Thread: Should I just give up

Been at this razor thing for a ill bit over a year now.. Tried my shot at honing and sometimes it seems to work out and other times I'm just about to give up and leave it to the pros.. But weren't the pros like me one day long ago?? I think I really just need a good honing mentor to correct my mistakes bad habits etc.. Did the pros teach themselves or were they taught?? Thoughts comments??

FWIW, I've "been at this razor thing" for some seven years, and consistent-quality honing continues to elude me; sometimes it seems like I'm almost there, most times not. I have learned to accept this as an ongoing opportunity to define for myself what makes a razor "shave ready" and to refine my shaving technique. In other words, don't beat yourself up over it. It's not for nothing that Bart Simpson is holding a DE...

I don't know how many razors you have, but I suggest that -- depending on how frequently you shave with a straight razor -- you pick a few favorites and send them out for professional honing. Then, concentrate on maintaining their edges. I'm a big fan of hard-wool felt bench strops -- one with 0.5-micron diamond spray, and one with 0.5-micron chromium dioxide (CrO2) -- and the SRD modular strop can't be beat for this.

Just my opinion and my personal solution. YMMV.

Smooth shaving!

With me the defining point of my honing was when I started visually inspecting the edge. Takes a sharp eye (or magnifier). Have a nice bright light overhead. When you hold the razor about a foot from your face and rotate the edge to point towards your eyes, any and all shine should disappear. Shiny spots are imperfections in the edge. Rid yourself of those shiny spots and you are nearly there.

Originally Posted by JBHoren

FWIW, I've "been at this razor thing" for some seven years, and consistent-quality honing continues to elude me; sometimes it seems like I'm almost there, most times not. I have learned to accept this as an ongoing opportunity to define for myself what makes a razor "shave ready" and to refine my shaving technique. In other words, don't beat yourself up over it. It's not for nothing that Bart Simpson is holding a DE...

I don't know how many razors you have, but I suggest that -- depending on how frequently you shave with a straight razor -- you pick a few favorites and send them out for professional honing. Then, concentrate on maintaining their edges. I'm a big fan of hard-wool felt bench strops -- one with 0.5-micron diamond spray, and one with 0.5-micron chromium dioxide (CrO2) -- and the SRD modular strop can't be beat for this.

Just my opinion and my personal solution. YMMV.

Smooth shaving!

I probably have about 15 to 20 razors most I have honed.then I get one back from the honing pros and it feels amazing. Im not gonna quit trying but it may b time to send most of them out and just learn to maintain them

Buy 20 gold dollars for $75. Lap your hones and go to work on thm. They have no factory bevel to speak of so lots of work setting bevels. After you set the 20, dull on glass and set them again. They are very heavy spines razors so you will not wear these out anytime soon. Im not joking about this. Thats what i did.

I didn't teach myself. I was taught by the people on these different forums and YouTube.

Originally Posted by JBHoren

FWIW, I've "been at this razor thing" for some seven years, and consistent-quality honing continues to elude me; sometimes it seems like I'm almost there, most times not. I have learned to accept this as an ongoing opportunity to define for myself what makes a razor "shave ready" and to refine my shaving technique. In other words, don't beat yourself up over it. It's not for nothing that Bart Simpson is holding a DE...

I don't know how many razors you have, but I suggest that -- depending on how frequently you shave with a straight razor -- you pick a few favorites and send them out for professional honing. Then, concentrate on maintaining their edges. I'm a big fan of hard-wool felt bench strops -- one with 0.5-micron diamond spray, and one with 0.5-micron chromium dioxide (CrO2) -- and the SRD modular strop can't be beat for this.

Just my opinion and my personal solution. YMMV.

Smooth shaving!

Yup - for me, I'm basically at the stage where all my razors have been professionally honed. I use a Dovo white / grey paste on the linen side of the strop. I've got a nice refresher kit with coticule, slurry stone, balsa CroX board and leather strop board.

Yesterday, had a great day with a honemeister who showed me how to properly use my coti, he had a blade for me to practice on, and in 3 months or so will go again to see what my progress has been.

At this point, my goal is to be able to maintain and refresh my razors, for the 12 or so I have, it should be quite awhile before I have to send anything out for a honing.

My mentor had selected a nice coti for me, properly lapped it for me, and showed me how to get different grits using the two sided slurry stone, or just using water on it's own. I also was shown the proper technique for applying the razor to the stone, and the two boards.

Other interesting thing I discovered, whereas I thought my stropping technique was adequate after a year, it has turned out I had rolled several of my edges while stropping!! Just goes to show you how important, as always, the fundamentals are!!!

He suggested I use the stropping board to re-learn and or re-enforce proper stropping technique.

But it was a very important lesson, if you can't strop properly, and you're rolling edges, the rest is somewhat moot, isn't it?

Again, just my experience....but a day with an expert was invaluable!!

Ill get there I have met some great people on here .. with some guidance ill get this

First and Foremost I watched the videos and read the forums and used that as a basis to teach myself.

So far I’ve been lucky as I’ve not run into ‘problem’ blades!!

I also went the synthetic route as I wanted consistency instead of chasing Gucci Rocks time after time trying to find the ‘Right Rock’ as a very good friend has done!

As far as stropping, if you haven’t learned how to properly strop you are beating a dead horse and wasting your time with honing!

I personally always recommend that someone wait until they get the basics of making lather, stropping and shaving down and then think about learning to hone!! As it’s an art all on its own!

I have on occasion asked a pro to hone a razor for me using exactly what I have and Not to use a pasted strop after honing as I don’t use one, I like the feel of the edge right off the Naniwa 12K!

I’ve done this to see how I’m doing and I seem to be holding my own or at least I’m in the ball park on those particular razors!!!

I forgot to add that until you are getting good, close and comfortable shave consistently, you are wasting your time trying to go to a higher grit hone! Personally I love the feel of the Naniwa 12K edge, but I could live my life shaving off of a Norton 8K edge! If I were to break my Naniwa 12K and didn't have the money to buy another one I could live without it!! However if I were to drop and break my Norton 4/8 I'd eat peanut butter sandwiches for every meal for however long it took to save up for a new one!!

I get some nice compliments on my edges! But I’m still learning and I doubt that I will ever stop learning some new trick or detail!

From what I’ve read, I’d put the stones aside get back to basics and let the pros hone for you for awhile, then when you get more masterful give the honing a go!

Also as mentioned if you can find someone who has had more experience (it doesn’t have to be a pro, but that would be nice) please get with them!!! a couple of hours will teach you more than months of watching videos and reading!!

I speak from personal experience as I still use the exact same equipment as I was using when I got to attend the NW Meet in Spokane WA. After watching Glen (GSSIXGUN) hone and being able to stop him and ask a question and then have him patiently show me improved my honing 10X’s over!!

I really can't thank him enough for taking the effort to organize the annual meets! I am forever in his debt! :

Well sir i watched videos and CUDARUNNER taught me over the phone really and it was a real help granted we lost touch since then but thats the best thing is to get a mentor and to watch videos and good luck