Am I the only one who doesn't want to hone myself?

Hello all!

I want to find a honing service, because its allot of work, and I have a honey-do list that's already too long. Plus I don't have any hones, have never honed a razor and I will probably screw it up. After 4 years I think the razor needs a full honing :w I would like to find some place local, if any of you know a place near Baltimore MD that does it. If my only option is to mail it off to get it honed than I would prefer they be vetted by someone here before sending my precious steel off to a stranger. Thanks in advance!

No, you're not the only one that doesn't want to hone. Go to the classifieds here and look under "Member Services".

Buy a 2 sided synthetic stone... Maybe 4k and 8k.
If you're using the razor now, tape the spine, One layer. 20 on each side and stropping should do it. ~50$


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nope, I'm with you. I thought I did. I bought the stones. I have hardly used them, and really only use the 12k.

After learning and practicing, I restored a few razors. But unless you want to do that a lot, I've found that buying all the hones was a waste for me. Once you have a well honed razor, you don't have to do more than strop and touch up on 12k and paste to keep it top notch.

I think there are quite a few who would rather not. Many that simply only ever do touch ups, some that have kept and edge going forever with pastes or a barbers hone. They pop up every now and then but for the most part are here and quiet about honing or not honing as the case may be. It is expensive to set up for a full set of hones and unless you restore or simply have a hone acquisition disorder there is really no economy in it.You first razor may require more time getting touched up in the first year but you can get by with pastes from there on, unless something unusual happens, like kissing a faucet or a drop.

I know exactly how you feel. My honey do list is just as long as yours. I just don't have time to hone. It's a daunting task. What if you screw it up? Your razor will be destroyed. It takes hours and hours to learn to do. You can certainly send it off and there are plenty of great places.

i started simply with a couple cheap razors and a barbers hone. A few minutes and nothing to loose. I found out it takes minutes and with a $12 razor I have nothing to loose. A $200 straight yea... But I decided to destroy a $12 straight trying to learn and I was able to get it in a coupe hours over a couple days. My advice it to learn it. Sounds like you need the stress relief!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

sooooo.....I bought a barbers hone and I'm going to send my best razor out to be honed by a professional, then once I have that for a control, try to hone the less expensive razor. I really don't want to have to pack up and send my razor off every time I want it honed but It seems there is no local place I can drop it off.

No you aren't alone. I have a full suite of chosera/naniwa superstones and pretty much never use them. I touch up the few razors i use but really only need the barber hone and couple of slates i also have.

Short answer is No. I've been doing this for 3 years, I don't hone, as a matter of a fact unless your honing for other people or damage your razor it goes a long time without needing to go to the stones, I can't figure out why you need to hone once a week or even once a year, learn the strop , send it out and when you know how to strop and shave you won't need to hone , just maintain. Tc

I like to drive and could mount new tires myself if needed but I choose to hire someone else to do it.

I rotate/maintain them myself....:)

Having a sit-down with a knowledgeable person would help a lot using YOUR stones, IMO.

Honing is rather easy to learn, given the skill set, on synthetics with the right instruction. If you wing it and listen to everyone, notsomuch.
Staying the path and not veering toward naturals (as some will suggest) will keep a base of knowledge growing.

Always time for the other things later after you learn to get good results on some more standardized synthetics, I suppose.
JMO

To each his own, that's what makes this place great, I however like honing. Easy and pretty straightforward to me...

I enjoy knowing that I am shaving with a razor that I restored and honed. It is satisfying to use an edge that you created, especially when it works good. ;) Nothing wrong with just maintaining and having others hone for you though.

You need to do what is most comfortable for you. And it really depends on how you are approaching SRs. If you only want to have 3-5 new SRs and use them in a rotation, then sending them out to be honed may be the best approach. For me, I like to use vintage razors that I find in the wild. I have about 25 SRs and I decide to invest in a set of stones and do my own sharpening. It didn't make sense to send 25 SRs out to be sharpened. Honing is very easy -- there are so many great resources on the web.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tcrideshd

Short answer is No. I've been doing this for 3 years, I don't hone, as a matter of a fact unless your honing for other people or damage your razor it goes a long time without needing to go to the stones, I can't figure out why you need to hone once a week or even once a year, learn the strop , send it out and when you know how to strop and shave you won't need to hone , just maintain. Tc

---

This will be the first time in 4 yrs it needs to be honed, I've been using the english bridle strop and a crOx on balsa, the edge just won't come back with stropping, so I figure this is what it needs.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Having a sit-down with a knowledgeable person would help a lot using YOUR stones, IMO.

Honing is rather easy to learn, given the skill set, on synthetics with the right instruction. If you wing it and listen to everyone, notsomuch.
Staying the path and not veering toward naturals (as some will suggest) will keep a base of knowledge growing.

Always time for the other things later after you learn to get good results on some more standardized synthetics, I suppose.
JMO

---

I found some nortons that I might buy, and I found lynn's "honing with nortons" youtube video. I don't think there are any baltimore SRPers that are active around,(I did use the "find members in your area" thread instructions) but one added question about the nortons I've been drooling over, they only go up to 8k I keep hearing about 12k or 24k etc. do I need these or will an 8k get me shave ready?

You can get a very nice shave from an 8K edge. I recently read a thread where a very experienced honer has gone back to 8K and all but abandoned most of his naturals and high grit synthetics. An 8K edge done well is a beautiful thing. For the longest time I went to 8K and then a natural. I have only very recently started playing with the higher grit synthetics.

Search the JaNorton thread, couldn't post the link

No you're not the only one!
Although honing a razor that's in a good condition is not such a chore so for me it's more of a hastle to ship it out and get it honed than to do it myself. And I have so many shave-ready razors I'll probably never have to hone again :rock:

I know several st8 users who do not hone. It all depends on how deeply you wish to immerse yourself . I enjoy experimenting with different stones/edges as well as light restores. I would delve deeper if I had the required equipment. One day I hope to even forge my own. My interest has it's limits however. I would stop short of mining the ore and making my own steel or raising buffalo for their horn. Maybe

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by decraew

No you're not the only one!
Although honing a razor that's in a good condition is not such a chore so for me it's more of a hastle to ship it out and get it honed than to do it myself. And I have so many shave-ready razors I'll probably never have to hone again :rock:

---

You had to go and make me jealous now didn't you.:p Well I just recieved the order I made on the bay, tuxedo wedge and barbers hone. it looks like I'll be ordering the nortons after all, I see now why so many avoid sending their razors off to get honed, when you want it sharp you want it sharp right now. but I still need to send one off because I need a baseline

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Boots

You had to go and make me jealous now didn't you.:p Well I just recieved the order I made on the bay, tuxedo wedge and barbers hone. it looks like I'll be ordering the nortons after all, I see now why so many avoid sending their razors off to get honed, when you want it sharp you want it sharp right now. but I still need to send one off because I need a baseline

---

The only trouble I see now is that that base line will have to be improved!:rofl2:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 32t

The only trouble I see now is that that base line will have to be improved!:rofl2:

---

If it shaves in comfort I'm happy.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wvuhillbilly

I know several st8 users who do not hone. It all depends on how deeply you wish to immerse yourself . I enjoy experimenting with different stones/edges as well as light restores. I would delve deeper if I had the required equipment. One day I hope to even forge my own. My interest has it's limits however. I would stop short of mining the ore and making my own steel or raising buffalo for their horn. Maybe

---

ok, maybe mining the ore is a bit much. But buffalo tastes GOOD!

If I thought that some one could achieve better results than me I'd send my razors out ;)
Honing is some thing dear to me...

Short answer, no. I avoid it except on experimental razors. Been trying a long time, and I just never have gotten comfortable with it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Haroldg48

Short answer, no. I avoid it except on experimental razors. Been trying a long time, and I just never have gotten comfortable with it.

---

I Just got my razor back from rodb and the edge was beautiful, I have my baseline, but for right now I'm just enjoying having a sharp razor. I'm thinking that I should learn to hone, (at some point) only because I want to forge my own razor. I think it would be immensely satisfying to go from 1095 bar stock to shave ready by my self.

That's way beyond my goal:shrug:

I just like njoying a great, old-fashioned SR shave, but more power to you.

that's a very difficult process especially for a beginner like me , hope i learn something from you guys

If your edges last for months there's no need to learn how to hone. My edges however, though still sharp after a few shaves, start to become uncomfortable. That's why I invested in leaning how to hone.
Don't forget: honing is no rocket science. If you have a sharp razor it only needs touch-ups every so often. You only need one hone to for that.