Straight razor...I don't know ...

[Seelector]

You look like you're on the right track with the Solingen blade. A Sharpie marker and magnification are your best friends as you're learning to hone. It takes time and practice to get good edges.

I think that either Vaseline or baby oil will work for humidity protection, but I have never used any type of oil and haven't have any problems with rusting. Unless you live in a tropical jungle or are storing razors for years, you're probably fine to just make sure they are 100% dry before putting them away. If you see any rust developing you can polish it off with metal polish before it becomes a problem.

I used to use lapping film and diamond pasted balsa to keep my edges fresh. It worked well. I had 0.5um, 0.25um, and 0.1um balsa but have never tried any Crox pasted strops. Going from 1um film to 0.1um balsa seems like a big jump, but the Crox strop in between them might bridge the gap. You'll have to try it and see how it works.

I have some non PSA lapping film at home that I can send you, PM me if you're interested. I have several grits, from 30um down to 1um.

 

[albsat]

You look like you're on the right track with the Solingen blade. A Sharpie marker and magnification are your best friends as you're learning to hone. It takes time and practice to get good edges.

I think that either Vaseline or baby oil will work for humidity protection, but I have never used any type of oil and haven't have any problems with rusting. Unless you live in a tropical jungle or are storing razors for years, you're probably fine to just make sure they are 100% dry before putting them away. If you see any rust developing you can polish it off with metal polish before it becomes a problem.

I used to use lapping film and diamond pasted balsa to keep my edges fresh. It worked well. I had 0.5um, 0.25um, and 0.1um balsa but have never tried any Crox pasted strops. Going from 1um film to 0.1um balsa seems like a big jump, but the Crox strop in between them might bridge the gap. You'll have to try it and see how it works.

I have some non PSA lapping film at home that I can send you, PM me if you're interested. I have several grits, from 30um down to 1um.

Your comments are very much appreciated. I use a sharpie now and I have a simple loupe, but other than the scratches on the bevel, I don't understand anything else...

Really glad to hear your experience.

 

[Seelector]

Your comments are very much appreciated. I use a sharpie now and I have a simple loupe, but other than the scratches on the bevel, I don't understand anything else...

Really glad to hear your experience.

I use a 10x loupe but stronger magnification (around 60x) is better when you're learning. I look for two things:
1. what does the scratch pattern look like? Is it consistent from toe to heel? Do the scratches go right to the edge? Are all the scratches from the previous grit erased? Be honest with yourself about what you see. If there is a little section where the scratches aren't right then you're not ready to move to the next grit. A Sharpie is a big help with this. You should be able to remove ALL the marker with one light pass. This seems impossible in the beginning but eventually you learn how to do the right stroke (usually a rolling X-stroke) for the razor you are honing.
2. Are there any chips in the edge? These can be difficult to see with just a loupe. Even 1 or 2 tiny chips in an otherwise good edge are enough to make the shave feel harsh and uncomfortable.

 

[PintoPlain]

Using the diamond balsa will keep a sharp blade sharp, it will not sharpen a dull blade in my experience.

I have found I don't particularly like a super sharp blade so I use the razor until I find it comfortable and maintain it there using the diamond balsa. This is what works for me but as usual YMMV.

As you have received good advice already, I won't confuse the issue any further. Good luck.

 

[albsat]

So I am making a summary of my 3 straight razors journey that all had lost the edge 1 year ago.

GD razor. I put an edge with it easy with 1um film and Crox paste.

Nobrand Solingen. I put a very nice edge with 1500 grit dry /wet sandpaper, 9um,3um, 1um, with hand liquid soap, 1um with paper, Crox paste and 0.1um balsa Diamant pasted strop. I am surprised that I did it. I think that edge refreshing through 1um with hand liquid soap, 1um with paper, Crox paste and 0.1um balsa Diamant pasted strop would work nice. I just need to find the correct frequency to do that.

Titan razor. I tried to put a bevel through sandpaper and an edge through lapping films several times. I have failed always and I gave up on this razor. The razor is sharp but harsh on skin.

Considering that this was my first attempt on straight razor, I am satisfied. My current issue is that I put my films on a marble and I need to find an acrylic plate to hold in hand, which is a bit difficult on my country. Also my films have wrinkles and are a bit consumed but I think they can last for a couple of months.

I am thinking to make " a bevel stone" by sticking a 1000 grit sandpaper on a piece of glass and to try to hone one or two vintage razors. Any idea how many razors would a piece of sandpaper cover?

 

[Herrenberg]

Your persistence in the face of adversity is extremely impressive. By adversity I do not just mean that your location and circumstances limit you to sandpaper and lapping film and pasted strops. I also mean that two of your razors are almost certainly stainless steel, which I have labored in vain to make into a comfortable shaving edge. I am in no way joking. I am very impressed with what you are doing here. I hope you will keep giving updates. Your journey is both interesting and informative.

My guess is that the German razor will best rewards your efforts.

 

[albsat]

Your persistence in the face of adversity is extremely impressive. By adversity I do not just mean that your location and circumstances limit you to sandpaper and lapping film and pasted strops. I also mean that two of your razors are almost certainly stainless steel, which I have labored in vain to make into a comfortable shaving edge. I am in no way joking. I am very impressed with what you are doing here. I hope you will keep giving updates. Your journey is both interesting and informative.

My guess is that the German razor will best rewards your efforts.

Thank you. By using the tools that I have been able to accumulate, I am understanding that the principal is simple. Move you razor back and forth to make them sharp on the honing surface. Put a nice bevel on the razor and then refine it. Strop the razor before shaving.

In practice is a mountain to climb for me. I am not there yet to know how to hone. As I told above I can't make titan razor shave ready for my skin. I think I got lucky with GD. A simple loupe has helped me a lot to see the stria on the bevel.

The german razor is cheap and I like that I put an edge to it. I am surprised by the GD though. It is a nice razor indeed.

Still this is a bit of too much work compared using a shavette. But I am getting better after each attempt. Who knows? I might build a better honing setup in the future and buy vintage razors from Ebay to hone. That would be my ultimate goal on this hobby.

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

Years ago, when I did a Film deep dive, I glued 1k & 4k Wet & Dry to a glass tile and honed several razors on them and finished on film.

1k on glass works very well and is more aggressive than most stones. It can with lite pressure finish well, for 1k.

Just remember that glass is not flat but will easily flatten with a sheet of 220, it also leaves a nice matt finish for gluing. I use 3m spray glue. It removes easily for replacement with a razor blade and the glass cleans up well with WD40.

Don’t recall how many razors I bevel set with each sheet, but you could probably do several, a lot would depend on the razors and how much work they need and the quality of the sandpaper.

Really all a "bevel setter" does is grind the bevels flat, to the correct angle and get the bevels to meet. Which abrasives you use to get there does not matter, you will not be shaving off that edge.