Beginner Tips: March 2010

I try and write one of these each month, as I read the threads in the forum and notice trends... But honestly this month so far there has only been one trend of questions I have seen...

TESTS:

Seems that this is always a question that beginners want answered, is my razor sharp enough ????
This actually creates a problem in itself as you read through a ton of threads and confuse honing tests with "sharpness tests"
First all these tests that you read about in these threads the TNT (thumb nail), TPT (thumb pad) AHT (arm hair) HHT (hanging hair) these are honing tests, they have nothing to do with how a razor might shave, they tell the person honing the razor how the edge is progressing during the honing phases...
Second these tests have to be developed/practiced or they tell nothing at all...

The Shave Test:

Now this is something you hear us tout a lot "The only test that matters is the shave test"
What is it???
Simply put, it means does the razor shave comfortably and smoothly, BUT hey your new to this so even the best edge in the world might not shave well in your hands... If you read Lynn's tips on the first shave, the answer is right there, the first spot you should shave is from the side burn to the jaw line on your dominant side... Yes the easiest shaving stroke you can do, with proper lather and even a bit of prep, if you do that stoke with the the razor at between 20-30 degrees it should smoothly cut the whiskers... That is a real shave test, and really the only one that you can pretty much depend one as a reliable test at the newbie stage of the game... Remember to strech the skin !!!

As to all those other tests the best way to learn them is buy a 5 pack of DE blades and try all of them to get a feel for them on a known edge when you start honing razors....

Hope that helps a little anyway...

'Nuff said. Couldn't have said it better myself, Glen!! :beer1:

Well done Glen. I would like to expand on some of the statements that may not translate clearly. I may not do a good job on it so that everyone understands but stating the same thing in a different way might help some that don't get it the first time through.

"tests have to be developed/practiced or they tell nothing at all..." - This means that you need to be attentive and alert to what you are doing. Perform the test slowly and deliberately. Observe the results. Here is an example: I do the Arm Hair Test starting when I set the bevel. I don't have much hair on my arms and even less if I am honing a bunch of razors. I pick out single hairs and try and cut each on individually and one at a time and at several points along the edge. Note that I mainly honing restoration where the edge and bevel are questionable. They may have been in an attic, cellar, draw or chest for decades or more. I look for a specific trait when the hairs cut. I know what to look for because I noticed that the way the razor cut the hairs resulted in the quality of the final shave. I remembered what the ART was like while setting the bevel and through the rest of the hone and how the final shave quality. It took a while but now my results are really consistent. There is no way I can explain in this post what to look for that would translate into 100% accuracy in your tests. Others here use TNT and TPT accurately because that is what they learned to read with success. You have to DEVELOP these test through honing and observations. There is no quick path here.

"The only test that matters is the shave test" - Word! Bottom line is that the shave quality is all that matters. What you did to get there doesn't matter until the next time you hone a razor. This is where the rubber meets the road! I have ofter stated that if you don't know how to shave with a straight razor and get a BBS result, you should not be trying to hone a razor and expect quality results. Newbies should get a shave ready razor or have one honed by a veteran member of this forum. Sorry, but there are very few self proclaimed 'honemisters' that come to mind that can give a professional edge. They may be good enough to shave with and they may get paid for their efforts but from all of my observations from my own work and that of members I have meet at meets, the quality of their edges improve greatly with the number of razors they honed over time.

We have a newbie section for straight razor shaving and a beginner's honing section on this forum the last time I checked. It should not be confused in that a newbie can also be a beginner at honing. That is the long and painful path to straight shaving. Learn to shave with a straight and get good shaves w/o irritation for a few months before you try your hand at honing. You 'll have more fun that way and enjoy the results much more.

In the end you will take the path you desire most. Many of us are impatient to arrive at our goals and I was one of them. Speaking from hindsight what I described above is what I would do if I were to do it over again. I pass this on to all of you to help you enjoy straight razor shaving to the max and to give the newbie obtainable expectations and goals.

What ever path you decide on in the end I hope you enjoy the journey and I wish you the best.

Thanks JoeD

And any of you other senior guys that want to add to these monthly tips please feel free to elaborate more on each month's topics,, as Joe just said sometime each of us emphasizes a point a bit different and that helps the new guys even more so...

My dear Glen:

Your thoughts are clear, crisp and most useful. Thank you.

Regards,
Obie

I was gonna multi-quote, but then I realized I'd just quote EVERYTHING Glen and Joe just said. Thanks for more advice, fellas! :tu

What really stands out - and should stand out for everyone - is that the honing tests need to be practiced and "calibrated." The easiest way I can think of how to do it is to sit with someone who knows how to hone and test the edge off of each hone as the experienced person is honing. That way you can feel the razor at each level. Let them do the honing and listen to what they think. Is it "fast," no. But IMO it's more efficient then blindly trying to hone.

Thanks, Glen! That's a good answer to questions I often have. "Is my razor really shave ready"? "Did I screw up the edge with my [bad] stropping technique?" More often than not, it's probably my bad shaving technique that leaves me with a less-than-stellar shave.

Cheers,

Larry