Thread: Why Beginners Shouldn't Try To Hone

Originally Posted by ace

There are many ways to embark on straight shaving. I honed the first straight I ever shaved with. I got some help at first from a Mentor here, learned a lot about dullness before I got sharpness down, but it worked fine for me.

lol.

It is not impossible, but the recommended progression is really sensible. People that already familiar with sharpening something else, knives, swords, chisel etc (like me) will take it with a grain of salt, endure a few expected bad rounds, figure out the little nuances to honing a straight (using proper research, recognizing that while the principle is the same, the techniques will differ) and be on their way.

Originally Posted by Havachat45

Some here will know that I started completely the 'wrong' way on my journey into the straight shaving world by buying cheap Chinese razor and trying to shave with it straight out of the box - mistake number one.

Mistake number two - I shaved my entire face from the very first try using only my dominant hand.

Mistake number three - I bought a couple of razors off eBay and thought I could clean them up and hone them to shave ready WITHOUT knowing what shave ready was.

OK, so to be honest I have toagree in most of what you said however I make few comments as newbeeeeee :-)

Mistake number one and two-I bought DD Special #1 from the start and sent it to proper honing and was done by SRP member (Thank you for that!!!!!!!)I have study 2-3 months before I have performed my first shave and I did it with both hands from begining. Well I sweated llittle piggy on a spit all the way from first stroke to the end. It took me two hours but i did`t it with success and both hands. Some master on this forum says "you are just natural" some say "lucky you are still alive". Did I had to improve my stroke, know my face h*** yes, and till today I`m discovering something new about my face.

Mistake number three-Well I went this road to, but that`s why I am proud of mine RAD:-) I guess we start having RAD soon or later but with one exception: I had already my DD as reference razor and second... I think I read all what was possible on SRP and I have watch most of videos about restoration. Now I`m pleased with my honing/restoration results (I don`t have enough $$$ to buy more) using just set of norton, DMT325 and two C12K and some simple garage tools including Dremel. I know master and vendors has sets i dream about...

So beginner to beginner.... It can be fun if you really want to and you will prepare for it.

If I have succeeded... yes and and no! No-as I`m still learning and making many mistakes. Yes (in my personal opinion)-as one of my friends who is shaving with straight for past 10 years and honing them ask me to prepare for him one razor as he does not use C12k. OK, so 10 years, honing, shaving... I`m doomed but I took his challenge. I prepare razor as I could best, work several hours and send to him. Feedback... (and I hope he was really pleasing me to make me feel good) he had best shave ever, he does not know why and how, but he knows blade was prepared really well.... for his standards. I don`t know what standards are those but he likes what I did.

So two lessons:

One:Power of anything dream in us! Don`t give up!
Second: Straight razors tests (like HHT), blade preparation, leather preparation... are our personal feelings and references and need calibration...

Saying that one advice. Start your shaving with straight razor prepared by/from real hone master from this forum to adjust your preference and expectations. You are not taking blade prepared by hone master and adopt his preferences. You are taking blade of art and master experience and use the way you like. You are opening your own doors every time you touch your skin when shaving.

Thank you!

This is great advice. My first razor was from the forums and was professionally-honed. That gave me a great experience from the start. If I had gone another route, I would have likely been tempted to give up. Thanks for the advice!

There's nothing wrong with learning shaving and honing at the same time. It's mixing the two together that causes the problems.

Really? How will someone who is learning to shave know what a true "shave ready" razor is? Maybe I'm just mis-understanding your statement...I hope.

I would guess because he listened to the advice on here and purchased it professionally honed from a member on this forum. Appreciation of shave ready requires using blades that are not ready. If you grow up eating at good restraunts, you know what good food is. After a few college weekends of taco bell, you appreciate good food. Well my pennies on the table.

Originally Posted by ace

There's nothing wrong with learning shaving and honing at the same time. It's mixing the two together that causes the problems.

Yeah, it can be kind of painful trying to raise a slurry with a DMT on your face.

Originally Posted by shooter74743

Really? How will someone who is learning to shave know what a true "shave ready" razor is? Maybe I'm just mis-understanding your statement...I hope.

Why is it necessary to know what true "shave ready" means straight away? What is "true" shave ready anyway? I'm pretty sure I couldn't give anything but a very generic definition of that term: something like "a razor that gives you a good shave."

The problem is a "good" shave changes both between shavers and over time as you learn technique etc. The shave to shave fluctuations in a beginner's technique may well overshadow the subtle minutia of a "honemeister" edge versus an amateur edge, or dare I say even a poor edge.

I learned to shave off a factory edge Dovo. After two weeks of that I obtained the best stone I could find (an old 4K oilstone borrowed from my father in law) and went from there. There are many paths to enlightenment. There are many paths to enlightenment because there are many different people with many different ways of learning.

Recipes are great and can be quite useful and convenient when teaching something to others. But they are prescriptive and won't suit everyone. They also encourage a "stepford wives" approach to knowledge, and when someone comes along who challenges the "learned knowledge" ...well, we've all seen what can happen. Rather than creating a shaving Borg here at SRP I would prefer people to find their own paths, while the rest of us offer advice and encouragement rather than a "do this, do that" atmosphere. We should be encouraging people to be Chefs rather than just cooks who follow recipes.

Sorry this has gone a bit far afield. I still think the OP is very good advice and I would definitely encourage people to get a honemeister edge if they can. But it is not a rule, there are other ways to go about this hobby, and I encourage everyone to follow whatever path they choose. It is all about learning, making mistakes, figuring things out. Of course, we can and should learn from other's mistakes (and successes), but I always like to make my own - seems more personal somehow!

James.

While there may be many paths of enlightenment, some of those paths lead to discouragement. Purchasing razors that were so called "shave ready" off the classified's are what lead me to honing. I was fortunate enough that my first razor was one honed by the Honemeister himself, so I knew what a properly honed razor was about and when I purchased a razor or two from the classified's I was a bit set back and very quickly learned that there are many opinions of a "shave ready" razor. Now that I have been honing for several years & hundreds of razors later, few razor's that I purchase really are honed to my liking as my taste for a keen edge ever increases. I simply feel that if I can keep a new SR shaver from getting discouraged, I have done my job. This includes opening my house up to total strangers, for that little bit of encouragement no matter if it's getting thru those first few good shaves or learning the basics of bevel setting & honing. Simply put, there is more than one way to get from Dallas to San Antonio...I like the Interstate.

Learn to shave, then learn to hone...ask me and I will teach you either or both...follow me on the Interstate & I will get you there quicker.

Originally Posted by shooter74743

While there may be many paths of enlightenment, some of those paths lead to discouragement. Purchasing razors that were so called "shave ready" off the classified's are what lead me to honing. I was fortunate enough that my first razor was one honed by the Honemeister himself, so I knew what a properly honed razor was about and when I purchased a razor or two from the classified's I was a bit set back and very quickly learned that there are many opinions of a "shave ready" razor. Now that I have been honing for several years & hundreds of razors later, few razor's that I purchase really are honed to my liking as my taste for a keen edge ever increases. I simply feel that if I can keep a new SR shaver from getting discouraged, I have done my job. This includes opening my house up to total strangers, for that little bit of encouragement no matter if it's getting thru those first few good shaves or learning the basics of bevel setting & honing. Simply put, there is more than one way to get from Dallas to San Antonio...I like the Interstate.

Learn to shave, then learn to hone...ask me and I will teach you either or both...follow me on the Interstate & I will get you there quicker.

Personally I prefer to take to the skies in my G2 /joke

Out of curiousity, have you come across a "shave ready" off the classifieds that would be worse than the average factory edge? I was blessed with a face of steel, sandstone with embedded shards of glass would be shave ready for me. /joke I am now taking you meaning to be distrust of the average classifieds advertiser proclaiming "shave ready" when the edge is not to your personal liking. Is the feedback system in use enough to help new buyers? Are there many in the classifieds who ungentlemanly pronounce their edges "shave ready" which are at an average factory edge level? Could you idea of being "shave ready" be skewed by your own abilities?

Please dont take any of that in a negative way, I am trying to learn more.