Glass Honing a Straight Razor

No, I'm not making this up as this method actually works as it can really put that razor sharp edge on your straight razor! Honing a straight razor using glass is a method that is seldom used, even for traditional straight razor users as this technique is used specifically as an alternative to leather stropping. The methods used in this particular honing technique require the use of any glass surface, such as an old mirror or a discarded glass panel that can accommodate the entire length of your straight razor. The smooth surface of the glass should be roughened out with the use of any 200 to 250 grit sand paper as this will provide just the right amount of abrasiveness to perfectly grind off any excess metallic materials from your razor's blade. 

You need to make sure that the entire surface of the glass is roughened out so that it will be able to cover the entire area of the razor's edge. Washing the freshly rubbed glass, you can then add a few drops of any kind of light lubricating oil and spread it on the glass surface. To make it very clear, this method is only used on a straight razor that has been previously been honed and used and this method can not sharpen a straight razor as efficiently as a whetstone. Unfortunately, using a whetstone can sharpen your straight razor, but using it the wrong way can leave "nicks" on its blade, dulling out the blade instead of sharpening it properly. 

This is the most difficult thing that could happen to your straight razor. Recovering the blade's original sharpness is very hard if prior honing has left it much worse than it is. Glass honing can recover the original sharpness of you blade, though it would take twice the time compared to using a whetstone. But the best part of this method is that honing your straight razor on glass will not leave nicks on your blade since the glass surface of the panel that you are rubbing your straight razor is almost perfect, giving it an even edge. 

Most of the time, the use of chromium paste or honing paste is used to quicken the honing process since chromium paste contains finely grounded metallic particles that help in grinding out the razor's blade. In the case of glass honing, cigarette ash, paper ash and charcoal cinder can be used as an alternative to honing paste, which is finer than the metallic particles in chromium paste. This is done by applying a few drops of light lubricating oil on the glass and rubbing on some ashes on the glass. This will act as an abrasive that will sharpen and polish the razor's edge. 

Unlike honing using a whetstone, glass honing requires no definite pattern when running the straight razor on the glass surface, though the most commonly used method is making circular motions on both sides of the razor's blade without having to worry of evenly giving the razor the right amount of sharpness. Since the mixture of the oil and ashes will begin to grind off any and unevenly metallic particle from your razor blade, you will notice that the blade will begin to produce a sticky sensation as you continue rubbing it against the glass panel.

Determining if your razor has already reached a certain point of its optimized sharpness, you will begin to hear a swishing sound similar to that of a scissor. This tells you that the entire blade surface is now perfectly grounded off and it is now as evenly as the glass surface. You can verify this by performing the hanging hair test in which you can try to cut off a piece of hair by simply dropping it across the blade to see if it can cut it. However, the density of human hair differs from thickness as facial hair is much harder to cut off and passing the hanging hair can not prove that your straight razor is indeed sharp enough. 

You can try to shave off a certain segment of hair from your legs as these particular type of hair closely resembles hair on your face. As always, remember to wash off any remaining dirt and grime from your straight razor and let it dry out along with applying a generous amount of light oil to prevent oxidation. Rust build-up is very common on carbon steel razors since its metallic property is prone to this. Oil gives it a protective coating so that you can store it until such time that you will use it again. Always remember to take care of your straight razor so that it can give you many years of enjoyable shaving experience that can last a lifetime!

Your First Straight Razor: The Gold Dollar

Its very seldom to see people shaving using a straight razor nowadays as it seems that the long lost tradition of straight razor shaving is all but a bygone era that is well remembered by old timers such as you grand fathers. Today, most men shave using a safety razor or an electric shave as these both offer a convenient way of shaving off their mustache and beard in the morning. The only place that you will ever see straight razors being used is in a barber shop, a salon or in an old movie. Unfortunately, straight razors have seemingly outlived their popularity since electric and safety razors are easier to use.

However, there are still some people that prefer straight razors over the more modern electric and safety razors as traditional shaving implements such as the cut throat razor offer a cleaner and smoother shave compared to modern day safety razors. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of the use of the straight razor by people and straight razor enthusiasts that has revived people's interest in the lost traditional art and ritual of cut throat shaving. It is easily quite understandable why most traditional shavers prefer the straight razor over the safety razor because of the ritualistic approach in how it is undertaken.

You can ask any old timer who has used a straight razor for their entire life of how it feels to shave using a very sharp scalpel like razor blade under their neck, keeping a very steady hand over any sudden movements on their hand and trying to avoid cutting themselves, just for the thrill of being able to achieve a smooth, clean shave. The risk involved in learning to negotiate a sharp razor on your face does not seem to be a fun way of starting the morning, but it does give traditional shavers a sort of adrenalin rush.

In the olden days, if a boy enters the age of adolescence, their fathers would usually give them a straight razor as a welcome gift on their entry to manhood. Straight razors are usually passed on from generation to generation as heirlooms within the family and is often used for decades among the men in the family. Traditional straight razors such as Dovo, Theirs-Issard, Boker and Parker are among the well known brands of straight razors that have the reputation of being among the sharpest in the world. 

Unfortunately, these old brands are quite expensive today since their reputation precedes them with regard to craftsmanship and fine quality. There are a lot of affordable brands nowadays that are available in the market for just as little as $10 to $20 which you can buy without spending a substantial amount of money should you decide that straight razor shaving is not your cup of tea. A fairly cheap and inexpensive straight razor should be more than adequate to get you started in learning the fine art of shaving using a straight razor.

One well known inexpensive brand that most people buy is the Gold Dollar straight razor that is made in China which is made of 5/8th carbon steel blade which can be bought just about anywhere. The blade of the Gold Dollar is made from carbon steel which means it will rust after prolonged use, especially if you do not clean it after you use it and apply a thin coat of light oil in order to reduce oxidation when you keep it away for safe keeping. The Gold Dollar straight razor does not come in shave ready although it is pretty sharp to begin with, but not sharp enough to give you a decent clean shave, unless of course you do not mind carving your face with a cheese grate, as that's what it feels if you do not use a perfectly honed straight razor.

Since it is your first time to use a straight razor, we may suggest that you take very good care of how you handle the blade of the razor, for your own safety. Make sure that you have your newly acquired razor hones by a person who knows how to bring out the sharpness of its blade to its full shaving potential. Take slow hand motions to make you get used to the sharpness of the blade and its weight against your face so that you can estimate the force that you have to exert to successfully attain a smooth and cut free shaved face.