1st ever straight shave on my 1st ever honing job

I did it! It worked. All that research is starting to get me somewhere. That being said, I am pretty sure my stropping job was insufficient, and my honing could have improved, but I set an edge that had previously held a chip, honed it up, stropped it and shaved with it. Well, everything but my chin. I think I was also starting with too much growth. No nicks or even any significant razor burn. I have drawn a few conclusions: that I love my Nivea Balm, that I need to spend more time on my strop, that I should have broken down and gotten a Norton instead of barber's hones (though I probably would have overhoned a couple of times), I need to get a real Badger shave brush (instead of bristle), and that I haven't made any major mistakes in this process (thanks to all who have taught me something).

I could use any advice on using the redtrader99(?) barber hone kit and how I might approach refining my usable, if uncomfortable edge. How much should I strop, if I have no canvas (using a practice strop from Tony)? Is a strip of denim stretched over a hone a sufficient substitute? If not I can use the strip of my retired jeans that I used as a patch to stretch the life of my next favorite pair. I just went at it with a less than stellar blade, but had reasonably good results despie my impatience. I tend to do that. I cut corners to get to the cool part, the big leap, sometimes failing to make appropriate preparations, but take great care to do the "most important part" very carefully:shrug:, but I diverge. How effective is lapping barber hones with each other? I got the fine and coarsish ones very close before my one sheet of sandpaper ran out, so I resorted to finishing the cushion strop by rubbing the Gem against it, and continuing until the gen seemed sufficiently lapped, then using the cushion strop to finish the frictionite. That's what I get for using the 1500 grit I had sitting in the trunk of my car instead of buying 600.

Well, if you've managed shave from barber hones at all then you've done better than I with them. They baffle me. ... So far (?) :D

I strop 50 to 60 laps, gently before each shave. 30 laps would be your minimum. Linen (or a substitute) is not really necessary. Just skip it if you don't have a linen strop for now.

If you use soaps, a Best Badger Brush will do fine, perhaps even best (lol), but using creams, I love my Super Silver Tip Badger Brush.

Patience and attention to detail will serve you well in advancing your learning curve. Take pains to subvert your corner cutting tendencies.

X

Barber hones rarely need lapping, lapping them together can be effective. Seems that one hone gets the most action out of the two your lapping together though, the softest one I suppose.

I would wet each stone and check for suction on a flat countertop before I worried extensively about lapping. That is one of the points of using barber hones, less lapping.

Your making some good assessments of the Norton, starting out on slower hones is infinitely wiser.

Good job :tu


Justin

I went all out tonight, probably won't have to shave untilthursday night, but then this whole baby's butt feeling has got me wanting to do it regularly. Imagine that, I got a straight razor so I didn't have to shave as much, but now I want to do it all the time. My whole lower face cleared of acne in a hurry when I started wetshaving. if only I could figure out how to justify the same regimen on my forehead.:y

Well s13_240 i understand where your coming from with the whole acne thing! I had problem skin forever and it didn't really clear up until i switched to a D/E over a year ago. as for your forehead try some witch hazel it work wonders for me.