Thread: Help me not give this up. I can't hone.

The bevel in not there. If the bevel was there your edges should be ok, not great, but good enough. Bevel setting for a beginner is hard but if you screw it up you will not have a good time. You purchased two used razors too. Who knows what those guys had to do to get the razors dialed in.

Good luck. I know it is frustrating. I still get frustrated but with every failure I do try to learn something.

Originally Posted by pinklather

Jaife, This is almost an intelligence test: "Coffee, beer, honing lesson from Glen, is anything better? Anything better? Tell us it then (to quote Yeats)... " Test: can you spot the opportunity you'd be nuts to pass up?

HINT, I sit here in little old Mt Torrens (population 200) MILES away from anyone who can even IDENTIFY a straight razor at 100 yards, let alone know what 'honing' is and feel very, very jealous.

At least have the coffee (and beer), maybe an Irish coffee and combine the two? Possibly a sandwich; pastrami on rye? Some peanuts? Take in a movie? Stop off for a Yiros afterwards...

Thanks for everyone's help. I swear I have watched the videos, and I am at least of workable intelligence. I'm taking these guys up on their generous offers, and I will try and figure it out! I want to get back to shaving with that nice edge.

Lots of words for a Monday morning. If your blade will shave hair off the back of your hand then...
... Just go for the Pasted Strop. A little green paste on a cotton webbed belt and 20 passes on it then 20 passes on leather ... And you have a shave.
Still not happy? 20 on a barbers hone then 20 paste; 20 leather.

Originally Posted by Johnus

Lots of words for a Monday morning. If your blade will shave hair off the back of your hand then...
... Just go for the Pasted Strop. A little green paste on a cotton webbed belt and 20 passes on it then 20 passes on leather ... And you have a shave.
Still not happy? 20 on a barbers hone then 20 paste; 20 leather.

I agree with Johnus. For someone that shaves 'Once a week' and has 'Two Razors' you really don't need the hones you purchased. Realistically, with proper stropping, a quality Barber Hone and a pasted strop, you should never need to touch a razor to a hone for a long, long time...assuming the edges were properly set to begin with. When one of your razors finally needs honing just send it out to be done correctly. Your wallet and your psyche will thank you!

Unless you are going to be buying quite a few more razors to practice on, you're never going to really learn to hone satisfactorily. It takes lots of practice and patience, dealing with many different variables from razor to razor, to become proficient. Even with the 'Best' personal one on one mentor-ship from a renowned honing 'Sifu', IMHO, you simply cannot become proficient honing only 2 razors maybe once a year each at most. You will never develop the 'muscle and memory' imprints without hours of practice on your own.

Now...if your intention is to subject yourself to the ravages of the highly contagious and debilitating disease known as 'RAD', then ignore my advice completely!

WP34

I just wanted to put an update here...

I asked Ben to let me take a look at one of his razors and give him some feedback on the honing, and then touch it up and return it.
The particular razor he sent has one of the most difficult edges I've ever honed. The steel tends to fall apart on the high grits, particularly synthetics. The steel hates diamonds or chrome-ox, and is one of the only razors I've ever seen that doesn't play nice with a Naniwa 12k.
I was able to put a good edge back on it and will be sending him a report of what works well for this particular razor.
To be honest, I'm not sure how long the edge will hold up - I have some concerns that it will wear out faster than a normal razor, so I'm going to send another razor back with this one, to make sure he's able to keep on shavin'.

To those newer at honing and getting frustrated: if you get to where you're beating your head against the wall, find a local mentor, PM one of the mentors here, or send the razor out for honing and ask for some help.
Sometimes it's technique that's the problem. Sometimes, the razor is just very challenging.

I am glad to hear there is some resolve for Ben.

And very gracious of you to take care of it the way you did, good looking out

A tough case right off the bat is very discouraging, but at least he know knows it was not necessarily him or his technique.

I have had a few that caused me to want to pull my hair out.
Not all vintage either, one of my new Dovo blades has a slight geometry issue.
One of the vintage which I kept taking out and putting away as I could not get a 12k edge on it. (Razor Works 7/8)
I finally put it under higher magnification and the 12k Naniwa would start to deteriorate the edge after about 2 laps.
It is simply an 8k razor, finish with a few laps just the weight of the blade, stone barley damp, strop and go.
I have around 30 or so shaves on that edge now and it is holding well.
When it needs to hit the hones again I am going to see if a Coti edge would serve it better.
(A prime excuse to justify a bit of HAD... )

I guess I got the easy assignment!

I honed his other razor on Saturday night. Its a vintage solingen that was in pretty good shape. It quickly took a nice edge.

The test went great on Sunday and I mailed it Tuesday. Now I'm waiting to hear some feedback.

Bphaedrus, I'm really hoping you get a great shave. Let me know how it turns out.

Michael

We have a lot of really good people on SRP! Guy's, well done!