Your original article contains valuable information, but it is far too long, repeats many of the same ideas, and spends a lot of time discussing forum drama instead of the sharpening techniques. For a modern blog, I would restructure it into a technical article focused on the experiment, microscope findings, pressure, stropping, tape, and the conclusions, while mentioning the controversy only as background.

A title like “Testing Murray Carter’s Straight Razor Sharpening Method Under the Microscope” would immediately tell readers what the article is about.

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Testing Murray Carter’s Straight Razor Sharpening Method Under the Microscope

Introduction

When Murray Carter, ABS Master Bladesmith and 17th Generation Yoshimoto Bladesmith, released a video demonstrating how he sharpens straight razors, it quickly became one of the most discussed topics in the straight razor community.

Some sharpeners praised his practical approach, while others questioned several parts of his method, including pressure, burr formation, edge-trailing strokes, tape on the spine, and stropping.

Rather than debating opinions, I wanted to answer a simple question:

Does Murray Carter’s sharpening method actually work?

Instead of relying on theory, I recreated the method, photographed each stage under a microscope, tested the edge by shaving, and compared the results with more traditional razor honing techniques.

The goal wasn’t to prove anyone right or wrong. It was simply to understand what happens at the edge during the sharpening process.

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Recreating the Method

Several members of the Badger & Blade forum decided to reproduce Murray Carter’s first sharpening demonstration.

Following the original video as closely as possible, I sharpened a Boker Red Injun straight razor while documenting each stage with a Veho 400× USB microscope.

Although Murray used King 1K and 6K stones, I substituted a Naniwa Chosera 1K and a Shapton Glass 6K. The objective wasn’t to compare stones but to evaluate the sharpening technique itself.

Every microscope image covers an area approximately 1 mm wide by 0.75 mm high.

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Traditional Honing vs. Carter’s Method

Traditional straight razor honing usually relies on:

• Very light pressure
• Alternating X-strokes
• Gradual refinement
• Little or no burr formation

Murray Carter’s approach is much closer to knife sharpening.

Instead of alternating strokes, he sharpens one side until a burr forms before switching to the opposite side. The process uses noticeably more pressure than most razor sharpeners would recommend.

That difference alone explains much of the discussion surrounding the videos.

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1K Chosera

The first stage produced a fully established bevel. Under the microscope, the scratch pattern looked very similar to what would be expected from traditional honing. The edge was fully formed, although still quite coarse.

One interesting observation was that raising a burr on a straight razor proved to be much easier than many people expected.

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6K Shapton Glass

Moving to the 6K stone immediately showed something interesting. The earlier 1K scratches were still visible beneath the new scratch pattern. The 6K refined the bevel but had not completely removed every coarse scratch left by the previous stone.

The microscope also revealed that only a small amount of polishing had taken place after the limited number of strokes shown in Murray’s original video.

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Deburring

The original process included a quick deburring step on balsa wood. Personally, I didn’t find this step absolutely necessary.

However, because knife sharpening often creates larger burrs than traditional razor honing, I can understand why it was included, especially for someone coming from a knife-sharpening background.

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Chromium Oxide

After a few additional strokes on the 6K stone, the edge received several passes on chromium oxide.

This produced one of the biggest improvements in the progression.

Although many of the underlying scratches remained visible, the chromium oxide polished their surfaces, producing a much cleaner apex.

The edge became noticeably more refined without requiring another sharpening stone.

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Newspaper Stropping

The final step in the original method was stropping on newspaper.

Whether newspaper contributes significantly to the edge is difficult to determine under the microscope.

There appeared to be a slight increase in polish, although the improvement may simply have been within the limits of microscope positioning.

Even so, newspaper stropping has been used by both knife sharpeners and straight razor users for many years and continues to produce acceptable results.

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First Shave Test

The finished edge successfully passed the Hanging Hair Test.

The shave itself was better than I expected.

With-the-grain shaving was comfortable enough, although the razor offered a little more resistance than I normally prefer.

Against-the-grain shaving was less comfortable but still completely usable. Overall, the razor delivered what I would describe as a basic shaving edge. For someone coming from knife sharpening, Murray’s method provides a practical introduction to straight razor honing.

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A Second Attempt

Later, I spoke with Jason from Carter Cutlery, who explained that Murray’s original video had been edited.

The actual sharpening process involved considerably more strokes than the video suggested.

That information completely changed the experiment.

Instead of limiting myself to only a few strokes per stone, I sharpened each grit until it had fully completed its job before moving to the next.

The second shave was noticeably smoother. The edge felt more comfortable both with and against the grain, while aftershave irritation was greatly reduced.

The biggest lesson was that the method depends far more on proper progression than on a specific number of strokes.

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Refining the Process

After understanding the original technique, I began adapting it to fit my own sharpening style.

Rather than stopping after the 6K stone, I extended the progression using 16K Shapton Glass followed by 0.025-micron poly diamond on balsa.

The microscope showed a dramatic improvement.

The deeper scratches from earlier stones disappeared almost completely, producing a much more refined edge before final stropping.

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Tape on the Spine

One of the more debated topics in straight razor honing is whether tape should be applied to the spine.

From my perspective, tape isn’t primarily about protecting appearance. Its main advantage is preserving steel. Many vintage straight razors are over a century old and are

no longer manufactured. Every sharpening session removes steel from both the edge and the spine.

Using tape reduces spine wear while maintaining consistent geometry throughout the sharpening process.

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Pressure

Perhaps the most controversial part of Murray Carter’s method is the amount of pressure used.

The microscope revealed something I hadn’t fully appreciated before. Higher pressure visibly flexes the thin razor bevel during sharpening.

As pressure decreases, the bevel relaxes and returns toward its original position, changing the angle at which scratches appear.

This suggests that excessive pressure may fatigue the steel at the apex before it is actually removed by abrasion.

Whether that affects long-term edge stability remains open for discussion, but the microscope images clearly demonstrate that pressure influences much more than sharpening speed.

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Edge-Leading vs. Edge-Trailing

Murray prefers edge-trailing strokes during much of the sharpening process.

Personally, I still prefer edge-leading strokes on sharpening stones.

An edge-leading stroke continuously meets fresh abrasive while pushing swarf away from the cutting edge.

Edge-trailing strokes require the edge to travel over swarf already present on the stone.

When stropping, however, edge-trailing strokes are essential. Besides protecting the strop from being cut, they allow the leather to smooth the apex without digging into the surface.

 

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Hanging vs. Paddle Strops

Both hanging and paddle strops produce excellent results.

A paddle strop offers a firmer surface, while a hanging strop allows slightly more flex.

Regardless of the style, leather gently smooths the apex and removes any remaining irregularities before shaving.

This final refinement often has as much influence on shave comfort as the sharpening stones themselves.

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Final Thoughts

After repeating the process several times, one conclusion became clear:

Murray Carter’s straight razor sharpening method works. It produces a shave-ready edge, and with practice it can deliver consistently good results.

At the same time, it differs significantly from traditional razor honing. The method uses more pressure, forms a burr, and removes more steel than many razor enthusiasts would normally prefer.

Whether that trade-off is acceptable depends on the razor being sharpened. A modern production razor may benefit from a faster sharpening method, while a rare vintage razor may justify a slower approach focused on preserving as much original steel as possible.

More than anything else, this experiment reinforced an important lesson:

Sharpening techniques should be evaluated by observation and experience rather than assumptions. Looking at the edge under magnification often reveals details that simply aren’t visible to the naked eye, and those details can change the way we think about sharpening altogether.