What's new

Help a Noob

My first effort at touch up honing.

I used my Whippeddog barber's hone.

I rinsed the hone to remove residual grit.

I lathered it up with shaving soap.

I did 10 - 15 passes, X pattern, edge first, with my razor flat on the stone with moderate pressure. Finished with Cr02 stropping and leather strop. The honing worked well, my first post honing shave was yesterday. It was a nice smooth shave.

Any suggestions for improvement? Should I tape my spine?

Thanks, all.
 
Last edited:
Sounds like you did quite well and are your way towards good maintenance of your blades. :thumbup:

I usually do no more than about five or six back and forth strokes on a barbers hone. I tend to do it after about a week or so of shaves with one razor. I find more strokes than that, unless the home is truly ultra fine, or the razor very dull, does not really improve the edge much. I also try and keep the pressure rather light. Many barbers hones cut quite fast and are very hard. They can, if you are not careful, microchip your edge. Especially, if you use to much pressure. I speak from experience here. An overly enthusiastic trip to the barbers once taught me this lesson. Paste and stropping then usually then brings the razor to shave ready condition.

If your shaves are good, then your process is just fine. You might try a few less strokes next time to see if you can recover the edge as well with the lower number of strokes. Also, try and keep the pressure just above enough to keep the blade flat on the stone.

Did you lap your barbers hone and sand/remove any edge chips on the long sides of at least one side of the hone? If not, I might also suggest that. Even small edge chips on a hone can result in micro-chipping, if the edge catches on a pass or the spine wiggles even just a tad while you are honing.

Otherwise keep it up and have fun!
 

Kentos

B&B's Dr. Doolittle.
Staff member
+1

You honed your razor, you still have all your digits, and on top of that you got a smooth shave??? You are golden.
 
@ Natchez - The hone is as it came from Larry, so I am pretty sure it was lapped by him.

I'll do my other straights now that I have some confidence with this.

I'm really enjoying straight shaving. The upkeep part was the only part I was dreading.

Thanks, all.
 
Last edited:
If you're waiting until you feel the razor needs touching up before doing it then I'd do more laps than you did. I'd be doing 50-60. The other option is at the end of every week do say 5-10 laps on the hone.
 
If you're waiting until you feel the razor needs touching up before doing it then I'd do more laps than you did. I'd be doing 50-60. The other option is at the end of every week do say 5-10 laps on the hone.

Yes, I was dreading it so much, the razors really needed it.
 
Top Bottom