Thread: Jumping the gun?

I'm betting that others have gone this route. Am I wasting time and money? Scenario: Buy a razor from say EBay to use as a practice razor - NOT FOR SHAVING, FOR HONING/STROPPING! It would seem to make sense that screwing up an inexpensive 'practice' razor would be logical. What say you guys? Thanks

That's all fine and dandy (I assume you are talking about a new junk razor like a gold dollar), but why not buy one that you can also one day restore, hone, & use too?

I did what you are suggesting at first, but I included shaving in the mix. How would I know if my practice in honing and stropping was fruitful if I didn't shave with the razor ? Muscle memory is great if you are doing 'it' correctly. If you are practicing incorrectly you're developing muscle memory that will only hinder you. The shave is the test to see if you're on the right track.

Old Solingen razors, not the well known dubl ducks, Filarmonicas, are what I went for. These old Solingens or Sheffields were made primarily for barbers and they had to be good for the company that made them to stay in business.

Condition is the primary concern. Pick up a few razors with no significant hone wear, no cracks, chips or serious corrosion in scales or blade. Don't worry about some rust at the pivot. IOW, buy good serviceable razors, learn to hone/strop/shave with them.

It is best to have a couple of pro honed quality razors in your rotation to compare your results with the practice razors. Don't mess with those, on the hones, until you've had good results with your practice razors. That is what I did and it worked out well for me.

I agree with the suggestion to get one honed by a pro; then you can check your practice one against that. You need to shave with the razor to know if the edge you've made is satisfactory.

Originally Posted by shooter74743

That's all fine and dandy (I assume you are talking about a new junk razor like a gold dollar), but why not buy one that you can also one day restore, hone, & use too?

I agree with this 100% and Jimmy's

I did what you are with razors that could be used and wanted and once I could shave with them I sold to friends cheap or gave away to get somebody going. No waste in this approach at all.

My first razor was a Clauss Special 47, purchased at a local antiques dealer for 14 Canadian dollarettes.

I honed the daylights out of that razor... stropped it to death and kept at it until I could shave properly with it.

Today, that Clauss Special 47 is my favorite razor... I own lots of nicer ones, but that tarnished old razor has a special place in my heart. In fact, it's currently being re-scaled and honed by Gssixgun, just to make up for all the noob abuse I subjected it to, waaay back when. I don't want it restored.... just fixed, so it can keep on going as my "Ol' Reliable".

Find a good old cheap razor and let it be your trainer... Hone it, strop it, shave with it until it becomes your cherished best friend, without worrying you did something wrong... You can always fix it, and if you can't, at least you are not out a whole lot of money. Loosing your fear of ruining a a razor can help you get up to speed on doing things right, but you have to go all the way, stropping doesn't work unless you hone and shave with the razor as well... only then can you tell if your stropping is improving or ruining the edge...

Regards,

Kaptain "That first Straight Razor will ALWAYS have a special place in your heart" Zero

When I first started I bought a two new razors, and learned to shave with them, but did not want to learn to hone with my precious blades. So I bought some vintage blades in perfect condition to very little money. I learned to hone with those, and they are still in perfect condition. If you want to learn to hone on geometrically challenged razors you will increase the learning curve on honing. Start with a solid razor and develop solid skills and then move on to the problem children later. There are many that go through the classifieds regularly that are inexpensive and without issues. You can get a cheap new made in china razor for $20 that may or may not have issues or up the anti to $50 and get one from the classifieds. For $30 difference I'm not interest in pulling my hair out trying to figure out a problem that may or may not have a simple solution.

Rezdog ads an important point to Jimmy's sound cousel to have some good blades for a 'standard' or comparison. The fleabag/practice razor is bought before you have the experience to spot issues that will require restorative grinding before real honing is possible. When this happens (alot, if not most of the 'finds'), you can be doing everything right on the stones (for a sound blade) and still get a lousy edge. It works against your developing a feel for how an edge should progress when its goind normally. When the feel of 'normal' becomes familiar, taking on the fleabags becomes an education, rather than just frustration. Getting that feel of normal is the first job - usually w/ synthetic stones that will have fewer idiosycracies than the beloved fancy natural.