Thread: Are we taking honing too Seriously ?????

Originally Posted by Seraphim

Pretty soon, I'll need a microscope to see my razor!

Groove the blade and your wife has a nice looking, quality nail file!

Glen, I am looking forward to a good conversation with you in person in Asheville!

I was explaining my straight shaving hobby to someone the other day and I said that it was like fly fishing. Some people like to CATCH fish, some just like perfecting their cast, some like to tie flys more. The point is, zen can be found in many facets of the one activity. It is so, I believe, with straight shaving. Shave-vana can be reached many ways. Honing, Shaving, Restoring, stropping, are all different aspects that we as a community embrace with varying degrees of zeal. A sensitivity to new comers with respect to that zeal is probably something we should seek to maintain so as not to scare folks off who are unsure or would otherwise be intimidated. I think the community here does a good job of answering questions honestly and with said sensitivity. As for the science/art of honing, I have not ventured down that path yet, so I must defer to those who know more.

Originally Posted by Quick Orange

I see the scope as an aid to learning. No, you don't have to have it, but it can definitely help you shorten the learning curve. Back when everyone used these, there was likely to be someone in town that could show you how to do it. We've got words and a few pictures to go by- and we're lucky for that!

I think this is the difference right here. I learned to hone from Lynn's video and the advice here on the board. With the micro I shortened my learning curve enough to be successful. I in fact still haven't met any of you guys in person nor even another straight shaver I could compare notes with. Any tool that helps is what I say.

Just today I was in my shop looking at a razor, It has probably never seen a hone yet after thirty years it is showing enough wear and tear that if it was advertised as new in a store I would take it back. Even nearly new stock like this has more damage than would be acceptable to even the most laid back consumer. If I couldn't look at it and see where it was and how it was coming I would easily become frustrated in the precess and give up before the blade is restored. I don't need to look at it anymore but it now give me peace of mind and a sense of progress to do so.

Ahhh, the great microscope debate of '08.
Here's my view. While I do see the merit of being able to see the edge close up, and understand that this should be useful to pretty much everyone learning to hone, I am against it.
At least part of the reason I started shaving with a straight was nostalgia. To do things the old fashioned way. To shave like my grandfather and many older generations have done for centuries. When learning to hone, I want to do the same. I don't wish to let modern technology interfere with my nostalgia trip, as useful as it may be. And so, I have thus far refused to use a scope to see the edge of my razors, when honing. Hopefully, in this way, I should learn to use the various subjective tests more quickly without relying on a microscope first. I MUST learn to use these tests in order to learn how to hone properly, because I have no microscope to tell me what's happening. Just like they didn't use a microscope to sharpen razors a hundred years ago. But maybe that's just me.

Connor

Originally Posted by Rosco

Ahhh, the great microscope debate of '08.
Here's my view. While I do see the merit of being able to see the edge close up, and understand that this should be useful to pretty much everyone learning to hone, I am against it.
At least part of the reason I started shaving with a straight was nostalgia. To do things the old fashioned way. To shave like my grandfather and many older generations have done for centuries. When learning to hone, I want to do the same. I don't wish to let modern technology interfere with my nostalgia trip, as useful as it may be. And so, I have thus far refused to use a scope to see the edge of my razors, when honing. Hopefully, in this way, I should learn to use the various subjective tests more quickly without relying on a microscope first. I MUST learn to use these tests in order to learn how to hone properly, because I have no microscope to tell me what's happening. Just like they didn't use a microscope to sharpen razors a hundred years ago. But maybe that's just me.

Connor

Nope, it not just you!

Originally Posted by Rosco

I don't wish to let modern technology interfere with my nostalgia trip, as useful as it may be. And so, I have thus far refused to use a scope to see the edge of my razors, when honing. Hopefully, in this way, I should learn to use the various subjective tests more quickly without relying on a microscope first. I MUST learn to use these tests in order to learn how to hone properly, because I have no microscope to tell me what's happening. Just like they didn't use a microscope to sharpen razors a hundred years ago. But maybe that's just me.

Connor

I just have to point out that microscopes are hundreds of years old. I know they weren't as common or as advanced in years past, but bending light to see things up close is not really a modern interference (not to me at least!) I do use a modern interference for kicks though.

I enjoy the debates about honing and various methods as long as no one gets offended; Not everyone uses a pyramid, not everyone uses a progressive method, not everyone uses a microscope or double-bevel.

Personally I think it adds to our hobby when others are willing to experiment and pursue the more esoteric parts of razor honing.

At the get-together a couple of weeks ago, HeavyDuty was telling me about how he did an experiment with a couticle to see if it was possible to overhone. I believe he ended up doing several hundred strokes without overhoning. I remember thinking...'how cool.'


Keep it up guys...

If you have a microscope then it could certainly be used to your advantage, but I do not think is it necessary by any means.

Personally I have honed enough razors at this point to understand when a blade is shave ready.

I will do the TPT, and cut some hair on my arm to get a FEEL for the edge. A razor that is ALMOST READY will cut hair differently than a razor that is READY (when cutting hair on my arm).

Now if I had a microscope I could look at the edge and notice the difference between a blade that is almost shave ready vs a blade that is shave ready vs a blade that is a letter opener. But I do not necessarily need a scope to tell me the differences.

I guess I am just a touchy feely person when it comes to honing

Originally Posted by Amyn

[...]
I guess I am just a touchy feely person when it comes to honing

I'm buying you band-aids, super glue, and duct tape for christmas.

You need nothing more than a hone in order to hone.
In the beginning I only used a coticule because that was what I had.

I even took out a big nick on it, which took 15 hours or so.

In the beginning I also used a microscope, simply because I had one available at work, and it showed me a lot of things. But it only sped up the learning curve a bit. And these days I use things like the flow of water on the stone, the reflection of light on the edge, the tnt and tpt.

The reason I take honing more seriously is to me it is a hobby on which I spend a lot of time and effort. if I only wanted to get a decent shave, I'd have stopped after my first coticule.

Btw, that is the advice I give every newbie: if you just want to maintain a razor that already has a decent edge: buy a small coticule and touch up your razor every couple of shaves.