Thread: Local Honing?

So I just bought my first straight razor, I am very excited about using it. However it isn't even sharp enough to shave my arm hair. I am currently living in Regina, Saskatchewan, and I was wondering if anyone knew of someone that could get my blade shave ready. I would prefer not to mail it out to someone to have it honed, because Canada post is very slow and I am very impatient.

Originally Posted by Kfamous13

and I am very impatient.

Well then you picked the wrong kind of razor! There is a learning curve and patience is a required part of it. Have you read the beginner's start reading here stuff? Have you gotten a strop yet? Odds are that this is going to take a while for you to get adept at it and so you are going to have to have a bit of patience.

What is the razor that you got?

I have been doing a lot of research on shaving with a straight razor. I am aware that learning how to do it takes a lot of time and patience. What I meant by I am impatient is I would prefer not to sit around while my razor is in the mail system, if possible. I haven't purchased a strop yet. I am a full time volunteer right now so my funds are very limited. I don't want to make a huge financial investimant until I have an idea of what it is like and if it suits me. Like I said my funds are very limited so I chose a pretty low end razor to start with. I bought a gold dollar straight razor. I am aware that this not a great razor but it seemed like a good razor to test the waters with.

Originally Posted by Kfamous13

I bought a gold dollar straight razor. I am aware that this not a great razor but it seemed like a good razor to test the waters with.

That is going to be much more of a challenge to find someone local who can repair it and then hone it. Hopefully it will work out well for you!

Well if not local I would definitely prefer that I mail it to someone in Canada. So I can avoid customs.

If you become interested in sending it out i know I guy in Edmonton that does fantastic work. Actually there are a few of them. There is also a meet in Calgary on the first weekend in May. PM me if you need more information.

So, the short answer is no, for straight razors there are very few walk-in honing, brick and mortar shops and most cutlery shops will “sharpen” your razor like they do knives, on belt sander. And many honers will not hone GD's for a variety of reasons.

We are seeing a lot of guys, looking for an economical way to shave and or a better shave. You can shave well with one razor, many of us have done it for years, but as said, there is a large learning curve and you will need additional equipment to shave and for maintenance. The quality/cost of equipment will affect the quality of the shave, as will the quality of instruction. Minimum start-up cost is about $100, if you know what to buy.

Without quality equipment and instruction you can ruin the edge of a razor after just one shave, and it will have to be pro honed again.
The Gold Dollar is not a recommended razor because, it generally cannot be just honed, it must be repaired first, so it can be honed and even then results are mixed. If you buy cheap equipment, your odds of success decrease dramatically and most give up. The cost to repair, re-scale and hone a GD are more, than purchasing a quality, shave ready, vintage razor.

You really should come to Cow Town for the meet.

My suggestion would be to check out Kijiji for "knife sharpening" services. You may get lucky, like I have, and find someone local that will also sharpen Straights, and NOT with a belt sander, either.

If you DO find someone, be sure to ask questions as to HOW they plan on honing your blade. Most services I have read about or heard about charge anywhere from $15 - $30.00. Find out if he uses stones or lapping films, and what grits he uses and finishes on.

Good luck to you.


I should add that there ARE members on this site and elsewhere who will hone your blade for free, provided you pay the postage.

Originally Posted by RezDog

If you become interested in sending it out i know I guy in Edmonton that does fantastic work. Actually there are a few of them. There is also a meet in Calgary on the first weekend in May. PM me if you need more information.

I would be interested in sending it to Edmonton. I would also really love to attend the meet in Calgary, however I don't think I will be able to make it. Thank you for the info and the invite!