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Ok, I have seen few vids about honing and it seems to be an easy process? so, why ppl would rather pay for someone else to hone their blades for them vs hone it themselves ! am I missing something? I mean, I'm seriously planning on buying Norton stone 4k/8k (is it enough to have a close shave) and start hone my own razor, any thoughts?
Give it a try. What can go wrong... :shrug:
Okay seriously. It is not as hard or as easy as it looks. Find a mentor near you and have them go over what you are doing.
There is a reason why A LOT of people pay to hey them honed. My best advice is to get one PRO honed and then have another one that you honed to compare it to.
Good luck brother!
is there is anyone around fort knox ky?
The reason it looks so easy is that you're watching pros do it. In fact, the basics are simple...rub the blade over the hone in one direction, then the other and repeat.
However, unlike knives, razors have fairly delicate edges, and it is critical that the edge be maintained in a certain geometry to achieve a sharp and lasting edge. To do that requires considerable care and consistency of technique. Any deviation will create some anomaly that you will feel on your face or see in the longevity of the edge.
I'd suggest that if you haven't you watch this video, in which gssixgun walks a novice forum member through the learning process. I've only honed to refresh, but I watch it and Lynn's video on refreshing a razor before I go to my stone each time.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxrs5kFkmJg
Having said all that, it's not brain surgery; however, it is altering a $100-500 "tool" which touches your face.
For me it comes down to cost. Lynn Abrams will do honing for $20 (and one free honing with purchase), meaning I can pay for around 10 honings for the same price as buying the equipment myself. Considering that you should only need to hone every 3 months or so, that's a year of honing on 2 razors for the same price and picking up the gear.
for me it's not to save money. for what I've spent on straight razors honing and hones I could have bought enough throw away razors to last me 2 life times. for me it's what I like what I enjoy and of course the company I keep. for the most part I believe i'm in the company of GOOD PEOPLE. It's like a line of ants and every now and then one will go a different way. well that's us. the world follows suit with the throw away blades and we just want follow blindly we do our own thing. we're the hippies of the sixties well maybe not but we are different and for one i'm glad and proud of it. My wife says i'm an old fart and now and then get on my soap box and ramble on. I guess she's right. i'll get off nowQuote:
Originally Posted by Sergeant
As long as you are stating with a razor that has no geometry issues you will learn the ropes. How fast that goes is entirely left to your brain wiring. If you are good with your hands it stands to reason that you should b able to pick it up fairly quickly. There are two schools of thought. One is get the standard Norton set of 1K to 8K and learn on those until you can get a nice shaving edge consistently then get a finisher. The other school of thought is to get a finisher and learn to refresh an edge and then tackle the bevel set and up. The best plan of all is the one already mentioned and find a mentor.
Yea, there is the economics involed in the to hone or not to hone your own blades decision. The big thing to remember is that it will be a long long time before you get from a beginner level to a level approaching what Lynn Abrams can give you.Quote:
Originally Posted by MajorEthanolic
Bob
If the blade has perfect Geometry.Honing is not that difficult (easy process?? not really) you can screw things up in a heartbeat.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sergeant
I have my blades pro honed,Why?Because I want the best possible edge a few bux can buy.
You can keep a blade going for years just with a barbers Hone and some crox (once you learn how to use them)
I applaud you wanting to hone,go for it,But I can gaurantee you will not find it to be an easy process,Is alot more to it than just watching some Vids.
Another aspect is, obviously we are here for the hobby we appreciate the process while other ppl might see us a bunch of crazy/Un practical folks. So I think honing my own blade will add to the experience. What the worse could happen. .. ruin the blade, I'll send it then to a pro to fix and sell my stone here or ebay.
So true,Thats exactley what I did:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Sergeant
two schools on this one , I think honing your own blades could be cool, I dont restore and sell dozens of razors, I have 10 that I shave with, most are shave ready when I got them shaving every day for 9 months so far I haven't needed but one to go back to the hone 20 dollars, so barring any accidents I have quite a few shaves left and hardly any money spent . possibly years with just a refresh and leather. so spending a few hundred on stones in my case seems wasteful, and I know the edges I get are the best that can be had on my razors, for the price of the stones I can buy another custom razor or very nice vintage and shave with it for a long time. since honing is not a daily thing unless doing it for a living , the stones would sit around a long time , now on the other hand the strop gets used everyday ,so I can just go and buy Neils,Tonys, or a couple Kanayamas but that's just me , oh and I own the stones, I leave the finishers with my honer , Works for me YMMV TC
Yea, go for it because in most cases any screw ups can be rectified. Enjoy the new aspect of the hobby and the frustrations that go along with it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sergeant
Bob
Honing looks easy on video, just like golf and the guitar. The proof is on your face.
I suggest first becoming confident stropping and shaving so that you can be sure that any improvements needed on the edge are needed on the hones and are not related to stropping or shaving technique.
I also recommend first learning to refresh an edge on a pasted strop or finishing hone.
It may be best to start learning to hone on a blade that was shave ready without significant issues. Working on blades with issues may better wait until after being successful on edges without significant issues.
Hones need to be flat and have a fresh clean surface. Razor edges are very thin and easy to flex back and forth while honing. Weight of the blade pressure evenly distributed along an edge helps prevent issues.
While anyone is free to get a full set of hones and start learning on blades having bad issues, success may come faster learning in steps. The only thing that ultimately matters is whether you are happy with your shave and are having fun.
I have a TI carbon steel no issues with the blade or the bevel, it's just not sharp enough! I used the 0.5 diamond spry but I don't think its working! I don't mind shaving with not a very sharp razor, simply cuz I'm still in learning phase! and a very sharp razor on my face can make things a lil bit harder and a lot more painful!
but I get what u guys are saying, and you make a whole lot of damn sense! I think what is bugging me is maybe I don't know what a sharp razor feels like to compare it to what I got and the idea I have to send it away for god knows how long to be honed! so, if u knw someone in fort knox area please let me know, or is there is a sub forum here for locations?
I feel a bit differently. I WANT the sharpest and smootheat edge possible. You seem to not cut yourself as bad with a sharp blade. :)
Was the TI pro honed to start with if not it may not have been shave ready to start with. Honing isn't hard but will take practice and you will probably have to hone a razor fairly heavily before you get it right consistently. If you do want to learn by a couple cheap antique razors off ebay. +1 to finding a mentor if possible. Good luck
I agree with RezDog. I have never had a blade pro honed and most likely never will. But I have been sharpening anything that takes an edge since my first swiss army knife when I was 8(24 now). That's 16 years. But I will say this. Take any preconceived notions and toss them. You will have a hard time at first. Its a given. But pay close attention to any and every post that comes up about honing. Every single detail matters. Think about it, youre using a rock and your hands to shape a piece of metal to a width that's a quarter the size of the average bacteria. Sub micron. So that little twitch in your hand or bump in your stone = no bueno edge.
However I vote for the reckless abandon and jump in with both feet. You will get it and I think honing helps with the shaving learning curve. Teaches you the true meaning of a light touch!!
you right, with those money i have spent on stone, old razor, and now wood LOL, i could buy at least 10 expensive razor, but it is like a hobby, i think .......Quote:
Originally Posted by MajorEthanolic
Oh yeah. Go to the community button, members list, search members and type in the areas around you for members that are close.
I asked the seller, and he told me it was honed few month ago!Quote:
Originally Posted by eddy79
Ssrgeant, I am about 5 hours away from you. I know that doesn't help much but if your willing to travel, heck, I'm always up for a good motorcycle trip. But on the other hand, Lynn is about 3 hours West of you in Cape Girardeu MO and I know he could give you a few pointers. A quick search and I found DennisBarberShop, a member here for some time. He is in Richmond KY just south of Lexington, give him a holler and see what turns up.
I suppose it comes down to how many shaves the blade has seen since honing or touching up. Might just need to be touched up to bring it backQuote:
Originally Posted by Sergeant
Gents! thanks a lot for your input! I think I have found the best answer! I'll send my razor to be honed by a pro, get a super stone for refreshing and paste for touch ups!