Thread: How many edges have you honed?

I'm not big on remembering anniversary dates or marking mile stones so I am just looking for educated guesses and round numbers. At our last Western NY meet Cassady made some comments about his usual honing style and I have been replaying it in the back of my head ever since and I assure you it is not intentional just the odd way my brain works and it brought me to my latest revelation. I then started thinking, how many edges did I hone prior to this revelation?

Well I have 100 and something straights and have gone though them all at least three times improving the edge as my skill improved and new hones were added. I've been honing since May of '08. I know it sounds a little weird to do the edges over and over again but I shave through all of them once and then start over. Up to now I have looked at my honing technique and stropping technique as two separate methods and probably was a bit anal about pressure and contact on the hone and felt the need to use two hands to be sure all parts of the edge were in contact with the hone when I wanted it to be. This weekend that changed.While I was able to get the HHT to perform on all straights before, now they pop w/o any effort. So...

I guess I have honed ~ 300 edges so far. My latest revelation in honing is to hold the razor as I would when stropping except run the edge first down the hone. Changing the hold on the straight while honing made me confident the edge was on the hone where I wanted it, improved the keenness of the edge and reduced my honing time by 2/3's.

Roughly, how many edges have you honed so far and what was your latest honing revelation?

Hey Joe --

So I'm wondering exactly what I said! I hope it wasn't offensive

cass

not at all Cassady. More along the line of honing standing up and not being used to honing sitting down. Also the hold you were using on the blade. It's hard for me to put into words because my thoughts are stored in pictures and now have my spin on them , but it was good and the improvements in time and quality are noticeable. I can show you the change next time we meet. Thank you.

I'm not sure what you guys are talking about. I've lost track of how many edges I've honed, probably about the same number as you have, over a longer period of time. I've only been honing for 5-6 years but the first few years were sort of apprentice-ship type honing. I got one or two samples of each type of blade that was out there and studied them, but I've only had maybe 100 razors come through my house. I have two experimental razors, one carbon and one stainless that I've honed hundreds of times over just playing with different techniques.

I haven't had any honing revelations in years. I think the last revelation I had was when I noticed that adding pressure while honing damages the spine. Oh no, I take that back. About 2 weeks ago I noticed that bevel balance was an important characteristic of sharpness and its impossible to evaluate balance on a microscope. I remember thinking "Geez, I've got to find a test for that".

I don't understand why you would ask the question. I drive my car every day but that doesn't mean I'm a good driver.

When I hone a razor I stop when it's sharp and make it comfortable on the strop and then shave with it for hopefully a month with a daily visit to the strop only. If it isn't comfortable I do it again.

I think if I honed razors daily rather than monthly, I would get quicker. I think if I honed different razors every day I would get more experienced. I think if I owned better hones, I could possibly do a better job.

I can hone a razor well enough that I don't need ask others to do it for me. I feel confident that I can make most razors shaving sharp.

But how many razors I've honed..........that's just repetitive isn't it.

Joe --

Aaah, the standing up / sitting down thing.

I did have a realization last night: I was honing up an old Wostie I got in a lot from the 'bay. At some point in its life (or perhaps from the factory) someone had rounded off the heel significantly -- but not the toe. I was a little concerned that the rolling X would round off the spike at the toe, and the heel wasn't getting sharp with a traditional stroke.

I remembered something that ChrisL said a while ago about thin stones... so I tried using the edge of my Shapton to hone up the heel, which worked well.

My realization: There's always more to learn.

cass

That is hard for me to say. Like any normal person I have over 100 straight razors and I have honed most of them at least once if not more. Many of them were ebay razors with special needs. These are good for the experience gained in honing out chips, using the rolling x and the like. Some of them were good enough after one honing session but many of them shaved and had to go back to the hones. They were good but needed to be better. Having no one to answer to but my cat gives me plenty of free time to stand at the kitchen sink and hone away. For a long time I was doing at least a razor a day, if not more, and I still do on many days if I can tear myself away from the computer.

I am more comfortable honing standing up and when I am home that is how I always do it. At work I hone sometimes when there are no customers to take care of. More frequently lately. In that case I hone sitting down and I have developed that stroke too. I always use one layer of tape. I know some say that this will have a negative effect on the geometry and they may be right. OTOH, if I can get a razor shaving sharp with tape I figure that the geometry must be good enough.

I have found that following Lynn's direction of "less strokes are better" is working for me. My skin prefers the edge off of a natural stone to a synthetic although the synthetic may leave a sharper edge. I have honed on short stubby stones, long narrow hones, eight X three both natural and synthetic. I have about 50 hones, like any normal person, and I find it intriguing to hone with one or another to see how they perform. Having so many hones it has taken time to get to "know" them. I have come to really love my Nortons and go to them more and more.

I have noticed Lynn refer to straight razor shaving as a sport. This is how I approach it and why I love it so much. When I shaved with a DE that was fun but it was still basically performing a chore that had to be done. Straight razor shaving OTOH, is a passion that I am totally involved in. I don't just take a manufactured blade out of a wrapper and insert it into a gizmo. It may be the coolest vintage Gillette or whatever but it is still just a gizmo that requires no more from me then manipulating it properly.

The straight razor is this piece of art that has been made by an expert craftsman, forged, ground and honed. I have to hone it, strop it and then use it with expertise to accomplish my shave. All of this has to be done with expertise. That is what I love about about it and why I agree with Lynn that it is indeed a sport.

Ok I dont know how many "edges" razors maybe a dozen or so??? Doesn't matter to me how many someone has honed 'cause I still am reading things I disagree with: synthetic honed edges are sharper than natural honed edges- no way. Pressure leads to spine wear? No, pressure on the spine leads to spine wear..... I am sure there are more

Originally Posted by kevint

Ok I dont know how many "edges" razors maybe a dozen or so??? Doesn't matter to me how many someone has honed 'cause I still am reading things I disagree with: synthetic honed edges are sharper than natural honed edges- no way. Pressure leads to spine wear? No, pressure on the spine leads to spine wear..... I am sure there are more

A better choice of words may have been harsher edge. That is on my skin anyway. I can't speak for yours.

I tried like crazy to get Lynn to post in this thread, last night in chat....