So I sent in 3 of my razors to get honed by SRD. Does anyone have any recent experience with what the turnaround is these days? I'm really impatient to get them back sharp as ever! Been about 12 days so far, just anxious...
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So I sent in 3 of my razors to get honed by SRD. Does anyone have any recent experience with what the turnaround is these days? I'm really impatient to get them back sharp as ever! Been about 12 days so far, just anxious...
On average around two weeks, a bit longer pending how busy they are.
You need more razors! Only 3? LOL. Next time send 2 and make sure 1 is sharp for the wait.
"Good things come to those who wait."
I have 5 total, so I kept two here to keep on shavin'. Unfortunately, they aren't my favorites...they work fine, but I prefer the ones I sent out to get honed up. Except for one, it hasn't had a good edge on it since I bought it, so I look forward to giving it a go in the near future.
I think overall I've done pretty good with them so far, one of them has gone about a year since being honed with use about 3-4 times a week. Just some crox occasionally and an old swaty has kept it going, but it was starting to give more pull than usual.
Look forward to starting it fresh again.
Still on the lookout for 2 more razors though so I can have my mix and match 7 day set though. Hopefully one day I can find one of the Dovo Bismarcks with the translucent red scales...that has got to be the nicest looking razor I've seen...that's affordable anyway. Seems like they must be hard to come by though since I never see them up for sale on ebay, etc. so either they didn't make all that many, or people just hold on to them...
I know this was not originally part of the question but why don't you get a hone and learn how to use it? That way you won't have to wait.
That's the long term solution, but I don't have the extra money to spend on a set of hones at this time. So until then, this is the cheaper alternative and having 3 done will hold me over for some time.
Well howuch is it costing you to have three razors done up? Because my norton 4000/8000 only cost me about $70. I mean I am not trying to take money away fr Lynn or Don but I think that every shaver should possess the honing skills needed.
Buying the stones and having a blade honed by a professional is two different things though! As many as Lynn has done would take a layman many many lifetimes to hone as many as he has.
Buying stones is easy, getting the hands to guide the blade the right way does take some time. But we all start out the same way. As far as choices of hones, the line goes out the door and around the block. You will get many opinions. IMO synthetic are easier to learn, but your choice. Good luck.
Honing and honing proficiently and correctly are two vastly different things in my opinion....my advice would be to learn to become proficient in using your straight, learning to strop, learning to properly lather etc, before you introduce another factor in the learning to shave with a straight.
To "refresh" your razors, you could get a CroX pasted strop or balsa board and that would again extend the life of your razor between honing. Do some research on refreshing your razors.
With proper care and stropping, and rotating your razors, you could go a year before requiring another honing....
Cheers!
That's another thing that I'm afraid of...screwing it up while learning to hone. I'm still unsure of myself using the barbers hone!
That's what gold dollars are for. $5 isn't a bank breaker and if you can get it to shave you should be able to get any basic razor shave ready. Only way to learn is to hone.
Good point!
Given that you want to learn how to hone....
For me, so far, that's not in the cards....I had the opportunity to get a lesson from a honemeister on a coticule for refreshing razors (was fascinating BTW) , and aside from his heavily calloused hands from honing a dozen razors a day, the learning curve to expertise would be a long journey indeed.
Not ruling it out though, been just over a year, and at some time I may very get some old razors and begin the journey!!
Cheers!
Hi Aaron! I think you are taking the conservative approach! I think you should master in keeping an edge for as long as you can first, before trying to take an edge from bevel to finishing. In the long run, it will make it easier when you decide to start honing. It is harder to mess up a razor with a finisher than a bevel setter, ask me how I know.
However, I would encourage you to eventually get into full honing. It will save you money (well maybe not, if you get HAD), it also save you time and give you great satisfaction. Your edges would not be close to your pro hone edges at first, but you'll get there eventually, with patience, practice and perseverance.
I started with a Shapton glass 16K and some CrOx. Then I added a paddle strop with CBN (.25 & .10) and that was better. After awhile I added the polishers, a 4k & 8k Shapton glass and with a 1k king I had, that's when the challenge started. With lots of reading and practice on eBay razors (not the best to learn on) I went at it till I got shave ready razors.
Honing is like weather prediction, you learn in school how is done, but until you start hands on predicting, your accuracy only improve with experience. And some times nature will throw a curve ball and you miss it. Same with razors.
To answere you're original question, first time I send my razor to SRD it got turn around in a week ( three years ago) last time it took the good part of two weeks (a year ago).
Good luck and enjoy your shave with the newly sharpen razors! Double O
Hi Aaron,
Your order was placed on 11/1/13. I picked the razors up at the post office the next week. Normally I allow a week for them to get to me and be picked up at the post office. I usually turn around razors in the regular seasons in about a week from receipt and it can take up to a week for the post man to get them back to people.
You sent me a 5/8 Dovo BQ, a Bismarck spike with an extreme amount of uneven flattening that did not match on either side and 5/8 Bohler Stahl with a fancy spine that needed some additional work to get a bevel on it. The Dovo was a free hone from SRD. I did not charge you any additional for the extra work on the two razors.
Your razors made it to the post office today for their return trip home.
Guys.......Please! If you want your razors back before you send them, please send them to one of the hobbyists or to someone else. I will not be giving up the quality of the honing in order to meet your biological clocks.
Thanks!!
Ps, I totally understand the new guy itch!!!
Thanks for the update Lynn. No problems at all with the time it takes, I was just starting to get worried they were lost in the mail or something! I understand that the one razor may have posed a problem as it did have some issues...wasn't even sure if it could be honed with the shape it was in.
Thanks in advance for the excellent work, and please don't think that I was upset...mostly just nervous about sending things like that through the mail since I've had things lost in the past.
Exciting day, my freshly honed razors arrived in the mail! Now a question...
Here's how the shave went with my Dovo fresh from the hones.
After the shave, I did my usual alum rub, and little to no sting at all! Amazing. I'm guessing that's due to the extra keen edge it has.
However, I do notice that the shave isn't as close as the Dovo was prehoning. Does it take a few shaves for a honed razor to "break in"? Or is it more likely that I was subconsciously paranoid of an extra sharp razor and my method was different? I don't feel that I did anything out of the ordinary, but a mind can play tricks on your muscle memory at times too.
Kind of stumped on this. I don't doubt the sharpness of the razor, but this is the first time I've had it rejoined by SRD, so I don't really have any experience to compare it to.
I would consider the first time with a shave ready razor since I've figured out how to shave without hacking myself up. I started with a straight almost a year ago to the day, so through that year, I've used a few razors and with a rotation hadn't needing another honing since figuring out how to shave.
At this point, I'm comfortable to say that I've got the technique down, so that is why I'd consider this to be my first time with a shave ready...at least first time with having the technique part behind me,
With a pro honed razor,you get it all down pat,Proper stropping.proper prep,proper angles,proper care of the blade,you can go a couple yrs without the blade being re-honed,JME
You were obviously shaving with a shavable but not truly shave ready razor before. Now its shave ready you cant apply the pressure you would have subconsciously been using before so now you use a really light touch and it will probably take a few shaves to adjust to this pressure level while shaving before you return to where you were before the honing closeness wise. Its just a matter of readjustment
That's kind of what I was thinking. Makes sense to me anyway. Thanks for the help.
Out of curiosity, does anyone know what SRD uses for a finisher when they hone up a razor? Do they finish with some of the diamond sprays, crox, etc., or stones?
Just trying to learn a bit more about honing and what might be right for me in the future as I'll inevitably end up with hones sooner or later. And since the razors I have we're honed by them, it would give me at least a reference point on what was used.
Thanks!
IIRC, Lynn really likes the naniwa 12, so I would go with that, with the possibility of a couple finishing strokes on a crox strop before the final stropping on clean leather. It could very well vary, depending on the razor, so your best bet for a definitive answer would be to email them and ask what was used on yours.
I'd thought about emailing, but I'm sure they get enough annoying email questions. That, and I'd imagine they keep pretty busy with all the other stuff associated with the business.
I heard Lynn is always available to answer wetshaving questions or try to help people learn to hone or strop or help with any problems people might be having. He may get a ton of phone calls and PM's, but always tries to catch up with people. I am betting if you send him a PM, he might even send you his cell number to try to help you out or you can send him your cell number.
I am also betting that Lynn is a little surprised at all these SRD questions here in the forum and the only email to him from the OP was after a response from him in here......hmmmmmmmmm.
Have fun
I do not send many emails or PMs to Lynn but he has always gotten back with me. He has some vids on Youtube so you can see his process for honing and stropping as well. I think what we need is a clone of Lynn so the real Lynn can do honing and the clone can go around the country teaching.
Lynn. Can you help a brother in need?
Hello Lynn,
I tried to send you a PM, but it told me your PM inbox as full, so I'll post here instead...
I suppose I should have just written you in the beginning I guess. Just thought I'd ask the community first to see if they knew.
Anyway, I was just curious what you use as a finisher on the razors sent to you for honing. Since in the future I'd like to delve into honing, and I'd probably start that off with finishers or the like rather than diving straight into full on honing. I've bought razors from others in the past who honed them up before I got them and they all feel a bit different, some more comfortable, etc. and I'd think a lot of that has to do with the final steps on honing.
I'd appreciate any advice you'd have on this. Thanks.
Aaron
Wxman2000 if you want a great finishing stone get the Naniwa 12K. It's super easy to use for touch ups. It really smooths out the edge. Afterwards strop on linen then leather and shave away.
There was about a 10 day straight period a few months ago when I was on an ordering frenzy. I literally called SRD at least once a day with what I would call OCD type questions. I mean seriously annoying questions, but they were important questions for me at the moment. I never once was made to feel as if I were wasting anyone's time, and I was always treated professionally. Email and forums are great, but I suggest picking up the phone, giving a call, and getting the answers you need and want. Personal communication is totally lost these days. You would be surprised how willing most people are to spend time speaking with you when you give it a shot. This reminds me, I need to place an order, but first I will obsess over which fragrance of shave soap will best match my cologne. I'll call Don or Lynn and get them to talk me off the edge ;)