Thread: Sharpening old razor blades

Get an offcut of granite stone kitchen countertop. Scribble chrome green all over that.
Wipe the blades, maybe 3 passes at most, to tune them up.

I have figured out how to take Philips electric razor heads apart and hone the cutters = like new again.

Back in another life when I used to shave, these were all I'd use. (Nothing else gave the same 'finish' except for a cut-throat and at the time I had enough problems with zits without taking that rabbit-hole... ) )

I have both an adjustable Gillette handle, original from the 50's, and a later, cheap, one-position-only knock-off from around the 70's/80's.

All my shaving was done with the adjustable, but once every week or so I'd swap the blade into the knock-off and give it a few passes with the side of a match-box... a trick my grand-dad taught me when I first started shaving.

Mind you, match boxes aren't what they were but the idea of using an old handle as a holding jig would still apply.

Hi Evan

I have that razor, or one very similar, and it is indeed a good one. My daily user is a Feather razor along with SS feather blades. These hail from Japan. The razor is sublime. I love the balance and finish. It is stainless steel, while most others are chromed steel. This does make it expensive (around $250).


The Feather blades are economical, and one generally lasts me about 10 days. I have a medium beard (if there is such a thing). This combination gives me the closest shave of all (and I have tried a lot), and I never cut myself. For ease, I just purchase a 10 pack (each pack has 10 blades) from eBay, such as ... 100 x Blades Feather Platinum Coated High Performance Shaving Razor HI-Stainless | eBay

The AUD has dropped significantly since my last purchase, and these here cost more than my last purchase. I do not attempt to sharpen them (they are high speed steel). Still, 100 blades should last me 3+ years.

Regards from Perth

Derek

I have read several times that during WW2 razor blades were kept honed by “rubbing them on the inside of a tumbler”.

So... some sort of ceramic cylinder 3-4” in diameter?

My Father had a black Arkansas stone shaped like the inside of a cylinder and the blade was run back and forth used to bring them up like new, I haven't seen it for a while I will see if I can find it and take a pic, I have been using a straight razor for 48 years

Sharpening a cut throat razor is not the same as sharpening an impulse-hardened double edge razor. The cut throat is high carbon steel, and hones easily on very fine media. The impulse-hardened DE razor is not going to do so, and you will not get the edge needed to shave smoothly by using a diamond hone! The reason why 30000+ stones were developed was for cut throat razors, not woodworking.

Regards from Perth

Derek

The blade might not be losing its edge, but rather might just be dirty on a microscopic level.

Shaver shop sells a type of rubber strop that uses friction to clear this away. There are plenty of others like it. E.g

Razor blade sharpener & Life Extending Razor Cleaner - Get RazorPit (R)

Maybe this could be the issue?

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The RazorPit certainly looks the right thing.

I suspect the blades are a bit dead, but I'll take a very close look at them. If its just grunk, then we are good! Also, if they are some sort of Magic Steel that wont sharpen on our stones, then perhaps grunk removal is the right path.

I wrote to RazorPit about this. Their site doesnt mention DE/DS razors.

Though, it might be worth getting one for my son, as he uses disposables. The reviews on Amazon are universally overwhelmingly positive.

Thanks for input so far!

Edit on the RazorPit - the "grunk" thing, plus as Derek says with impulse hardening, might explain why denim, ones own arm or even a match box might work.

I'm going to go get a blade now and give it a go

How exciting!

so what about this? I'm surprised nobody else has suggested it so far !!!!

Pyramid Razor Sharpener | It Actually Works! Make your own in 10 Minutes

<sceptic mode> yeah well lets just leave that stone unturned...

And if you stick it on your head it kills Covid 19

I've read somewhere that the blades are so thin that flipping them is a waste of time.

On the topic of resharpening i think if you put it in perspective you'll find that buying replacement blades isn't a big deal. Eg compared to buying replacement cartridges, compared to the time you spend honing and sharpening the blade. All to save a few bucks?

Not to mention that if you sharpen them incorrectly you significantly increase the likelihood of cutting your face. Plus after a while they start to rust

If you want a resharpenable option go the straight razor, otherwise I'd just bin the blades.

Time for the focussed brilliance of a LED light and a 10X magnifier to inspect the edge.
I'll stick with my polished granite and a scribble of CrOx/AlOx.

Originally Posted by Chief Tiff

I have read several times that during WW2 razor blades were kept honed by “rubbing them on the inside of a tumbler”.

So... some sort of ceramic cylinder 3-4” in diameter?

Likewise my father was a WW2 vet and used his DE Gillette razor and Gillette blades (possibly carbon steel, not sure what was common back then) all of my junior life. He kept them sharp with a few strokes lengthwise on each side of the blade on the inside of a glass tumbler or jam jar about 75-100 mm diameter, with moderate pressure applied along the centreline of the blade each time he shaved, unless he was installing a new blade. Was something he learnt in the army when fresh blades were very uncommon.