Please help me...for the love of Mike!

First, I'm new to straight razor shaving. A vet with DE but not straights.

I bought a Thiers-Issard 5/8 full hollow carbon steel through Art of Shaving. Beautiful razor:



Problem is, they said it was shave ready...it wasn't. My grandmother could pluck out my whiskers 1 by 1 without her glasses with better proficiency. So I bought the norton 4000/8000. Set the bevel with probably 200 passes each way on 4000. Then moved to the 8000. Now don't get me wrong, I'm willing to be patient with this thing but I've easily made 500 passes each way on the 8000 side and it's still tugging like an old ford super duty. It's sharper, don't get me wrong. But I could still get a better shave with a cartridge. This is not what I want.

Technique: making mild, diagnal passes with little to no pressure. At a reasonable speed, not to slow, not to fast. And, I figure it's safer for a newb such as myself on the 8000 side. Less metal being moved and yet still, slowly, sharpening. The stone has been soaked and resurfaced at every 100 passes with another hone.

Is this a bad razor? Did I make a poor choice in my purchase? Is there a trick to help me get in the right direction? Anyone else got a similar blade and have any honing recommendations? I love this thing. Shaving with my Dovo Shavette is a dream...closest shave a man could ever want. But this Ti...well, I'm discouraged to say the least.

Thanks for all the help fellas. If it'd help I'll make a vid of my honing so you can see what I do.

You probably won't get a razor as sharp as you want on the 8K. You may want to go to a finishing hone of some sort. My favorite at the moment - mostly because it is dead easy - is to use lapping film. Get a couple of sheets of 1 and .5 and cut them up in 2 1/2 wide strips. Put a spritz of water on a marble tile (1.85 at most places) and stroke the razor across them like you would your hone.

You are right, the Ti razors I've received from the factory are woeful - as in not sharp at all. Unfortunately, I've also had problems with them getting a truly keen edge at times but they can be made 'good enough'. AOS razors are not sharp from the box in my experience (two that I bought and five that I examined at an AOS in Las Vegas).

Your Ti will never be as sharp as the shavette. Straights are not as sharp as commercial blades. The technique you use makes up the difference - in spades. It is a journey - but a fun one.

Finally, since I think your post implies you haven't used a sharp straight before, I recommend you send the straight to a honing service and get it 'base lined' so you know what you are supposed to be shooting for. The film will get it there but you won't know you are there if you haven't seen it before - the shavette doesn't count.

Thanks for the help...where can I get lapping film?

dfresh said:

Thanks for the help...where can I get lapping film?

Click to expand...

Amazon, eBay, bestsharpeningstones, and, also, look at B/S/T and one of the threads on lapping film such as: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/283576-Lapping-film-try-it?highlight=lapping

I bought pack #2 at bestsharpeningstones. Gets you 9, 5, 3, 1, and .3 micron sheets which will sharpen anything that I've run into so far. I still use the 4/8 Norton and DMTs to bring homemade blades or chipped stuff up from the grave but any razor like yours will succumb to your wishes in short order.

Message RichBoone1

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/287328-Lapping-Film-lapping-film

i've had many ti's. They have come from direct from factory and vendors. they all came shave ready yet not as smooth as my own razors. Of the 8k norton you can get a very nice edge . This takes experiance , which takes months to learn your new stones. First you must seriously lap the 4k side untill you remove the griny feel? i also found ti's tricky to hone . now i get the most wonderful smooth edges from ti's with just one coticule from start to finish. once bevel set on 1k and shaving arm hair . it should take no more than 120 laps on 4k and no more than 80 laps on 8k some say 20 on 8k. go with your own number of laps . If i was you i would send that ti out to be honed if you carn't get there .. if your stuck i would be happy to help..

gary

Dollars to donuts that your Norton isn't flat. Lap it (maybe you did but I missed it in your post). While you take care of that, send out your straight and get it sharpened properly so you know what to shoot for. I'll be happy to do it if you just pay shipping both ways, I'm sure many others would as well.

There's a steep learning curve even with the best edge on a straight. It took me a few months to get good enough where I wouldn't get a cut or weeper every damn shave, another year to figure out that I didn't like CrOx edges that much (they contribute to weepers for me) and almost 2 years total to really get good, consistent edges when honing. Straights and maintenance of them are truly an acquired skill. Don't expect results, just keep practicing. One day you'll finish up a shave and say "huh, wow that was a lot better than I expected". That will happen every few weeks until you get in a groove.

do u know any straight shavers locally? if u want it honed 4 free send it 2 me, but u pay postage both ways. pm me if u want me to hone it 4 u.

Seriously, you guys rock...every one-a-ya...thanks. I'm gonna pick up some lapping film and send er off to get honed.