Thread: Time to start honing?

IMHO if you can shave with a straight razor then you can hone.

If you have only one razor though you might want to consider buying a professionally honed second razor first. This way you have a point of reference for your current razor and you will not risk getting stuck without a straight you can shave with. To get started with the Naniwa you will need to have a means for lapping it. To simplify things you can start with lapping with wet/dry sandpaper over a flat surface (countertop, mirror, etc.). For a touch up full Monty I would get a DMT 325 continuous hone for lapping. Be sure to watch and re-watch the videos on both honing and lapping. To gain confidence in your strokes (circles and/or X strokes) you can always practice with a butter knife or something similar.

It is a very rewarding thing to restore an edge yourself!