Thread: How do you become a Honemeister

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

"I know I can hone." That is all the credibility I need and it is still fun.

Right on! shooting is also amongst my therapy...hmmm is that weird that i like to perfect my skills with weapons? but seriously honing and shooting takes absolute concentration so you don't hurt yourself or others, and therefore takes your mind off of everything else you may be thinking of.

Some like to keep chasing that elusive perfect edge because they like it and find it therapeutic.
Some send their blades to pros because they like to concentrate to some other thing, be it person, hobby or aspect of shaving.

I can understand the whole new hobby with all its aspects entices newbies, but once you follow the forum for a while, a understanding of the complexity of honing dawns. This is why some people like to outsource the task to somebody who does it quicker, better and to a fair price. This is why I ATM get mine honed by a pro.

IMO, honing is a serious investment in terms of both money and time, definitely not just an easy way to dodge the sharpening fee, as many newbies seem to think. To me it only makes sense as a hobby, not economically.

Originally Posted by ursus

IMO, honing is a serious investment in terms of both money and time, definitely not just an easy way to dodge the sharpening fee, as many newbies seem to think. To me it only makes sense as a hobby, not economically.

I agree with that. I have invested one heck of a lot of $ and time in learning honing . Worth it to me though. It is not for everybody. I remember when I first came around a fellow posted about, " the drudgery of honing." Not that way to me at all.

Originally Posted by Turbodude

Ive been seeing around the site lately people have been saying to have your razors professionally honed. I can see this for a beginner and their first razor so they can shave with it right away. However on vintage razors i don't see why anyone wouldn't want to hone their own razor. If one is into vintage blades I'd wager that they have been in the game for a while and have honed a razor or two. I think as the hobby part of STR8s one would want to divulge in all the aspects of the art. Furthermore, how would one become a honemeister if they never practice. I guess my question is, do professional honers have computerized machines or super ultra equipment or techniques that make them a "cut above" the home honing standard. I am not bashing anything just simply curious. I know that I consider the time and concentration required to hone blades, knives and razors, to be a form of therapy simply because you have to put all your brain power into the action. Was just curious and thought of this the other day while I was shaving, Which by the way was my 4th shave. Doing good...still nicking myself but only because Im going to fast. I watched a video on here yesterday and learned some things so I'm just gonna keep truckin'. Take er easy yall!

At one level it is about tools.
For $20+shipping the professional can hone the razor
with a set of hones and strops that would cost you
well in excess of $200. In some cases the finishing
hone alone might cost $500+ by itself if you could find
one to buy.

Also a professional has practiced the craft.
Honing by hand is a lot about feel and the
professional will correct minor anomalies
making it easy for you to maintain your
blade.

At another level it all about getting started.
In a world where shaving with an open blade
is an uncommon skill involving a lot of details
need to be mastered. So getting started is hard.

The process of lathering and shaving is sort
of the end game. Day to day stropping
is critical and important. Weeks perhaps months
later a touch up on a hone is called for.

By getting the blade professionally sharpened
a critical and necessary component of the
shave is "done" and done well. This leaves
the beginner with stropping, lathering and shaving
to learn. For some this is a big learning curve.

In the old days your Dad or a local barber could
teach the stropping, lathering and shaving part.
The barber could also sharpen/ hone a razor for
you. As I grew up, at age four I was in a barber
shop that used straight razors... So for 14
years or so long before I had whiskers I had seen
a professional strop, lather,and shave customers.
I watched the barbers, I could see a blade at
a correct angle, I could hear the sound of a razor
on a strop in person. About age seven the barber
started lathering the edges and cleaned up the
back of my neck. About age 15 the clean up
began to include the sideburns... I could hear
and feel the sound of a singing blade up close and
personal.

I guess in the internet we would call that lurking
but who today would lurk for 14 years...

It is also about numbers. I shave almost every day
so stropping, lathering and shaving about 300 times
a year. Honing not nearly so often... two to
six times a year. With a seven day rotation of blades
honing might be a one or twice a year single afternoon
activity for a "shaver".

So the advice -- get the blade sharpened by a pro
stands... Eventually we all buy a hone or set
of hones to maintain our blades but first things first.

I'm willing to call anyone who has mastered honing straight razors a honemeister

I dont think theres any "level" you have to reach to get the title, and its not one that you can get by honing a certain number of razors.

Its also made slightly harder to define because we all think the title means something slightly different, which you can see from the responses to this thread!

I guess I would define it as someone who hones for money, who has honed hundreds if not thousands of razors and can pretty much hone anything on anything, as Robin said. A honemeister is someone who, when left alone in a room with a spoon, a housebrick and a full beard, will, after a few hours, be cleanly shaved!

Kidding aside though, I remember Lynn saying in another thread along these lines that those who learn to hone their own razors and get results they like become their own honemeisters.

It really depends on what you want out of the whole honing experience. If you want to hone your own razors, if you want to chase that perfect edge, if you want to hone for money, or if you want a combination of all of these things. Either way, you're going to need to practice..!

Originally Posted by Turbodude

However on vintage razors i don't see why anyone wouldn't want to hone their own razor.

Furthermore, how would one become a honemeister if they never practice. I guess my question is, do professional honers have computerized machines or super ultra equipment or techniques that make them a "cut above" the home honing standard.

Was just curious and thought of this the other day while I was shaving, Which by the way was my 4th shave. Doing good...still nicking myself but only because Im going to fast. I watched a video on here yesterday and learned some things so I'm just gonna keep truckin'. Take er easy yall!

I read this thread and your other one, I think what your asking in both is something that comes up here a lot...

Many knife and tool guys, because of the love of the steel and stones often end up here, and many of them ask the same things you are asking...

We all say the same thing over and over many times "Razors are different" many don't believe this...

Here is the best explanation I have come up with to try and explain it ...

Many of the Knife and Tool guys get caught up in the science when they start razor honing, and over the past few years here of trying to explain, that there is no comparison to other types of honing/sharpening, I have finally come up with this statement which seems to make some sense of it...

"The difference in honing a straight razor, when compared to every other type of honing/sharpening is the "Skin Factor" you are taking one of the sharpest edges known to man, and sliding it across your face... It not only has to be sharp it has to be smooth, and that is what creates the difference"


Basically anyone can get a razor sharp, Christ you can raise a burr, then polish it off and have a sharp razor that will even shave,, I can pop an edge off a 1k stone that will shave, where the change occurs is knowing how to get that sharp edge, smooth too, and when you can do that on just about any style of razor Consistently and Confidently then whether you hone for others, or just yourself you are a "Honemeister"

However on most of the shaving forums including this one the term means "one that hones for money and is damn good at it"...

Why most people do not hone their own razors, is pretty simple really, "the time it takes" to do it, and to learn it... Many of the guys do the re-freshes themselves with either High grit stones and Barber's hones or pastes, and leave the bevel sets and first honings to a pro...

The other thing that always makes me wonder is your statement about "This is my 4th shave" did you hone this razor??? if so how do you know it is even close to as sharp as it can be????

Enjoy...

Paypal me the equivalent of $250 USD in whatever currency is most stable as of this date, and I will add your name to the hallowed halls of the Honestergesellschaft.

IMO, you don't become a honemeister. There can be only one...

And let us not forget, it isn't just about getting it super-duper-wickedly-scary sharp. A straight can be too sharp, too well polished and become really incredibly harsh to shave with. It's knowing when to say when.