07-06-2018, 02:25 PM
(06-29-2018, 11:14 AM)EOU Wrote: Now to sharpness levels. There are those who claim to sharpen straight edges, using traditional methods, to modern day DE razor blade levels but several experienced straight edge sharpeners say, no, they can't. Our all time best here in the shop, using modern methods, is 65 and that number has never been repeated since. We know that our instruments have been used by customers to measure straight edges but apparently, mostly under the cover of darkness with curtains drawn tight. To this day, we have never had a straight edge sharpener report sharpness levels to us. Most every other kind and sort of cutting/slicing/shearing edge, yes...but never a straight edge razor.
I recently bought the PT50 and this is the first time I have tested my straight razors.
I have 2 that are initially sharpened on shapton glass stones. Both got decent BESS number when stropping on balsa with 1 micron Boron Carbide and then 0.5 micron chromium oxide and finally finished on a Kanayama Cordovan Strop.
Here are the numbers: after shaving (Before stropping) 66 BESS and after stropping 27 BESS.
The vintage razor finished at 17 BESS.
Links to small videos:
Razor 1 before stropping
Razor 1 after stropping
Vintage razor after stropping
Kind regards
HTR