Thread: Newbie

I was the recipient of a straight razor shave at a local mens salon (thanks to the wife). I was amazed at how close the shave was and have been lurking and learning ever since. I think that I am ready to take the jump into a dovo special. I keep hearing about people talking about honing. The never mention how often this is done. I have heard every shave to every 2-3 months. What is the story? If it is every few months, I may get 2 straights so that I am not lacking during mail time. Any ideas? I really don't want to hone. I have seen my pocket knives after I get finished with them.

With regards to honing, purchasing a professionally honed razor from vendors such as the ones found here in the Vendor section will allow you to start from a position of having a shave ready razor. Daily stropping of the razor prior to use will keep your blade in tune for a good deal of time (time varies as some prefer different levels of sharpness on their particular blades). In addition, purchasing a barbers hone (approx. $35) will allow you to quickly bring your blade back and extend the time between honing sessions.

This plan has worked well for me so far.

Enjoy

Joe

Make sure that you do not negelct the other hardware items that you need inorder to do this job properly, namely a brush and soap or cream.

Welcome to SRP!!!

Welcome to SRP....

as long as you practice good upkeep of your blade (stropping before/after use) and maybe a stropp with paste/spray when needed will extend the life... i would lean towards those saying to get ur blade professionally honed every 2-3 months (my beard isnt that thick so i'd go with 3months ish). And now worries about the honing there are many people here you can send the blade to if you dont already have someone in mind.

There's honing, and then there's honing. If your razor is professionally honed then the only hones you will need are something like a 4K/8K combo, or equivalent. Many people have Shaptons or others that have grits of 12K or greater for polishing the edge. Unless you damage your edge, or are interested in getting into honing your own razors from scratch, you won't need anything coarser than a 4K. A 1K, or coarser, is used to set the bevel or a repair damaged edge.

Each razor will have its own physical characteristics so there is no absolute guideline as to when you need to touch them up. Some hold their edges longer than others. When my razors begin to tug I touch them up on a CrO pasted strop. When that doesn't have the desired effect then I turn to the 4K/8K to resharpen the edge, followed by the pasted strop. This cycle should last for years. Unless you have damaged your edge (like banging it against the faucet) there should be no reason to send it out to have it rehoned.

The best way to maintain the sharpness of your razor is by good, proper stropping. I do 20 laps on the linen and 60 laps on the leather. Proper stropping can't be over emphasized. It is the single most important step in edge maintenance. You can't over-strop your edge. You can, however, roll your edge by putting too much pressure on the razor during stropping. Learn good stropping technique and you are set for a lifetime of primo straight razor shaving.