Thread: Unhappy - What am i doing wrong i cant get my edge sharp enough!!!...

I am having a very similar problem. I got a razor back from being professionally sharpened at SRD and thought that I was in for a treat. I stropped it 30 on linen (real linen) and 50 on leather and had an awful shave. I think that if there is anything in the discouraging linen for fresh blades that it really makes sense that I lost my edge before my first shave. In my experience there is a lot that can go wrong with a stropping that will round off, break off, or otherwise just kill the bite that your blade might have. I have been very discouraged but now have become addicted to the idea of straight razors and have about 4 gems that I have collected at low cost and two nice new razors so there is no turning back, yet I struggle because it is so much more comfortable, quick, and effective to just pull out the double edge. Yet I did have a few really good shaves and recently tried one of those drop in replaceable blade straights and it was like magic. So now I have a high standard that I am shooting for and hopefully I will get there before I am too old to be trusted with sharp objects anymore.
Keep tinkering because you know that you can't stop anyways. If you made the commitment in the first place to get a straight then it would eat away at you to walk away now.

Originally Posted by justalex

Its not been mentioned yet, but off an 8k you can get a good shave ready razor thats capable of chopping through most beard types. After bevel setting your mostly making it more comfortable by polishing.

I agree, but I note a particular ease my razors have their way with my beard finished off my finisher compared to my Norton 8k (which is officially my pre-finisher unless I start experimenting). This guy's clearly chasing after a DE-type edge. I'm not trying to sell him on the benefits of a smoother, kinder, gentler edge possible from the renewable edge that develops off the strop (and of course the smooth factor attained by the ever-controversial reverse-face-stropping). That's for him to eventually discover and appreciate.

I'm a quarter perfect (need a "Kiss Me, I'm Swedish" button) with those tough blond facial hairs us Scandies are known for and I think I can understand what he's chasing after. I feel very comfortable with Norton 8k but it's the hairs around the lips that make it or break it for me. I want fast, effective and no funny business. Or maybe he's not getting the true Norton 8k experience.

Originally Posted by justalex

I agree with AxelH; too many tests can get in the way... BUT trial and error is the only way to determine what ones are right for you, and you'll need markers to determine where the edge is, whether its feel, acoustic feedback, how easy it cuts armhair(skin level and above skin level)

Oh, I'm so glad you can agree on that point. Not assuming I'm right or that you're wrong, until we figure out this guy's follicular situation.

Originally Posted by justalex

try dulling the edge on a glass tumbler or something and start again, bevel setting on the 4k will take longer than on a 1k but keep at it until it cuts armhair again.
Make sure it cuts armhair EASILY off the 4k. Some people like to move on as soon as it cuts armhair however it cuts it, I like to get it to cut easily.
Move onto the 8k with little pressure, make sure there's enough pressure to keep the razor's spine and edge on the hone and polish it up to a near mirror or mirror finish - whatever the 8k takes it to - and test shave with it.

D'oh! Now why did you have to go and do that? We were doing so well. The thing of it is, various body hair tests can be somewhat variable amongst different people, this is one of those groups of tests that I am particularly wary of, magnified of course by the infamous Noob Factor, of course!

Originally Posted by justalex

I know it sounds a pain starting again but, it might save you hours of polishing a damaged bevel.

good luck

Originally Posted by bestshave4me

I'm really getting frustrated with my straight razors as i cannot get them sharp enough to perform a easy shave.


Equipment:

Norton 4000/8000 combo
Norton flattening stone
Scruppleworks Stropp with linen and leather side

Razors:
Dovo Bergischer Löewe razor
Puma Gold razor


I have tried and i thought they were sharp enough, but i just cannot get a easy shave with them. my DE razors still feel much sharper

i've tried honing on 4000 / 8000 Norton waterstones and really polish the edge to a mirror finish and it feels sharp

but it just will not shave my beard easely

is it enough to use the norton 8000 as finish ? or should i use paste or other honing equipment as last step pefore stropping to shave ready

this i how i did:

1. Honing on 4000 to set the edge and finish with gentle strockes to polish ( checked the edge with a 60x loupe to ensure even nice edge)
2. Honing on 8000 until mirror finish and eaven edge ( checked the edge with a 60x loupe to ensure even nice edge)
3. Linnen Stropping 50 rounds on my scruppleworks stropp on the linen side
4. Leather Stropping 100 rounds on the scruppleworks leather side
5. Tested Shaving with both the Dovo and the Puma

Result

Dovo feels sharper than Puma but still a bit dull on the cuts of my beard as i need to pull harder than DE razors i use

Puma feels less sharp than the Dovo and had to pull more to get the shave completed, not as comfortable as the Dovo


so i guess they are still not sharp enough

what is the trick and how do i get that super sharp edge, i'm really frustrated that i cannot get the edge as sharp as me DE rasors or sharper

i expected Straight razor shave to be less tough to the skin but i guess i'm not getting the blades sharp enough

Magnus

I don't think it's realistic to expect a straight razor you're just beginning to learn honing on to have a level of sharpness that rivals modern DE blades.

I'm going to add a +1 to the idea of killing the edge and starting over. I purchased a razor over the weekend that I put to my Norton 4/8, and I did a test with it a few days ago (just shaved the sideburn area before going back to a known good razor). Despite the TPT and TNT, it tugged and pulled like crazy. After reading a thread on here about how bevels can get screwed up and how killing an edge can actually help get the bevel set, I gave it a try. I used that same razor today for my second WTG pass (noob honing + noob shaving technique is asking for trouble, but it worked out this time), and it sailed through the whiskers that were left from the first pass. No tugging or pulling at all. That being said, I'm putting the hones up for a month or two until my technique is a lot more solid.