Getting better at it now i think !

Well i've been straight razor shaving for the best part of this year, to the best of my recollection, during this time i've beeen attempting to hone my own razors too.
Well finally today i think i've managed to get a comfortable head and beard shave without any problems what so ever :)
My weapon of choice was a John C Co-ckhill Celebrated Sheffield 6/8 1/2 hollow (i'd guess its not quite a wedge).
I have tried over and over again to get this razor sharp from heal to toe, and it wasn't until i kept using a marker pen to keep track of my stroke, that i finally got it somewhere near sharp.
The next step in further honing the edge was the use of my home made paddle strop using 4mm hide treated with neatsfoot oil with quite a bit of draw to it , my chrome oxide and 1/4 micron diamond felt strops helped no end too.

I've no doubt got quite some way to go before i can get consistent results but i'm really quite pleased with the improvements i've made these past few weeks :)

thanks

ian

Congrats!

Glad you're enjoying it..! :)

Cheers Stu :)

It took quite some time before i found a method that worked well for me.
I also stand up and hold the stone, 8k and 12k, whilst finishing i just cannot hone one handed sat down my hand shakes too much.

ian

I hone holding the stones, it just seems to work best for me. I tried having the stone on a table, but I didnt like it as much. YMMV of course...! :)

Well done and keep at it. Despite the impression you might get from reading some of the posts here and on other sites, shaving with and honing a straight razor are really just mechanical skills that anyone with normal levels of coordination and manual dexterity can master. Don't be intimidated by all the talk, just go with what seems natural and works for you.

Thanks ! it seems that some people just pick up the hones, get on with it, and in no time at all have honed their first razor. Well for me i thought that many times before that i had managed to get a shave ready razor but was no where near.
My razor doesn't pass the HHT but i still got a single pass shave with no irritation, and i didn't get that with my other razors all the time, shaving my head is getting easier and i think that now i could do it with my eyes shut, which is good, because you can't see the back of your own head that easily

:)

ian

The HHT is a perfect example of what I am talking about. It's a neat parlor trick and can be very effective at impressing your neighbors and party guests. It really says nothing about how well the razor will shave, however. In fact, I can pretty much make any reasonably sharp tool either pass or fail this test at will (I told you it was a trick). I can also bend spoons with my mind (or at least make the gullible think that's what I did).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MasterRolf

The HHT is a perfect example of what I am talking about. It's a neat parlor trick and can be very effective at impressing your neighbors and party guests. It really says nothing about how well the razor will shave, however. In fact, I can pretty much make any reasonably sharp tool either pass or fail this test at will (I told you it was a trick). I can also bend spoons with my mind (or at least make the gullible think that's what I did).

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A true Jedi Master can shave without touching the razor!!