This is nothing on what some of the other members have done with razors on here, but I wanted to show it off. A few months ago, I purchased this razor: I hadn't really done anything with it, because I didn't know where to start. Tonight, I just started with some 800 grit wet dry sand paper for the worst of the pitting and rust, and went from there. Spent about 3 hours sanding, polishing, and honing. Tightened up the pins as much as I could, but the pivot will wander about 1/8 of an inch. I used my Naniwa 1K and my three Welsh hones as a progression. I checked the bevel set with a marker, and it seemed to be even. I have a hard time with seeing the edge, even with my loupe, and I can't tell how polished it is. Plan on shaving with it on Friday to see how close to shave ready I got. It knocks the top off my arm hairs, shaves on the skin on my arm, and passes the HHT.
If this thread should be moved to the general Straight Razor forum, can a Mod do that? This razor is going back to the work bench, and I am adding some better lighting to the work bench. Did a test shave with it today. What I learned: A rounded spike point can still bite, easily. I am fully capable of taking a dull razor to the point where it will slice through hair and skin. Sharp does not equal smooth. Noticed two chips in the bevel in the better lighting in the bathroom. After a pass and a half, it was tugging so badly I did 10 laps on the Chrome Oxide strop and 20 each on leather and linen to get it to the point where I could finish the shave. I have been watching videos and reading articles a lot, but probably thought I had gotten it where I needed on the hones before I was actually there.
Getting better. Since I was going to have to reset the bevel, I decided to spend a lot more time with sandpaper and polishing wheels. I think it is looking a lot better now. I did notice one spot I didn’t sand well, and it developed rust while I was honing. That will need to be sanded out. Used the macro lens for my phone to look at the bevel on the screen, instead of a loupe. Much easier. Bevel is set, no chips. I did notice that on one side of the blade, the water in front of it didn’t have a wave in the center of the blade, so I put my finger on that part of the blade and evened it out. Had a decent shave with it, but not great. Going to keep trying until I make this a comfortable shaver.
Watching that water line move from heel to toe or vice-versa as you drag the blades edge across the stone undercutting the water was an 'A-ha!' honing moment for me. It takes a bit o practice to do this consistently, but I've found the overall results more consistently smooth. Some blades are more challenging as they may not lay completely flat along the edge. As Glen has said, (paraphrase), 'the more razors one does, the more one realizes how much one still has to learn about the art of honing.'
