Thread: Honing? Howoften?

I've got Chris Moss's .pdf book on straight razor use and care, in which he says I'll probably have to have my razor re-honed once every two to three months..!! I like the state Lynn put my razor in two weeks ago, but $30. including shipping every 2 months? Is this true, or is it a new way to generate revenue for Classic Shaving? It's not what I read elsewhere nor see on other (brand-x) sites and forums. I have a nice silver steel razor, plus a stainless steel 99 cent eBay special on which I am practicing the art of honing with moderate success so far.

Yes its true, every two months is pretty good actually. Some guys, especially beginners, only get 2 weeks. I average about a month between honings. The idea is to learn how to do it yourself though.

If you get a 7 day set you could save on shipping

I was under the impression if you had a pasted paddle strop you could get by honing on that when the razor started to pull but was still fairly sharp.
From my reading using a pasted paddle had less of a learning curve associated with it.

I can go over six months without a serious honing some of my razors are well past and still don't need it while a couple need it more often. But a little refresher (five swipes on a barbers hone) touch up is needed more often, I just do that right at the sink the moment I feel it is needed, about once a month or little less maybe every 20 shaves or so with a given razor.

I'm still going strong on my Gold Bug. The key is learning how to strop well so you dont dull the razor prematurly. I'm working on a set for rotation that allows me to hone all my blades around the same time. The same with my kitchen knives. I have enough of them to go about a frigging year without sharpening... but where is the fun in that

O.k., makes sense, as long as I don't have to do it from scratch. I have a little gem barber hone, about 5 inches by two inches and two grits. I honed 20 times on the fine side and it gave a marked improvement. I have a Norton 4000/8000 on my wish list, though which should give more predictable results, especially on my 99 cent "Timber Rattler"

Thanks for the help guys.................

Originally Posted by glenel

O.k., makes sense, as long as I don't have to do it from scratch. I have a little gem barber hone, about 5 inches by two inches and two grits. I honed 20 times on the fine side and it gave a marked improvement. I have a Norton 4000/8000 on my wish list, though which should give more predictable results, especially on my 99 cent "Timber Rattler"

Thanks for the help guys.................

Do you have an update on your results for the "Timber Rattler"? Some blades can't be honed to a razor sharp edge

On top of not rolling your edge on the strop, I think you can probably dull your razor just as easily by improper shaving technique. If you have too steep an angle you will have to hone much more often. This is proably more common than rolling the edge. Again, like others have said, starting out you're going to need honing more often. As you learn and your technique improves both in stropping and shaving you'll notice you can go much longer in between.

There is really no set amount of shaves you can count on getting. It all depends on many things. There's your beard, your technique, how you strop, your honing abilities and original state of the razor and the razor itself and lastly your preferences. Personally, I find with most razors after about 10-15 shaves the comfort factor begins to slip and then its a matter of at what point shaving is not enjoyable and then its either to the pasted strop or the hone even though the razor is still shaving very closely.

Originally Posted by glenel

I've got Chris Moss's .pdf book on straight razor use and care, in which he says I'll probably have to have my razor re-honed once every two to three months..!! I like the state Lynn put my razor in two weeks ago, but $30. including shipping every 2 months? Is this true, or is it a new way to generate revenue for Classic Shaving? It's not what I read elsewhere nor see on other (brand-x) sites and forums. I have a nice silver steel razor, plus a stainless steel 99 cent eBay special on which I am practicing the art of honing with moderate success so far.

Every 3 to 4 months you will have to touch up the bevel but there is a real difference between honing to establish a bevel and honing to re-establish an edge. I use a pasted strop and it has been months since Lynn has honed my razor and I can re-establish an wicked edge in about 5 minutes. I use to get only about 5 or 6 shaves till I had to do a touch up but I have learned to strop very lightly and am no getting 10 to 15 shaves between touch up of the edge.

Take Care,
Richard