What I've learned in my first two weeks...
1. Don't take your $300 finely hand honed straight razor to a belt sander no matter how sharp it makes your kitchen knives.
2. How to set a bevel and "feel" the edge grab with your thumb.
3. Follow the advice of those more experienced than you no matter how smart you think you are.
4. More X strokes does not a sharper edge make.
5. More X strokes on higher grits (12k and above) does not a sharper edge make.
6. Don't let your wife see you yanking hair out of your head incessantly.
7. Strop, strop and then strop some more until stropping has no more effect.
8. Keep a journal of what you do so when it works you can do it.... again.
9. Watching videos is all good but the only way to learn honing is to dive in and do it yourself with a guided plan from the experts.
10. There is more than one way to achieve the ultimate edge - in fact, you can discover your own favorite way to get to a perfect shave.
11. Resist the temptation to improve an already perfect edge by stopping on CrO pasted canvas or its back to the 4k for you.
12. Diamonds are really hard and sharp - use them wisely.
13. There's this thing called lapping - do it and keep doing it until your hones are laser flat and so smooth they seem like they won't do anything.
14. If you use a ruler to draw the pencil lines on your hones before lapping, you might be anal or need medication for OCD.
15. Microscope pics are really pretty but don't tell you anything unless you happen to have a scanning electron microscope sitting in your office.
16. Wishing your beard would grow faster so you can do a shave test is indicative of pathologic impatience.
17. Honing a razor in good condition should not take more than 15 minutes.
18. Honing a razor taken to a belt sander could take more than 15 minutes.
19. If you're shaving with a straight razor for the first time, do it on a Friday night and plan to call out sick on Monday morning or your coworkers might say something like "it looks like someone took a rototiller to your face" or "do you have a new kitten?"
20. Direct pressure, if applied long enough, will stop just about any bleeder.
And lastly, there's nothing more satisfying than honing a razor to perfection and then enjoying the ultimate shave... even if you don't need to shave.
-john
