Straight Razor Edge Up Close

[Rich_O]

I took this picture of the edge of my straight with my Macro lens. I was very surprised what I saw. I was expecting to see a flat straight edge. Instead I saw what looks like little teeth sticking out and a much more jagged looking edge. Is this normal. I just had this razor honed by straight razor designs.

 

[Bad_B]

Strop her, then rinse and wipe, check again. At a glance it looks like stuff let over from their stropping session. If its a feather edge your stropping will reveal more of it, take new pics and repost. I would also recommend a lighted jewelers loop with at least time 60 magnification. Ebay or amazon have them from $4-10, theres also a thread under hones and honing about loops.

 

[DCRIII]

Even though I don't shave with a straight razor, I don't think you have anything to worry about. The greater the magnification of a razor blade edge, the scarier it looks! They may look smooth with the naked eye, but they are very toothy and jagged looking at the microscopic level.

 

[Bad_B]

I forgot to add, the real test is how does she shave? Don't get too hung up on how the razor's edge looks, esp when starting out.

 

[Seraphim]

Looks like dust and lint more than anything else.

 

[Catalinbread]

Looks like dust and lint more than anything else.

That's what I'm seeing on my small phone screen.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Yeh, that is normal for SRD. Their edges always remind me of a hacksaw blade. LOL not really. Or, maybe sometimes.

The bigger you zoom in, the more terrifying the edge is. At 1000X you will be horrified and want to give up shaving altogether. But really, what microscope pics tell you is where the bevel is. Does the bevel extend all the way to the apex. Is there any bits of fin hanging on the edge. Scratch pattern. Sometimes I like to vary the heel lead with each change of grit so I can tell when the previous grit's scratches have been fully eliminated. This can be an eye opener because probably the most common mistake in running a progression is not fully eliminating the previous grit's scratches.

 

[Kentos]

Looks like skin and lather residue?

 

[mycarver]

Check out Science of sharp on Wordpress if you want to see some interesting photos of edges and how they are treated.

 

[denvernoob]

I see a pretty good edge and a lit of lint in that pic. A bit more back-lighting would be revealing, but off-hand there is nothing wrong there. Keep in mind that any knife or cutting tool is essentially a saw....the only difference is the size of the teeth.

 

[Rich_O]

Thanks for the feedback everyone