Local Honing - Sydney, Australia

[negz]

Hey guys,

My razor (DOVO Silver Steel) could really use a hone. It was a birthday present so I'd rather not break it by trying to hone it myself for now - I'll buy a second hand razor to practice with first. So, does anyone know a place in Sydney where I can take it to get honed in the mean time?

Also, any tips for removing very minor rust? I've had some tiny spots show up despite my anal efforts to keep the razor dry, so the plan is to get rid of the existing rust and apply some camellia oil to prevent it in future.

Thanks,
Nic

[negz]

Well, I've just called some scissor sharpening places and apparantly it's illegal to provide a service honing razors in NSW at pain of a large fine from the health department. Has been for about ten years apparantly. Guess I'll have to learn myself.

Edit - Hrm, ok apparently it's illegal for a barber/hairdresser to reuse a razor, and they enforce this by fining people who offer razor sharpening services. Despite this all the guidelines seem to say straight razors are 'not recommended' rather than prohibited in barber shops.

[TromboneGuy]

Hmmm. If you know of a barber that uses a straight razor, ask them to teach you to hone your razor. Ask if they'll demonstrate on your razor. Then buy them lunch and a beer.

[Must Dash]

I've got my name down for a Le Grelot, and that will be my first straight razor. I'm just starting to ask around for honing resources. I was told that there is a barber shop at Warringah Mall in Brookvale that does straight razor shaves and I'm hoping that they may be able to help.

You could possibly PM Straight up (a B&B member). He lives in Sydney and has used a straight for several years.

Anyway, appreciate it if you can PM me if you find anything, and I'll do the same for you.

Cheers

Jeremy

[Citizen D]

I haven't even bothered looking for a honing service here in Melbourne given the abysmal lack of local decent shaving suppliers.
My plan is to learn and be self-sufficient. However I'd like to be kept in the loop if you guys find a local source in case my initial efforts produce nothing better than shaving with a butter knife.

[Must Dash]

I've contacted a few of the people who sell straight razors in Sydney. Their responses varied from useless to.. well, no, actually their responses were pretty uniform.

Cheers


Jeremy

[Greg Frazer]

G'day Mate...

I hone razors for the local barbershops... and Id be happy to help.

If you're willing to cover postage each way, I'll hone your razor/s for free.

Certainly Im not in Lynn Abrams league but I can guarantee your razors will not be harmed.

PM me if you cant find any help in Sydney... and I'll give you my address

Greg Frazer

[Must Dash]

Hi Greg

Welcome to B&B. Great to know that we've got someone to turn to for help. I'm in line for the Le Grelot ( http://www.badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=34642 ) which I'm guessing will be arriving in April or May. According to Joel, once he hones it, I won't need to have it honed again, as long as I look after it. I'll do my best, but being that I'm yet to try a Straight razor, I can't be sure I won't stuff it up. What I can be sure of is that I won't be satisfied with one straight.

And a huge thank you for your offer to do this free of charge. That's a really nice gesture and I very much appreciate your generosity.

Hope to hear more from you on B&B.

Cheers


Jeremy

[Greg Frazer]

G'day Mate

Thanks for that... Ive actually been visitng B&B for about 18months.... just havent had anything to say.

More active on another straight razor site... though, even there, i tend to only post if i have something useful to offer.

Greg Frazer

[negz]

Hi Greg, I'll PM you ASAP. I actually called a few scissor sharpening places who told me it was illegal to get razors honed in NSW. But then most of the actual health dept guidelines indicated that straight razors were "not recommended" for barbers rather than outright not allowed.

Edit - just realised you're not in NSW. Thanks for the offer but I'm thinking I might buy some honing gear and start learning myself. I wouldn't have anything to shave with if I sent my razor away for a few days. :P

[Greg Frazer]

That's ok Negz

No I'm not in NSW... so you're right... it would be a few days turn around.

I havent heard of the rules you mentioned but I'm sure they're pretty close to accurate. None of the barbershops up here use straight razors day to day... they'll shave you with your own razor or they use feathers... but most (if they know how to) will sharpen a razor for you or put you onto someone who will.

Greg Frazer

[newson]

as an old sydney boy, and sr user of some twenty years, here's my tip for rust prevention in humid climes. get yourself a cigar box to store the razors, and throw in few some mothballs. the camphor vaporizes to form a film which coats the metal.
when you take the razor from the box, the camphor evaporates and you're shave-ready. it's never damaged any of the non-metal parts of my various razors (bone, plastic, wood etc).

as far as honing in australia goes - buckley's! i do my own, but if you want to outlay minimum dollars, the ultra-polishing film from 3m (0-5micron diamonds embedded in mylar film) is cheap and cheerful. only a few bucks per sheet.

[onimaru55]

Hi negz. Greg Frazer told me of your honing plight. If you still need help give me a holla. I'm new to the forum but not to sharp and pointy things. Maybe I could help ?
BTW I'm in Sydney.

[redoak]

Great to see that we have some Aussie talent in this department. I definitely plan on trying out the Straight Razors some time in the near future, so I’ll definitely calling/ asking for some honing assistance.
All the best.

[Greg Frazer]

Os is a solid bloke and knows what hes doing

All of my interaction with him has been positive

When distance was a factor in rendering assistance to the southern guys... I thought Os might be the perfect solution.

Greg Frazer

[onimaru55]

Thanks Greg. We all learn from disasters and mistakes but someone sharing knowledge lessens the frequency and helps keep the art alive. I wish there were forums like this when I started with str8's. When did they invent computers ??!