Thread: Who hones and who just doesn't want to?

I wanted to learn the old way of shaving, not knowing if I would like it or not. I felt it was necessary to learn to hone, so I could maintain my own razor & not be dependant upon another.

I think honing overwhelms some people because they want to learn it all ,in a set time period. I think many see honing as a course of study , to be approached hard & fast with a "test" as the end result, hoping & praying for a high score. If a passing score is not achieved, then they get discouraged.

With all the stones that I have been fortunate enough to buy, I actually spend more time honing my knives properly, my axes & machetes.(different hones for each, of course) My razors are good for quite a while , once touched up. Honing becomes an enjoyable pastime, I can feel this way, because I don't hone for services & can go a week without touching a hone.

I think, Kwlfca, honing is like anything else, if you allow it to become a task, it eventually wears out it's welcome.

I recently decided to not hone my own razors but to learn to do a good re freshening of them to prolong the need to do a full honing. My logic behind the decision is this. One: Refreshing an edge require fewer tools and less time. Two: Bluntly, I'm to old to start on a long process that may take years to come close to perfecting. I'd be the 98 year old that on achieving a 99% perfect hone would stand up, declare "Eureka!" and keel over.

I think the motivation mostly comes from wanting to do something yourself/getting the satisfaction out of doing it. Like most things, it ends up being hard to save money if you also develop HAD. But from a skill/satisfaction standpoint I like it. I've still had to send a couple "trouble" razors out. No need to frustrate yourself out of a fun hobby.

I've been honing straight razors since last year, and have been honing kitchen knives and tools before that for years. I enjoy taking care of my tools, so honing has become part of my tool maintenance routine. I like the challenge it offers when handling different blades.

I flat out love honing. More stones, more styles, more technique Its a great way to de-stress (when all goes well) and pass the time (when things are not working out as nice as hoped)

While I do hone my own razors I also hate doing so. I know its a must as a serious straight razor user & collector, so I soldier on. I'm always jealous to hear other members who love this act, for me its a prison sentence.

i hone because I want to be self sufficient.

Originally Posted by gfro

i hone because I want to be self sufficient.

am also self sufficient,back in the day I played semi pro baseball,but I never had a desire to make my own bats and balls

I've seen your brushes,,,,maybe you should have,,,,,

Originally Posted by Hirlau

I've seen your brushes,,,,maybe you should have,,,,,

You have pulled a cord John a solid Ebony baseball bat,i can do that,for about $500.00 thats what the material would cost.