Straight razor shaving is one of the most traditional and revered shaves for men. While not for everyone, the twist and drop of a razor against skin is one of the great pleasures of open razor vs. safety razor.
There are many straight-razor recipes, so there is not just one way to make a straight razor. Some people use broken razors, ones that have been twisted and dropped, or ones with sharper edges.igenous blades used.
Of all the different straight-razor recipes, those using various shapes and sizes of blade are ones that getinto trouble the fastest. The reason this happens is because when you have to move between two sizes of blade, you have to change your technique!
That is right: When you need a smaller blade for one thing, you have to buy a new one for the other.
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Medium grit
Medium grit is the most common type of whetstone. It contains crystals that are slightly looser than coarse steel. When you rub a medium-grit whetstone over a sharp straight razor, it creates a series of rounded and / or smooth concave and / or convex spaces on the stone.
These spaces allow water to travel through the stone, creating a smoother surface as it rubs over the blade. The process is similar to steaming your hair, but with razor blades!
When using medium-grit whetstones, it is important to be careful. Because they are slightly less refined than coarse steel, they can easily break when done wrong.
A good way to use medium-grit stones is to start with something small.
Fine grit
When we talk about coarse grit, we also talk about fine grit. Most people refer to these as extra granular. Both terms describe a larger size of stone with less rust on the surface.
Grits are usually smaller than natural stones like granite or diamond. The term grit refers to the size of stone you would buy in a store.
The term natural comes with some bias, as most people use it for either granite or diamond because of their hard, sparkling nature. These stones can be very valuable in their own right as they can cost more than smaller grains like quartz or sandstone.
When using a straight razor, the importance of the blade style and angle that you use to cut is key! We will discuss this more later in this article.
Combination grit
Another resource for straight razor lovers is combination grit. This can be categorized into more coarse, medium, and finer resources. Many stropping agents are designed to be mixed with water and applied to the hair surface to help bring it back to a shine.
As with all things, too much will fail you as well. So, it is important to determine which combination grit your beard needs or wants based on how hard you pull it. For example, if you pull harder when shaving softer-grit hairs, then a medium-grit stropping agent would be the best choice.
Some routers and stropers are sold as combinations of different grits to help you find the right match for your beard type.
How to use a whetstone for straight razor
A whetstone is a large, flat, smooth surface you can use to refine your straight razor blade. Whetstones come in all sizes, from large butcher blocks to small carbide ones.
Most are labeled sharpening steel, but you can also use them for honing various knives and blades. The trick is to use a low-grit whetstone on the blade instead of a steel or diamond honing stone.
A low-grit stone will prevent your razor from getting too hot and possibly burn yourself. A higher grit will allow you to get more cutters, planes, etc. very quickly.
To use a whetstone for straight razor shaving, first decide whether you want to useshaft the blade or if you want to just reduce the thickness of the beard.
Positioning the stone
Now that you have the rasie, you must position the stone so that the back of the stone is against the bottom of your blade and the top of your blade is in contact with the stone. This allows for greater pressure to be placed on the razor and provides a more even speed and angle of travel.
To begin, try placing one end of the stone on a chair or something similar to help create padding against your skin. Then, ease one edge of the stone over the razor creating tension in the metal to turn it into a guide for your Blade.
Once you have created enough pressure to turn the metal into a guide, step back and admire your straight-razor skills! You have just whetted an object that will last you years.
Holding the stone
When holding a razor at the back of the blade, the stone must be flat and smooth. If the stone is convex orrounded, then it will not stay in place and you will have to move it around to create and maintain a steady pressure on the blade.
The razor should feel like it is securely held by several layers of thick, strong skin. If you feel some pressure on the skin, then it has enough grit to hold the razor.
There are two main ways to use a gritstone. The first is to rub the stone against a buffer such as wood or quartz. The second is to use an oil such as vaseline or coconut oil which can be used on any surface.
Gritstones can be brown, yellow or white depending on how much dust and granite that has gone into them.
How to use a straight razor
A straight razor is one of the most important razors you can have on your hands. While a face sharpening stone can be used to improve the shape and angle of the face, the straight razor is more precise and precise still.
The way to use a straight razor is to get yourself a badger hair brush, then pick one of your hairs that is about an inch long, and firmly round it. Now wrap this hair around a wooden handle, or any sturdy material that will not easily come off.
Now get yourself a blade- this can be paper or plastic, just depends on what you want the blade for. You can pick either plain paper or plain plastic, it does not matter as long as you put one side of the paper or plastic against the other.
Sharpening process
The classic way to sharpening a straight razor is by using a forced perspective (or side-edge) angle. This means that you start by holding the blade at the back of the Handle with your thumb on the end, and your finger on the back.
You then rotate the blade until the sharp edge is facing up, and then you hold that position until it is very sharp. This can take a while, because you have to let it sit for a little bit before trying another stroke.
The other way to Sharpening a Straight Razor is by using Aforced Perspective (or belly-edge) angle. This means that you start by holding the blade at the front of the Handle with your thumb on the end, and your finger onthe back.
You then rotatethe blade untilthe sharp edgeis facingup,and thenyou holdthatpositionuntilit is verysharp.