Thread: honing razors.

Originally Posted by Str8Shooter

... and you are right in assuming you will trash out your edge with the strop! and probobly the strop. practice that with a dull butter knife.

Paul

Noooo!! Expect the best of yourself!! Have high expectations in your mind, because your actions will surely follow your thoughts.

James.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

Noooo!! Expect the best of yourself!! Have high expectations in your mind, because your actions will surely follow your thoughts.

James.

"Use the Force, Luke. Trust your feelings." -Obi-Wan Kenobi

I don't get it... What has shaving to do with honing??
Honing is a technique that needs alot of practise!
You need to start out at some point.

It's like saying... 'You can't be a surgeon if you never had surgery before'...
It's just a technique... It's no secret ninja stuff.
Even a new guy can tell the difference between a honed razor and a 'shave ready' razor.

Originally Posted by stax

It's just a technique... It's no secret ninja stuff.
Even a new guy can tell the difference between a honed razor and a 'shave ready' razor.

I was a new guy a couple months ago. I still am. I had no idea what the difference was between a "sharp" and a "shave ready" razor...until I used a shave ready razor. THEN I knew.
And that, I think, is the point that gssixgun was trying to make.

(On a side note, I saw your other post. I recently had Leffe for the first time and it is AWESOME)

This whole thread is just the sad case of what happens when you don't do enough research before acting. A couple hours of browsing the forums and wiki would have:

introduced him to the way the community operates
allowed him to recognize the guys whose advice is well regarded
given him a sense that "shave ready" cannot be described, it has to be experienced
answered the questions in his first thread, and possibly the one he had here too


This forum is already a huge depository of information. I've found that over 3/4ths of what I needed to know about sr shaving has already been addressed. Chances are that the last 1/4 is too, I just may not have searched hard enough. Reading and lurking more, at this forum, leads to successful shaves.

Originally Posted by stax

I don't get it... What has shaving to do with honing??
Honing is a technique that needs alot of practise!
You need to start out at some point.

It's like saying... 'You can't be a surgeon if you never had surgery before'...
It's just a technique... It's no secret ninja stuff.
Even a new guy can tell the difference between a honed razor and a 'shave ready' razor.

The point is that in order to test out a blade you hone, you must first know what a properly honed razor "feels" like when you shave. Why? Because that is really the only way to know that it is "shave ready".
You are right in the aspect that honing is practice. It takes quite a bit of it to even start to get good at it. It's also quite a bit of fun. I sat down at the last houston meet up and touched up 20 razors and had a blast. Walk first. Learn to shave. Learn what hones you need. More then likely you don't have them yet. Educate yourself on the techniques. It all comes in time. There is no instant gratification in this "fraternity".
Surgeon's go to medical school for 4 years studying after 4 years of undergrad, then intern/residency 3-4 years before they ever get to make 1 incision. FYI

Originally Posted by igga

I was a new guy a couple months ago. I still am. I had no idea what the difference was between a "sharp" and a "shave ready" razor...until I used a shave ready razor. THEN I knew.
This whole thread is just the sad case of what happens when you don't do enough research before acting. A couple hours of browsing the forums and wiki would have:
introduced him to the way the community operates
allowed him to recognize the guys whose advice is well regarded
given him a sense that "shave ready" cannot be described, it has to be experienced
answered the questions in his first thread, and possibly the one he had here too
This forum is already a huge depository of information. I've found that over 3/4ths of what I needed to know about sr shaving has already been addressed. Chances are that the last 1/4 is too, I just may not have searched hard enough. Reading and lurking more, at this forum, leads to successful shaves.

That was a very wise answer.

Paul

Originally Posted by stax

I don't get it... What has shaving to do with honing??
Honing is a technique that needs alot of practise! ........
It's just a technique... It's no secret ninja stuff.
Even a new guy can tell the difference between a honed razor and a 'shave ready' razor.

Well my $.02 you are partly correct. Honing is a technique. Shaving is a technique. It isn't secret Ninja Stuff or we would all have been beheaded by now and the site destroyed.

HOWEVER, no a new guy can't tell the difference between a honed razor and shave ready razor because his shaving technique hasn't developed to the point it can be eliminated as a variable. I started with a shavette cause I knew it was sharp.
I began honing while still learning to shave(still am learning). The shavette showed me how much I had to learn. The shave ready razors I bought demonstrated some people knew how to hone a straight nearly as sharp as the shavette while other folks obviously didn't know what shave ready was.

Now my shaving technique has improved my focus is on smooth as well as sharp. It would have been much simpler if I had focused on learning the shave technique before trying to develop honing technique as I simply couldn't discern subtle improvements by test shaving. I just seldom do things the easy way. Like Tina Turner I like to do things the hard way.

The student honer faces the problem of testing his edge and the only reliable way to test is to shave. If you are learning both techniques simultaneously there is no reliable means to determine cause and effect.

The OP sent me a PM and we are in the process of getting him a shave ready razor and one to learn to hone. I am far from an expert but it is clear to me as my shaving technique improves my edges are improving.

You know if you read the OP it is easy to understand how someone from the outside looking in could be put off by our collective response in this instance. It doesn't read like the friendly, inviting and helpful bunch we really are.

Originally Posted by mapleleafalumnus

"Use the Force, Luke. Trust your feelings." -Obi-Wan Kenobi

Do or do not.... there is no try.

Originally Posted by stax

Even a new guy can tell the difference between a honed razor and a 'shave ready' razor.

Stax, I think you need to read this twice

Originally Posted by jaswarb

The student honer faces the problem of testing his edge and the only reliable way to test is to shave. If you are learning both techniques simultaneously there is no reliable means to determine cause and effect.

Very well put Jas

Originally Posted by jaswarb

The OP sent me a PM and we are in the process of getting him a shave ready razor and one to learn to hone. I am far from an expert but it is clear to me as my shaving technique improves my edges are improving.

Wow! I'm glad he didn't get permanently scared off!

Here's to a better response next time he posts:

sorry. im a talker and not a lurker.

if you met me in person you would understand that i dont have a problem asking anyone questions about something i find very interesting.
when i wanted to get my helicopter rating i just went in the door introduced myself and said i didint need in intro flight and that i wanted to take my first hour.

when i joined the army i did the same thing. i walked in and said hello my name is jeb and where do i sign.

i am a member of a pilots forum and we have many noobs stop in and start asking questions. unless they are total jerks then we answer them by telling them where to go for basic information and getting them into a conversation to see where they want to go because many of them dont even know where to start. that is where i am now with shaving with i straight razor. i thought that i would be able to get into a running conversation with some people. looks like i have but not in the way i or anyone here would have liked. i was a little put off by how some that first bunch of posts went. i felt like was being told to do something with no directions and no place to look.

to the gents who sent me links to the vids and answered some questions you do a service to the forum. str8tshooter, jaswarb, smalltank, ignatius.

i am a tradesman my self. i am a welder first and now an inspector. i am learning to fly a helicopter. i am learning to shave with a straight razor. on the things i find most interesting i jump right in. all of these things take many hours of practice and time getting it right. i tell my welding students that your learning curve makes a jump when you make a mistake and learn from it. (i hope to not make too many mistakes on face as i only have one and its gotten me a lovely wife)

ok next subject.
what is....OP (figured this one out)....GYIF...i got out of the army a long long long time ago and surely dont remember any of those and well....i am not to up on the forum slang.

jeb