Thread: When should/did you start honing?

I learned to hone almost immediately as my RAD was bad right at the start. Followed by HAD, SAD(strops), BAD and SAD(soap) at the same time and ongoing bouts of RAD. Almost all my razors are ebay purchases. I did have a mentor (2nd generation barber old school style) though so I would take it to him and if not right would go home do it again and take it back. In the end it wasn't long before I could match his edges consistently.

Originally Posted by BobH

I think it was a couple of months into shaving with a straight that I started to teach myself to hone. I realized that I was dulling a blade fast through poor shaving/stropping technique and I was getting more used razors too so sending them out to be honed would become expensive quickly. So I got some Naniwas, IK, 3/8K and 12K plus a DMT325 and had at her adding a Zulu Gray into the mix. I has been a long road and I am finally getting somewhere with it. Along the way also found out that I enjoy it too.

I had a few pro honed razors at the start and that was a good thing because it gave me an idea of what to shoot for. Have fun and enjoy yourself.

Bob

Hey Bob - I'm debating this whole dmt 325 thing. I know I will need to lap my Naniwa 12k when it arrives, but have seen I can do that with a pencil and some wet/dry sandpaper. My Norton 4000/8000 and Naniwa 3000k (weird set of stones for this local guy to have, wonder why he had a 3k) have already been lapped, and if this DMT is just for lapping, or I can do it with sandpaper, seems a pretty big expense for a one time or few time use.

I've also read these DMT (the fine one, not the coarse one) are also good finishers, but isn't that what the 12k is for? What are your thoughts on this.

Thanks - from the guy that wasn't ever going to get into honing!!

Hey Phrank

Not a thing wrong with lapping Naniwas with wet/dry sandpaper. I had to do that after my DMT 325 left deep scratches in my Naniwas. Sometime the DMTs have high diamonds that need to be knocked down before using them to lap hones. Fixed my DMT and use it for lapping my hones, taking the chips out of a really ugly blades and reshaping damage to toes and heels of blades. No idea how a fine DMT would work as a finisher, I use a Nanai 12K as a finisher followed by a few strokes on a Zulu Gray sometimes.

Bob

I got in the habit of using sandpaper after almost damaging my DMT on a real hard stone. I only use my DMT for lapping now on known softer stones/synthetic hones.

Originally Posted by Phrank

I've also read these DMT (the fine one, not the coarse one) are also good finishers, but isn't that what the 12k is for? What are your thoughts on this.

I'd bet you didn't read that on SRP or if you did can you show us a link ? I really don't know of anyone finishing on a DMT.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

I'd bet you didn't read that on SRP or if you did can you show us a link ? I really don't know of anyone finishing on a DMT.

Hahaha - you're right! Read that on a vendors site (not SRD), quite a few I guess seem to cut and paste the generic description provided in the product description...

I actually bought my Keen Kutter Kombination (K20) Barber's Hone before my straight razor set arrived from SRD.
I started using that hone after I dinged my razor against the faucet while rinsing it...so I figured, 'my razor, my mess, let's see if I can fix it. Yeah, I know, I hadn't done near enough reading here; razor repair with a barber's hone?
After a bit of work, I fixed it but definitely changed some of the shaving characteristics of the razor. After I dulled the razor, about 6 weeks later, I sent the blade to be honed right, picked up some more razors and have been using my barber's hone ever since with good results.
Short answer, I've been honing, incorrectly and correctly pretty much from the start...

Originally Posted by edhewitt

Wow so the Hellberg was honed about 6 months before I got it then.

Yeah, seems so! I believe I did give it a touch up on the Shapton 16k before I sent it though; so that's clearly not detailed in the journal. If I did touch it up, it would have been 20 laps, which is my 'standard' for a touch up on the Shapton 16k for Swedish razors; I do 10 laps for the others. The Shapton is pretty aggressive...

Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

Yeah, seems so! I believe I did give it a touch up on the Shapton 16k before I sent it though; so that's clearly not detailed in the journal. If I did touch it up, it would have been 20 laps, which is my 'standard' for a touch up on the Shapton 16k for Swedish razors; I do 10 laps for the others. The Shapton is pretty aggressive...

No, you didn't, you forgot or were time poor or something, anyway it was nice and smooth when I got it so no complaints, but it does go to show how long a blade can go between honings.

Originally Posted by edhewitt

No, you didn't, you forgot or were time poor or something, anyway it was nice and smooth when I got it so no complaints, but it does go to show how long a blade can go between honings.

Oh OK OK, I FORGOT! happy? Yes, it's a nice smooth razor. Of course, the length of time between honing is extremely personal. A whole lot of things play in to that:

. One's stropping
. One's prep
. One's skill, care and attention in shaving
. One's thickness of hair on one's face
. The density of that hair
. One's after shaving care of the razor
. The razor itself


I've put these in order as I see in importance and 'weighting'. I'd be interested in others' thoughts on my order, esp from those more experienced. This could actually be another thread...

Carl