Has anyone honed their very first razor successfully?

[AlpinMacK]

I am just about to start shaving with a straight. I already have a decent razor that I found at an antique shop. My thinking is that if it was used to shave with, it should have already been honed decently. It has a pretty sharp edge now, but I get my Norton 4k8k in the mail tomorrow. I'd rather not wait to send it off to someone, and since I eventually need to learn how to hone, why not now? I do see the point of feeling what's it's like to start with a properly honed razor from the miesters but I'm a do-it-yourself kind of guy. I'd love to hear some thoughts.
Thanks.

[denissawyer]

Get it honed by someone else, you can later compare the sharpness of your current razor with the results you achieve when you hone it since you really dont know what is a nice level of sharpness.

[ZiggyDeath]

I get my Norton 4k8k in the mail tomorrow

Make sure you flatten it, because it won't be flat...

[AlpinMacK]

Sandpaper and a flat surface would work right? It doesn't have to be a diamond hone.

[A.de.Lioncourt]

Make sure you flatten it, because it won't be flat...

Best advice for doing it yourself. I was actually successful at learning to hone my first straight, but it took a few tries over a couple of weeks. The first time I used it, it was still quite "pully."

You would actually save yourself some time by sending off to be sharpened. I'm still tempted to do so myself just to see what a professional can do.

[Thebigspendur]

I would send it out so that way you'll have a reference as to what a shave ready razor should be. In answer to your question, probably most people have honed their first razor the problem is they really don't know if it has truly been honed.

[Suzuki]

Get it honed by someone else, you can later compare the sharpness of your current razor with the results you achieve when you hone it since you really dont know what is a nice level of sharpness.

I agree with this for the same reason - having your first razor honed by someone who knows what they're doing is the best way to get a benchmark for how sharp a str8 should be.

Also, most people use something finer than the 4/8 to finish their blades.

And while the razor may seem sharp - there's sharp and then there's shaving sharp.

[jlander]

Get it honed by someone else, you can later compare the sharpness of your current razor with the results you achieve when you hone it since you really dont know what is a nice level of sharpness.


I agree with this for the same reason - having your first razor honed by someone who knows what they're doing is the best way to get a benchmark for how sharp a str8 should be.

Also, most people use something finer than the 4/8 to finish their blades.

And while the razor may seem sharp - there's sharp and then there's shaving sharp.


+1 on both. You really would benefit from a reference blade, and at least look at getting a pasted strop fom Tony (http://shop.thewellshavedgentleman.com/main.sc).

[Amyn]

As has been mentioned here get it honed from someone else.

Honing in a skill you learn with practice. You can practice honing on some cheap str8s from ebay, and see how it works out for you.

[usqview]

i really agree with what everyone has said so far. it is ideal to have a benchmark as to what sharp is.

my suggestion is to buy an inexpensive straight from a member here or srp that has it shave ready while you work on trying to hone your straight. that way you still have one to learn on and one as a benchmark. you should be able to get a shave ready straight for under $40. i like the heavier grinds for a newbie. the stiffer grind is easier to get going through the stubble than the full hollows.

my 2 cents!


cheers, welcome to straights and keep us posted!
ryan

[Bruce]

Amack,

I agree with the advice of getting a benchmark blade. That was my way of starting despite my arrogance of believing that my 40+ years of carpenter tool and knife sharpening would guarantee my being able to easily and quickly learn how to sharpen razors...not.

It's my good fortune to have one of our honemeister live only a short distance from my home and my better fortune to have him give me demonstration of the honing process by sharpening one of my vintage razors -- while I watched almost eyeball to hone. This has probably greatly shortened my learning curve, but has by no means gotten me to a position of unerring competence.

Good luck

[Grigio]

It seems that everyone gets so caught up in these forums with THE BEST razor, THE BEST Shaving cream, THE BEST strop etc... that I think it gets forgotten that for most people a good/great product is enough. I mean if you have a cream that works, or a straight that you shave well with, why not stick with it? And if you can hone your own razor and get it to shave you comfortably, what's wrong with it?

I agree that a reference is a great idea. But I also think that if you are careful you should definitely be able to hone it yourself, and get a good shave from it. The satisfaction of doing it all yourself is worth the try. If you can't get it sharp enough to shave well, then send it off, and keep trying on a different razor.

Thats just my two cents worth.

[AlpinMacK]

Thank you Gregio! That's what I'm talking about. I may regret it, but at least I tried. Plus if I do shred my face, I can only blame myself and my lack of patience.

[denissawyer]

have fun

[KenS]

Snip-- I eventually need to learn how to hone, why not now?Snip--.

You're not alone in wanting to "Do It Yourself"; that's what I did. I have had reasonable success in sharpening the straights I have. OTOH I don't think I have them as sharp as they should be. I am signed up for the new B&B LE and plan to ask Joel to properly hone it for me before sending it out. I really want to find out for sure what a proper edge is like.
Be sure to let me / us know what you decide and how it turns out.
Ken.

[Eastree]

I had at least moderate success with my first attempt with honing. But I still suggest following the advice previously given here.

You see, it was not my first. I had at least (you guys know what I mean) one other shave ready razor, and the intent just to see how it worked out before sending it to have it honed properly.

[iron maiden]

My recent razors have all been bought shave ready and have been honed by members here....thanks Amyn & Joel.

I've got a pasted strop from Tony Miller coming, and will be using this to freshen up the blades I already have....

I agree with what the others have said....it is good to have a benchmark to go by.

But I do plan on getting a DMT 8k to sharpen the old vintage razors I received from my dad.

[Aperture]

Thank you Gregio! That's what I'm talking about. I may regret it, but at least I tried. Plus if I do shred my face, I can only blame myself and my lack of patience.

+1 on most the advice given, but don't shrink from doing it yourself. My first hone was a DIY job, and it shaves well. If you read up a bit before sitting down with your stuff, I'm sure you'll do fine.

[Bruce]

Amack,

Please keep us posted on your success with honing your first razor and let us know the details. We dabblers in honing would appreciate the insights.

[Thebigspendur]

If you are going to hone your razor as a beginner the problem is, of course we don't know your abilities. Maybe your a budding honemeister. We don't know that however in general the problem is many will hone their first razor themselves and wind up really ruining a nice razor and many will hone it and yes it shaves and they think they have the cat's meow in keaness but you see, they really don't know and at some point down the road they buy a truly shave ready razor and then they realize they have been using a less than optimal razor. There are many who have been shaving for years and really don't know what a truly shave ready razor feels like. So sending it out will give you that benchmark as you learn to hone yourself. If you want to practice honing get a cheap Eboy special and practice away on that.

[Daves]

I started out with several Wapiencas, one of which was honed by Lynn. I dropped one of them which left a huge nick. I redid the edge with a Norton 4k/8k and a Chinese 12k. The result was good. I also honed the other Wapi and I had good results with that as well.

At the beginning of January I bought a Dovo 6/8 Special pre-honed from Vintage Blades. I had something to compare with the Wapis. I thought I did well. Now I am trying to decide if I can buy a new razor (probably a Dovo) and hone it myself. Do you think that is a good idea?

DaveS

[Big_E]

Well...No. I got my first razor was from Bill Ellis and it came shave ready, I just needed to begin stropping after the first shave. It gave me a model to compare and strive for. I honed my second razor successfully after 2 attempts. I botched the first time and had to start from the beginning. I used a 1000 grit Arkansas, then moved up to a 4000/8000 Norton. I was shaving on my own after the second attempt! I haven't looked back since. :tongue_sm
Ernest

[GsSixgun]

You have already received the best advice possible, get one honed first so you have something as a benchmark!!!! (benchmark would be that it shaves your whiskers smoothly and closely)

What this doesn't say is the in 10 laps on your strop you can wreck that first hone...And then your back at square one..

Here's the other one, every post you're going to read about buying a "Shave Ready" straight gives this advice... No razor can be truly shave ready because there are to many variables from person to person. Even the "Honemiesters" will tell you that your at least going to have to tweak the razor to your own face....

So what do you do now???????

LEARN TO HONE YOUR OWN!!!!!! :biggrin: OHHHHHH Christ that even rhymes hehehe

[Thebigspendur]

You have already received the best advice possible, get one honed first so you have something as a benchmark!!!! (benchmark would be that it shaves your whiskers smoothly and closely)

What this doesn't say is the in 10 laps on your strop you can wreck that first hone...And then your back at square one..

Here's the other one, every post you're going to read about buying a "Shave Ready" straight gives this advice... No razor can be truly shave ready because there are to many variables from person to person. Even the "Honemiesters" will tell you that your at least going to have to tweak the razor to your own face....

So what do you do now???????


LEARN TO HONE YOUR OWN!!!!!! :biggrin: OHHHHHH Christ that even rhymes hehehe

Well Glen I think most would advise a rookie to shave with the razor he gets from a honemeister without stropping the first time so he doesn't mess up the edge. As far as tweaking a razor to your own face you gonna give us all a complex now. But really don't you think thats more a comfort thing than making it so you get a good close shave? (assuming of course it truly shave ready generally speaking)

[RobertFontaine]

I'm working on honing my first straight with no reference blade (yet).

I think the challenge is you will definitely be scraping and cutting yourself.
I have.

You may also give up before you get an edge. I'm on my fifth attempt at the moment and I've gotten to the point where I have a razor sharp enough for a good shave on my cheeks and neck but still too inconsistent for my chin and lip.

To get to this pojnt has cost quite a bit in time and effort.
Lee Valley has been collecting my money rapidly:

A norton 4/8K, a DMT 1200, 3M .5 micron paper, .5 micron stropping paste and a couple of double sided leather strops.

If you're keeping track that is over 200$ to sharpen my 20$ Wapi.
I currently have a chinese 12k on order and several more straights in transit.

Shipping my razors out to be sharpened and then maintaining them with a 4 sided pasted strop would have been cheaper, quicker and sharper....

or I could have purchased a pre-sharpened straight from a reputable dealer as part of a package and also saved money and time...

However, I am quite a bit more interested by the process then the result.
I will still likely purchase a couple of art pieces before I say enough but before that point I will likely hone, polish, and rescale a few razors until I feel comfortable that I should be using a nice razor rather than just looking at pictures of them.

- Bob

[GsSixgun]

Well Glen I think most would advise a rookie to shave with the razor he gets from a honemeister without stropping the first time so he doesn't mess up the edge. As far as tweaking a razor to your own face you gonna give us all a complex now. But really don't you think thats more a comfort thing than making it so you get a good close shave? (assuming of course it truly shave ready generally speaking)


I knew I should not have even read this thread :smile::smile::smile:
I always get too caught up in them, I am in the very small minority that believes that each person should be able to upkeep their own blades....
So from this point forward my advise is going to be....Get your first razor honed, or buy shave ready, then learn to hone.....:blushing:

[Ranat1]

Hey don't feel too bad. I learned to hone my own with no benchmark. My face will never forgive me but I did it and I can make them every bit as sharp as the ones I have gotten from other members. The thing is that it makes the whole process suck alot for a while. Enjoy it. Get a shave ready razor or go to a honemiester. Then learn to hone because that will make things more fun. I regret doing it this way. Believe my face.

[AlpinMacK]

Boy, it seems I opened a can of worms. So I got my Norton 4k,8k over the weekend and honed my razor. Since it was only $8 from an antique shop, I'm not too worried about wrecking it. Anyway, I seem to have done a decent job. I shaved with it the next day and it went pretty well. No major cuts and very few nicks, although I did get a little razor burn from my final Against the Grain pass. All in all, I would say it's a success even though it wasn't the most comfortable shave I've had. Heck, maybe the blade was perfect (not likely) and my technique was terrible. It was my first straight shave after all. Thanks to all who replied, and the next good razor I get, I will send it out.

[headdoc]

Ok guys, where can I find a honemeister and how much does it cost to have a straight done. I live in Chattanooga and would also like to see how to do it first hand.

[kenrup]

If you are going to hone your razor as a beginner the problem is, of course we don't know your abilities. Maybe your a budding honemeister. We don't know that however in general the problem is many will hone their first razor themselves and wind up really ruining a nice razor and many will hone it and yes it shaves and they think they have the cat's meow in keaness but you see, they really don't know and at some point down the road they buy a truly shave ready razor and then they realize they have been using a less than optimal razor. There are many who have been shaving for years and really don't know what a truly shave ready razor feels like. So sending it out will give you that benchmark as you learn to hone yourself. If you want to practice honing get a cheap Eboy special and practice away on that.

+1 one from me. A razor that is in shaving shape is a truly an amazing joy.

[Grigio]

Boy, it seems I opened a can of worms. So I got my Norton 4k,8k over the weekend and honed my razor. Since it was only $8 from an antique shop, I'm not too worried about wrecking it. Anyway, I seem to have done a decent job. I shaved with it the next day and it went pretty well. No major cuts and very few nicks, although I did get a little razor burn from my final Against the Grain pass. All in all, I would say it's a success even though it wasn't the most comfortable shave I've had. Heck, maybe the blade was perfect (not likely) and my technique was terrible. It was my first straight shave after all. Thanks to all who replied, and the next good razor I get, I will send it out.

Way to go!!
See once you jump in, the water isn't that bad.
Thanks for keeping us updated.

[Webro]

The problem I found was that although I got my razor honed properly, I managed to mess up the edge through bad stropping.I was very lucky in that a local guy who I e-mailed through the Straight Razor Place was prepared to give me tuition and show me how to hone and strop.Have to say it was excellent and really helped.Turned out the problem was with my stropping!!
Nothing beats being shown how to do something.

[matt321]

I started with a fleamarket razor. I honed it myself. I shaved with it and never turned back. So it can be done.

On the other hand, that was six months ago, and my edges are still getting better with every honing session. It's fun to read the forum and experiment with what others suggest.

[joke1176]

I have been involved in straights for approx. 4 months now and I hone my own. I use a approx. 1K oilstone to rough em in, and a Norton 8K to polish. Finish it off on a strop and test it on some hair, shave shave shave!

Just go for it, how else will you learn?

[JohnP]

It can be done, but experience, as they say, is a great teacher....
I did hone my first straight to shave ready (ok, not the one I used as a scraper years ago...the first one I bought to SHAVE with...) but it wasn't the FIRST time I honed it that it was shave-ready....
If you have a Norton, you're already ahead of where I was. My first shaving edge came from the white rods in a Spyderco triangle sharpmaker. I didn't have a razor hone at the time, and the video from Spyderco showed it being used to sharpen a straight...so I said "why not". Honed on either side until the edge bit into my wet thumbnail all the way down the edge, then stropped the @@#$ out of it on my meager Illinois strop. The little one-until it passed the HHT, barely. It did shave, but was no where near the best edge I've shaved with.
Even if you are getting good shaving edges, pick one up from someone like Lynn or one of the others, to compare your progress. Even look at the edges if possible, under a microscope (I just use the cheap 10 dollar Radio Shack 60-100x pocket scope-lots of guys do) and see what is happening with each step you do to the razor. It helps.
John P.

[Philadelph]

I think it all depends on what you feel comfortable with. My first straight I had professionally done before it was shipped to me. After I got into it and got my hones etc., I read about honing a LOT before attempting. When I did actually hone my first razor it went smoothly and it shaved much better than my professionally sharpened razor ever did. If you do want something to compare to, send it out, but it isn't "necessary".

[cityjim]

I'd say take your new hone and go to town with it . One can learn by doing .


cityjim

[tomjr]

go for it you won,t learn by shying away. victory favors the bold. the test is in the shave.:wink:

[mdunn]

zombie threeeeeeeaaaaad, back from the deeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaad

:a17:

[SavantStrike]

zombie threeeeeeeaaaaad, back from the deeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaad

:a17:

There have been a lot of those recently. Is a rise in the number of zombie threads a sign of the shavepocalypse?

[gugi]

and the post is gone

[Chimensch]

Believe me, I do get tired saying this. I've been shaving with a straight for almost 30 years. Until I found the Internet forums a year ago April, all I had was a razor, a barber hone and a strop. The razor was a Dovo #41 inox that I bought from Chicago Cutlery in 1980. It was not shave ready and ripped up my face. I went back a couple of times asking the clerk for help until a customer overheard me and told me I needed a barber hone. That solved my problem. When I learned about honemeisters from the forums, I sent a couple of razors out to be honed and there was really no difference with what I had been doing on my own. I say go and hone your own razor, it's not all that difficult. Now, I should clarify that I only buy new razors and bringing an eBay special back from the dead is another story and requires a little more skill, but in the end, you only learn by doing it yourself.

As for most people not shaving off a Norton 8K, that may be technically true but there's no reason why you can't kept a perfectly fine shave off an 8K hone. In fact, I think new shavers would be a lot better off if they learned how to shave off of an 8K hone instead of immediately getting involved with pasted strops.

[SavantStrike]

Believe me, I do get tired saying this. I've been shaving with a straight for almost 30 years. Until I found the Internet forums a year ago April, all I had was a razor, a barber hone and a strop. The razor was a Dovo #41 inox that I bought from Chicago Cutlery in 1980. It was not shave ready and ripped up my face. I went back a couple of times asking the clerk for help until a customer overheard me and told me I needed a barber hone. That solved my problem. When I learned about honemeisters from the forums, I sent a couple of razors out to be honed and there was really no difference with what I had been doing on my own. I say go and hone your own razor, it's not all that difficult. Now, I should clarify that I only buy new razors and bringing an eBay special back from the dead is another story and requires a little more skill, but in the end, you only learn by doing it yourself.

As for most people not shaving off a Norton 8K, that may be technically true but there's no reason why you can't kept a perfectly fine shave off an 8K hone. In fact, I think new shavers would be a lot better off if they learned how to shave off of an 8K hone instead of immediately getting involved with pasted strops.

I think what you say makes sense, although I would have to say perhaps new shavers should get used to using a barber hone/finishing hone because it's a lot easier than an 8k. When I honed my first blade, it wasn't good enough off of my 8k stone, but it was usable after my finishing hone. Getting the edge shave ready off of 8k takes practice IMO, but getting a usable edge off of a finishing hone is much easier (I had success the first time).

All this being said, using paste is just SO easy. Of course, it supposedly guarantees the razor will eventually need to be honed again, so I guess even if you use paste, learning to hone is a must.

[BEAR DEN]

I felt the same way about doing it yourself...and that's what I did. I honestly thought I was doing it pretty good until I purchased a shave ready str8 here on B/S/T, then another one at SRP...finally had Ambrose a member here hone a couple for me and now I know that I so sucked at the beginning. IMO get one honed so at least you can gauge yourself how your doing. YMMV! :biggrin:

[professorchaos]

All of us do...eventually!

[ambrose]

Yes we all learn how in the long haul, some people become borderline obsessive :rolleyes:

[cityjim]

As we all will learn , there are no real professionals out there .

I bought a new $280.00 Henckel razor from a (name hidden) shaving shop on the net . This shop uses the grand master of all straight razors for their honing service . Everyone here and at SRP will recognize this "honemeister's" name . Razor was alledgedly "shave ready" .

Strop it up nice and got half my right cheek done . Blade was sharp for a few strokes . Then the blade dulled out like butter . Tried the lower right neck area next and no dice . Nothing but scrapping lather . Hairs were left unharmed . Tried the other cheek and got nothing . I didn't even get a half facial shave . Tried adjusting razor angles and no joy .

So that lead me to buying my own Spyderco hones and doing it myself . Now I can easily shave with that razor . Fact is the term "shave ready" is so vague and really means nothing .


cityjim

[Chimensch]

As we all will learn , there are no real professionals out there .

I bought a new $280.00 Henckel razor from a (name hidden) shaving shop on the net . This shop uses the grand master of all straight razors for their honing service . Everyone here and at SRP will recognize this "honemeister's" name . Razor was alledgedly "shave ready" .

Strop it up nice and got half my right cheek done . Blade was sharp for a few strokes . Then the blade dulled out like butter . Tried the lower right neck area next and no dice . Nothing but scrapping lather . Hairs were left unharmed . Tried the other cheek and got nothing . I didn't even get a half facial shave . Tried adjusting razor angles and no joy .

So that lead me to buying my own Spyderco hones and doing it myself . Now I can easily shave with that razor . Fact is the term "shave ready" is so vague and really means nothing .


cityjim


Bravo CityJim! I have to say that I really look forward to your posts. I can always count on you to get my blood pumping in the morning.

I fully agree with what I think is your main point, i.e., that everyone who shaves with a straight should hone their own razors. As for why a razor supposedly honed by the Unnamed was dull, or quickly failed, when you received it, I think the actual explanation may be more complicated.

[AFDavis11]

I think what you say makes sense, although I would have to say perhaps new shavers should get used to using a barber hone/finishing hone because it's a lot easier than an 8k. When I honed my first blade, it wasn't good enough off of my 8k stone, but it was usable after my finishing hone. Getting the edge shave ready off of 8k takes practice IMO, but getting a usable edge off of a finishing hone is much easier (I had success the first time).

All this being said, using paste is just SO easy. Of course, it supposedly guarantees the razor will eventually need to be honed again, so I guess even if you use paste, learning to hone is a must.

Good thread. I simply wrote "Finishing Hone" on the side of my Norton and discovered it actually works fine.

[English]

As we all will learn , there are no real professionals out there .

I bought a new $280.00 Henckel razor from a (name hidden) shaving shop on the net . This shop uses the grand master of all straight razors for their honing service . Everyone here and at SRP will recognize this "honemeister's" name . Razor was alledgedly "shave ready" .

Strop it up nice and got half my right cheek done . Blade was sharp for a few strokes . Then the blade dulled out like butter . Tried the lower right neck area next and no dice . Nothing but scrapping lather . Hairs were left unharmed . Tried the other cheek and got nothing . I didn't even get a half facial shave . Tried adjusting razor angles and no joy .

So that lead me to buying my own Spyderco hones and doing it myself . Now I can easily shave with that razor . Fact is the term "shave ready" is so vague and really means nothing .


cityjim

I didn't have forums to read when I learnt to hone a razor and there wasn't anybody to turn to. It was the Belgian coticule that helped me the most.

Today, I enjoy fixing up razors that have got tired and moving them on. I don't regard myself as "a professional" because I don't do enough of this type of work to be an expert. I am meticulous and I have my own pride. When I make a razor shave ready, I always finish by giving it a test against the grain on my neck. After that, I wash and then dip the blade in boiling water and restrop the blade. I very rarely use pastes because I always think that is a quick fix for the guy buying the razor. What I do is restrop the razor. Now maybe this final stropping can dull the blade if I make a mistake and anybody can make a mistake. But in my mind I always sell a razor that is shave ready subject to the final stropping.

Shave ready means that the razor will out of the box, shave the owners face comfortably and effortlessly.

But I can see how mistakes can happen. If the blade is not oiled, the edge will dull very quickly. If the blade rests in stock for a period of time it will dull. The other thing is that some guys always meddle with the razor. They want to feel what shave ready feels like. They can blunt the edge just messing about. Newbees usually strop the blade blunt on their first attempt.
Sometimes they will do this before even shaving, because they want to try out their new toys. It's human nature to want to meddle and it's human nature to make the occasional mistake. I don't know of any guy who hones razors who will not listen to a complaint sympathetically.

The reason I learned to hone was simple. I had no other choice.
Today the reason I would learn to hone is because it is relaxing, fun and very satisfying. The advantage is that if you do screw up your edge, you can fix it, quickly and to your own full satisfaction.

[cityjim]

Bravo CityJim! I have to say that I really look forward to your posts. I can always count on you to get my blood pumping in the morning.

I fully agree with what I think is your main point, i.e., that everyone who shaves with a straight should hone their own razors. As for why a razor supposedly honed by the Unnamed was dull, or quickly failed, when you received it, I think the actual explanation may be more complicated.


Here it is . I have a tough as nails stainless steel beard , lol . For reference I can ruin a Feather DE blade in one shave :eek:. I can get two or more shaves with a DE Feather but not blood free and comfy . This might explain why that expertly honed razor failed so fast . I would "guess" , don't know for sure , at that razor being honed all the way out with 0.5um pastes . And with a beard like mine that edge falls away fast .

For ME , honed out above my Spyderco UF , dulls the edge too fast . Yes they are sharp and the edge is purrrrty but my beard destroys it . I should use a camping axe , LOL .

My point was not about the honing service that company used . Was about each one of us need different items in our shave kit to work with our OWN face . Some guys may have baby fine hairs on their face . Me , I could clean a bar-b-que grill with my beard . See what I mean ?

So "shave ready" to me means nothing . A certain razor might do wonders for Joe Snuffy . But for David Kiljoy it might fail to shave at all . So I bought my own hones and did it myself . It's all about beard types I would think .

FYI , I use the barber method for my shave prep . Wash face and lather up . Apply hot azz towel for 3 minutes and then shave as normal . Just in case anyone was wondering if I was doing something wrong . Which I might be lol . :biggrin:


cityjim

[cityjim]

I didn't have forums to read when I learnt to hone a razor and there wasn't anybody to turn to. It was the Belgian coticule that helped me the most.

Today, I enjoy fixing up razors that have got tired and moving them on. I don't regard myself as "a professional" because I don't do enough of this type of work to be an expert. I am meticulous and I have my own pride. When I make a razor shave ready, I always finish by giving it a test against the grain on my neck. After that, I wash and then dip the blade in boiling water and restrop the blade. I very rarely use pastes because I always think that is a quick fix for the guy buying the razor. What I do is restrop the razor. Now maybe this final stropping can dull the blade if I make a mistake and anybody can make a mistake. But in my mind I always sell a razor that is shave ready subject to the final stropping.

Shave ready means that the razor will out of the box, shave the owners face comfortably and effortlessly.

But I can see how mistakes can happen. If the blade is not oiled, the edge will dull very quickly. If the blade rests in stock for a period of time it will dull. The other thing is that some guys always meddle with the razor. They want to feel what shave ready feels like. They can blunt the edge just messing about. Newbees usually strop the blade blunt on their first attempt.
Sometimes they will do this before even shaving, because they want to try out their new toys. It's human nature to want to meddle and it's human nature to make the occasional mistake. I don't know of any guy who hones razors who will not listen to a complaint sympathetically.

The reason I learned to hone was simple. I had no other choice.
Today the reason I would learn to hone is because it is relaxing, fun and very satisfying. The advantage is that if you do screw up your edge, you can fix it, quickly and to your own full satisfaction.


Well stated English .

I think everyone with a straight will eventually faul an edge at one point . Then they will need some hones . A straight user can't rely on a honing service unless they have a fleet of razors like most of us :cool:. And lets face it , honing is not rocket science .

I think the largest issue with honing is not staying on the coarse stones long enough . I've done it several times . Probably will do it again :lol:


cityjim

[cityjim]

Believe me, I do get tired saying this. I've been shaving with a straight for almost 30 years. Until I found the Internet forums a year ago April, all I had was a razor, a barber hone and a strop. The razor was a Dovo #41 inox that I bought from Chicago Cutlery in 1980. It was not shave ready and ripped up my face. I went back a couple of times asking the clerk for help until a customer overheard me and told me I needed a barber hone. That solved my problem. When I learned about honemeisters from the forums, I sent a couple of razors out to be honed and there was really no difference with what I had been doing on my own. I say go and hone your own razor, it's not all that difficult. Now, I should clarify that I only buy new razors and bringing an eBay special back from the dead is another story and requires a little more skill, but in the end, you only learn by doing it yourself.

As for most people not shaving off a Norton 8K, that may be technically true but there's no reason why you can't kept a perfectly fine shave off an 8K hone. In fact, I think new shavers would be a lot better off if they learned how to shave off of an 8K hone instead of immediately getting involved with pasted strops.


+1 agreed Chimensch

We should outfit our shaving arsenal just as a real barber would . Which means a hone or three of some variety .

Now to figure out how to get that barbers chair in my BATHROOM :lol::lol::lol: The wife is going to love that ...........


cityjim

[Chimensch]

Here it is . I have a tough as nails stainless steel beard , lol . For reference I can ruin a Feather DE blade in one shave :eek:. I can get two or more shaves with a DE Feather but not blood free and comfy . This might explain why that expertly honed razor failed so fast . I would "guess" , don't know for sure , at that razor being honed all the way out with 0.5um pastes . And with a beard like mine that edge falls away fast .

The funny thing is that I was going to offer the very same explanation, that the edge was finished with CrOx. I experimented with pastes and gave them up for the very same reason: the edge doesn't last. The reason that I decided not to post that is because about a month ago I got fed up with the atmosphere over at the Unnamed's forum and stopped going there. As I was composing my response to you, I realized that I was not capable of discussing the Unnamed calmly or objectively and so I edited my remarks down to the minimum.

[Doc4]

Oddly enough, this thread pops up today ... and I just honed a razor last night. I'd been basically "shaving on borrowed time" ... using a few "new" razors I bought in pre-honed condition, without much getting out the stones myself.

Last night I had the opportunity at last, so got out the stones and started filing away at a cheap-o e-bay special. First the Norton 4k/8k, and then a bit of coticule. This morning I got about a "B" shave with bits being "B+". I had tried a couple times before ... and not gotten the blade to a passing grade at shave time, so would put it down after a stroke or two and go back to my borrowed time razors. But today ... not bad!

[cityjim]

Keep at it . Go slow and take your time . Hone a bit and put it down for a day or three . Go back and finish her off . Use minimal pressure while honing . Let the stone do most all the work . It should come out nice for you .


cityjim

[Chimensch]

I squirt water on the hone from a spray bottle and then spread the water around with a little bit of liquid soap on my finger. It breaks the surface tension of the water and makes it cover the whole surface of the hone instead of beading. It also helps the edge of the razor make better contact with the hone. Then, as I'm honing, I watch how the water flows over the blade to make sure that the entire edge is touching the hone.

[Hughies_online]

In order to hone effectively you will need a lot more than one stone. The cost of learning to hone effectively is very high.

[mainaman]

I did,
I got a LeGrelot which came shave ready, however after a month of use it started pulling too much. I was not able to bring it back with CrO strop, so I got on the stones.
I wanted to work with the highest possible grit which will bring the edge back, and it turned out to be a 6k King stone, followed by 8k King, 10k Super Stone, CrO, leather strop. The razor right now feels same if not a bit better than the condition it came out of the box.

[mainaman]

I knew I should not have even read this thread :smile::smile::smile:
I always get too caught up in them, I am in the very small minority that believes that each person should be able to upkeep their own blades....
So from this point forward my advise is going to be....Get your first razor honed, or buy shave ready, then learn to hone.....:blushing:
well I am glad there are others that think that too.
Remember when you asked me if I wanted mine honed?
I did my first honing 4 days ago no problem whatsoever.