Thread: One Stone Honing.. from Lynn and Glen

Originally Posted by wsfarrell

I noticed a couple things in the gssixgun videos:

1. He had a full beard.

2. He was inconsistent in the way he turned the razor at the end of each stroke, sometimes spine down, sometimes edge down.

I'm certainly in no position to criticize, but everything I've seen/read/heard says that you never ever ever have the edge facing the stone. Is that advice just for newbies?

Actually I am very consistent, I consistently do it wrong when I use two hands, and consistently do it right with one

Learn to turn on the spine now when you start... that is right... In fact if you listen you will hear me say that in there IIRC...

Originally Posted by TopCat

+1...I just received the Blue Star Solingen that Glen honed in the video, and like the numerous others he has honed for me, it arrived in perfect condition, and shaves like a dream.

LOL now you know what I meant when I said that razor was a "star"
she was in a video

Originally Posted by gssixgun

LOL now you know what I meant when I said that razor was a "star"
she was in a video

LOL, If she's ever up for auction, i'm sure she'll command a premium with that pedigree.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Actually I am very consistent, I consistently do it wrong when I use two hands, and consistently do it right with one

This is just quantum physics versus Newtonian science. It may look wrong but works just fine in a given set of circumstances.

Great vids G.

I noticed that Glen didn't defend his beard and although he doesn't need help defending himself (he teaches it) I will interject; and "at this time" I'm sure he has a million other things on his mind. Yes, Glen has a beard, but you will be hard pressed to find a cleaner trimmed/edged beard on anyone, anywhere.

This is a great thread.

I find it interesting that Glen was the one who gave me the tip to hold the stone in my hand to help me learn to flip the razor "properly", and I will admit to being more than a little surprised to see him flip the razor over its edge.

On another note. I love the fact that he's demonstrating one stone honing methods too. Being somewhat of a minimalist, I cringe at the thought that people "need" a bunch of stones. I understand wanting them, but it doesn't require an extensive armamentarium of stones to hone or maintain our razors.

Good stuff here. I would love to see more minimalism and simplification

Glenn and Lynn, thanks for the videos. I've watched them more than a couple times and keep learning something new each time. Probably the biggest tip for me was seeing how much time you put into the 1K. I could hear the hairs literally pinging off your arm!

...Ray

Originally Posted by gssixgun

You are not the only one that thinks there are way more circles, but trust me I didn't,,,
....
Edit: I just re-watched it, there are more than 25

...
I can assure you there is less than 40, I have tried to do more circles on a 8 x 3 and 40 was the most I have ever been able to do...

Thanx for the videos. Lots of useful information for a honing-noob such as myself. Cheers!

However, at this point in time I must ask about the number of circles.

Theres a huge difference between 20 and 65 to 100 or whatever it was you were doing or youre counting circles in pairs? which would make your "40" match up with the 80 or so I counted in one spot in one of the vids.

Lots of no-clue noobs like myself are gonna cling to quotes like "20 circles" which are, at this point in time, being spread as gospel on shaving forums because you guys said/wrote so.

And when 20 doesnt work we will be scared of "overhoning" after we try 10 more...

I believe the "community" as a whole would benefit from an accurate acccount since people, at this point in time, stare at and reproduce numbers if given a chance.

Lynn writes down the recipe for this method in his first post in this thread and states that he used 40 circles. Is he counting the same way as you and we should be multiplying that by five?

I am deeply and sincerely thankful to both you guys, and all the other contributors to this forum, but what everyone is reproducing in tips is "20 circles, Lynn and Glenn said so" not "go by feel".

If this comes off as harsh criticism I apologize. At this point in time I am suffering from sleep deprivation and might not be as kind and eloquent in writing as I would like to aspire to.

kind regards
/Håkan

You have to remember both Lynn & Glen are talking whilst demonstrating so exact numbers can't happen. People that grasp at numbers & not the essence of the exercise are missing the point. Lyn is honing on a Naniwa 1k, a faster stone than the King 1k Glen is using. I counted "about 40 " circles that Lynn did. Glen did groups of "about 20-25" but all the way down the hone. You can do as many circles you think are appropriate but you cannot blindly expect an exact number of strokes to automatically sharpen every razor.
If you are using a diamond plate you might do less honing but 20-40 stokes as a group or at a time is still a good starting point. You have to consider the individual razors condition & the speed of the stone & you need to be able to accurately assess sharpness with whatever tests work for you too.

And the person, and pressure they are using..

Thanks Oz man

For you new guys clinging to numbers, unfortunately there is no magic number and if you also listen and even read what Lynn wrote and what I say the real learning experience here is... "If you do 20 and it doesn't work then do twenty more"

These systems are as close to being "scientific" as honing can ever get, but always understand that paint by numbers, and painting free hand by an artist, are noticeably different in the outcome... The same applies to honing, and we all have said that multiple times, "honing a straight razor is way more of an art then a science project"... These systems are just to help you to get started down the path...