good. But a beginner needs a good instrument, one that won't sabotage the project.

Likewise a pro honer could make almost any blade shave. You and I, though, need to start with something really good so that the only variable is our technique.

Originally Posted by captainmark

i wish id found this forum first, i think i would have just got a dovo, they seem to be very reputable, i suppose theres no harm in having 2 blades is there but i would have liked to save the cash

+1 to GSSIXGUN. I would add that you should learn to shave with a straight before you try your hand at honing. Tackle one bear at a time.

Good luck.