Gents!
I recently found my great-grandfathers straight razor in a box in our cabin and I thought that I would bring it up to speed again.
So far I have managed to sharpen it to the point that it cuts hairs easily against the skin on my arm but not to the point that it cuts or splits a hair standing free. Its a tad painful shaving with it and I cant make it sharper with the tools I have at hand.

Which way shall I go, Translucent Arkansas or diamond lapstone? Both? Japanese waterstone? Belgian?

I am grateful for suggestions of alternatives and explanations of why one is better than the other?

The whetstone(s) will also be used for my other hunting and fishing knives, I am currently making a skinning knife that I am polishing to 2500 grit before tempering and hardening it.

Sincerely
Daniel

Let a barber sharpen it. He will use a leather strop on it after he sharpens it.

After sharpening it I will strop it of course.
When it is sharp I think that it will keep its edge for up to a year if I strop it before each use. Unfortunately there are no barbers around here so I will have to fix it myself.

Is there any diamond lapstone that is fine enough to compete with the translucent Arkansas stone?

I will also use the stone(s) for my other knives so it will be put to good use. But I am not that interested in buying a $ 100 stone and find that it is too rough or too soft.

If it is good quality and lasts a lifetime I am happy to pay for it as well.

Sincerely

Daniel

You could use wet/dry sandpaper on a piece of glass...cheap! If you really look around you can get stick on sandpaper that's truly fine. I forget the grit of the stuff I've got but it's in the microns. Use a progressivly finer grit until you hit the end of your supply then go to the strop if necessary but it probably won't be. Even something like 400, 600 then 800 wet dry will work wonders.

Huglu

Go with Arkansas.
I think translucent would be an overkill and as you suggest they are very expensive. Suggest a Arkansas hard/ black. That will work well on your great grandfathers carbon steel. Incidently hard fine translucent may be too much for stainless as the edge can get too thin and leave a lip. There have been no new finds of translucent to my knowledge in the last 15 years.


I have used AR stones most of my life and find them to my liking above all other devices or stones. I have tried others and eventually gave them away.

Here is an excellent link to types of AR stones and a good grading chart. This guy is in the heart of the noviculite area. I do not know him personally but know of him. Ask him about your application.

If you begin to use these stones you will develope an apprecation .

http://www.danswhetstone.com/stone_grades_101.htm

I live about an hour from the mining area.Dimentions of stones are never exact but close as they are often cut with a diamond wire or circular saw. Because of inperfections allowances in size must be made. But you will never wear out a hard stone in 2 life times. As to gunsmithing and part polishing there is no equal.

If you decide to order a stone go ahead and get several types or grades and save time and money as you will order others after the first.

Good sharpening.
Elton

www.straightrazorplace.com

This is an all straight razor forum with a great amount of knowledge to be seen. I have been using a straight razor for the past 15 years, and us a set of water stones up through about 8000 grit. That set of stones is only used for my razors. The stones are lapped flat every couple uses. They need to be kept absolutely flat to do the job right.

There are several members of that forum that offer a sharpening service as well, and there are members from all over the world as well.

Have a look at the videos at this link on convex edge sharpening with strops. I recently took most of my knives from beveled edge to convex edge and while a knife if heavier than a razor the same principle applies. I only use the black emery and green al oxide compounds but there is a finer white and an even finer jewelers rouge for the razors.

http://www.knivesshipfree.com/...s.php?pID=4&CDpath=0

the difference between diamond stones & whetstones is that the slurry formed on a whetstone produces a smoother edge
While the diamond stones produce a series of scratches on the blade edge.
Ditto the micro-fine papers.( the type used in the "Scary Sharp" system ).
this makes no significant difference with the performance of knives & chisels ..........but a noticeable difference with a razor.

razors work best with a smooth edge at 1 micron or less.
How you get down to near 1 micron is somewhat irrelevant as to whether that is with diamond or whetstones
The real difference is in the finishing near 1 micron with a flat leather ( or even MDF) loaded with paste compound, to work the edge smooth of those little scratches & achieve a fine edge of 1 micron or less.
There are personal favorites in what is used as finishing compounds.
The green pure chromium oxide compound & green aluminium oxide premixed with chromium oxide at a nominal 1 micron is very popular.
Jewellers Rouge is often used as a last step for an ultrafine finish........and its noticeable...........but a straight razor edge finished at 1 micron is very serviceable.

a plain leather strop is used for feathered edge removal & re-alignment of an edge between uses.

I use diamond stone down to 400grit
arkansas novaculite down to select black hard
( marginally coarser than translucent)
then a green commercial premixed Aluminium oxide/chromium oxide compound for the final smooth edge ( flat leather pad)........then stropped on plain leather.

The use of an arkansas novaculite whetstone in the latter sharpening stages IME reduces the amount of work required with the finishing compound to get that marvellous smooth edge that makes a razor work so well and a pleasure to use without any hair pulling..
novaculite stones do need more work flattening them than diamond stones.
both do need servicing to keep them flat tho.

FWIW