Welcome to the Exchange Mr. Mike and thanks for the interesting question. I’ve never sharpened a straight razor hence I’m not familiar with the intricacies involved but I suspect the general principals are the same as sharpening a knife.
Because you state that the remaining burr won’t flip to the other side I’m guessing that the “burr” you speak of may be what has been dubbed here on the Exchange as Line of Weld (LOW) or wire edge or the base of the burr. LOW is stuck pretty well to the edge and won’t readily flip to the other side. The flimsy crap at the top of the burr is just that, flimsy crap that easily bends back and forth.
This is just a guess. Review these two posts and see if this may pertain to the behavior you are seeing:
http://bessex.com/forum/showthread.php?t...41#pid4341
http://bessex.com/forum/showthread.php?t...52#pid4352
I too am not a fan of dragging the edge through the end grain of wood or anything else for that matter in an effort to tear the burr off. I would think that especially true of an edge meant for shaving. Wood or horn or whatever is much harder than skin and is very likely to slightly roll, dull and otherwise damage the edge.
More importantly, for knives, I’ve experimented with that method of burr removal and examined the results under a microscope. Some of the burr seemed to be removed but not all of it. The remaining burr was smashed down against the bevel making it more difficult to remove.
“How can something so weak be so hard to coax off?”
I wondered exactly the same thing and posted here about 3 years ago:
http://bessex.com/forum/showthread.php?t...858#pid858
If what you have going on is indeed LOW or wire edge or whatever it is called, simply rubbing it against something very hard or smooth won’t work IMHO. Using fine abrasives to grind it off might work or there is the danger that the LOW crud metal may just be sharpened resulting in a weak edge comprised of crappy burr metal.
The part that puzzles me in your post is where you say, “it looks like fuzzy glints”.
That sounds like the flimsy top of a burr that, while pesky to remove, can be easily bent back and forth. Is that the same stuff that won’t flip to the other side?
Just for grins, when you see the “fuzzy glints” try stropping against your thigh if you are wearing jeans. Just strop quickly at about 45° flipping from side to side with gentle pressure. Should take about 10 seconds. Are the fuzzy glints still there? If so, do it again. If it’s just the flimsy top of the burr eventually it will fracture off. If it’s LOW it will be nicely polished but not removed. LOW is a different animal than the flimsy top of a burr.
For figuring stuff like this out, I've found a microscope very useful.
I hope this has been useful. Maybe someone with more experience sharpening straights can post a more helpful suggestion.
Because you state that the remaining burr won’t flip to the other side I’m guessing that the “burr” you speak of may be what has been dubbed here on the Exchange as Line of Weld (LOW) or wire edge or the base of the burr. LOW is stuck pretty well to the edge and won’t readily flip to the other side. The flimsy crap at the top of the burr is just that, flimsy crap that easily bends back and forth.
This is just a guess. Review these two posts and see if this may pertain to the behavior you are seeing:
http://bessex.com/forum/showthread.php?t...41#pid4341
http://bessex.com/forum/showthread.php?t...52#pid4352
I too am not a fan of dragging the edge through the end grain of wood or anything else for that matter in an effort to tear the burr off. I would think that especially true of an edge meant for shaving. Wood or horn or whatever is much harder than skin and is very likely to slightly roll, dull and otherwise damage the edge.
More importantly, for knives, I’ve experimented with that method of burr removal and examined the results under a microscope. Some of the burr seemed to be removed but not all of it. The remaining burr was smashed down against the bevel making it more difficult to remove.
“How can something so weak be so hard to coax off?”
I wondered exactly the same thing and posted here about 3 years ago:
http://bessex.com/forum/showthread.php?t...858#pid858
If what you have going on is indeed LOW or wire edge or whatever it is called, simply rubbing it against something very hard or smooth won’t work IMHO. Using fine abrasives to grind it off might work or there is the danger that the LOW crud metal may just be sharpened resulting in a weak edge comprised of crappy burr metal.
The part that puzzles me in your post is where you say, “it looks like fuzzy glints”.
That sounds like the flimsy top of a burr that, while pesky to remove, can be easily bent back and forth. Is that the same stuff that won’t flip to the other side?
Just for grins, when you see the “fuzzy glints” try stropping against your thigh if you are wearing jeans. Just strop quickly at about 45° flipping from side to side with gentle pressure. Should take about 10 seconds. Are the fuzzy glints still there? If so, do it again. If it’s just the flimsy top of the burr eventually it will fracture off. If it’s LOW it will be nicely polished but not removed. LOW is a different animal than the flimsy top of a burr.
For figuring stuff like this out, I've found a microscope very useful.
I hope this has been useful. Maybe someone with more experience sharpening straights can post a more helpful suggestion.