Thread: Beginners Tips: April 2010

LOL I got a PM the other day from one of you new guys asking how I decide what to put in these tips each month.. my answer "I read most of the threads as they come up on the site and look for trends"
My thought to myself "Wow I spend a lot of time at work on SRP"

This month let's talk about Beginning to hone,,
First off I really think you should wait about 6 months before you try this, but let's go ahead with some tips...Your first razor should be one that was shaving before and you are just going to re-touch, that is in the perfect world...

Here is a question I have read a few times already this month..
Is my blade warped / What stroke do I need to use...
9 times out of 10 you will see JimmyHad there with the easiest answer, it is called the Magic Marker test and it can be used two ways...
First keep in mind there are tons of bad hone jobs but very few warped razors (here comes the exceptions)

If you take a black (dark) Magic Marker and color the edge, the first test of running the razor straight (no X stroke) down the hone tells you if the edge is evenly touching the hone... No big surprise most don't...

Now re-color and let's figure out the stroke you need to get the whole edge evenly across the hone...
Start with the X stroke then move to the more exotic ones, only if needed, they are found right here... Keep in mind that you are not limited to doing one of these techniques, you might need to mix them up...
The whole objective of honing in it's simplest form, is the evenly move the razor's edge across the stone until the two sides of the face meet in one very freaky sharp edge, that's it nothing more...
Myself I find that using my eyes (watching the ripple of water in front of the edge) and my ears (listening for a nice even sound) helps just as much as the touch...
Remember on nice normal blades pressure is your enemy, (restores are a different beast) if you press, you actually are taking the edge off the stone..
An even light touch is the key to a sharp blade, and when you are a beginner learn the TPT, check that edge every 5-10 laps, to learn the changes those make, with more experience you will do less and less tests...

Happy Honing


(As always please feel free to add different perspectives to this, especially you Senior Members, all of us see things a bit different, and the more views we have, the better picture we present)

+1!

I'm sure no honemeister, but I'd just like to add one of Lynn's comments; Less strokes is better. Its easy to take metal off but ya cant put it back..!

I especially found this on my finishing stone. If I do too many strokes on my 16k Shapton it can rough up the edge really quickly.

Great post!

I was just about to ask. what is the standard amount of strokes needed for a prehoned shave ready razor that just needs the sharpening a little after 3 months of use? (Would be stroped on a leather strop daily)

I have read that the least amount of strokes the better too but are we talking like 5 or like 20?

Good stuff Glen. I am a new honer at about 6 months of straight use and love the tips. I feel the this is the kind of info us new guys need. Can it be put up somewhere so it wont get too hard to find later?

Originally Posted by aznaod7

I was just about to ask. what is the standard amount of strokes needed for a prehoned shave ready razor that just needs the sharpening a little after 3 months of use? (Would be stroped on a leather strop daily)

I have read that the least amount of strokes the better too but are we talking like 5 or like 20?

It's hard to give a definitive number of strokes, especially for a refresh. As Stu said and you reiterated, it's better to start with less. Do 5 strokes and test it out; if it shaves then you're set, and if it pulls then try another 5. Each razor is different.

You might also look into a pasted strop to refresh first before taking it to a stone. Alternatives would be pasted balsa wood, or even newspaper.

EDIT: Just for support, I think that barber hone instructions (at least Swatys) suggest about 5 strokes.

Originally Posted by Carlo

Good stuff Glen. I am a new honer at about 6 months of straight use and love the tips. I feel the this is the kind of info us new guys need. Can it be put up somewhere so it wont get too hard to find later?

I just went back through and standardized all the tags, I started these in Jan so they should show up on the Tags on the SRP front page as "Beginners Tips"

All good stuff, thanks!

Thanks for the great tips, Glen. I've been starting to think about honing my own razors, and wondering about these very things you point out. I think I'll take your advice & wait a few more months until I've got that 6 months experience. I'm just starting to get good consistent shaves, so I don't think I'm ready to add another level of complication just yet!