A Honing Lesson

This week I started a work related course; a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. I've been involved with training since my army days as a Recruit Instructor but I need to upgrade my qualifications. The course is largely teaching me to suck eggs (even the instructor said she didn't really know what she could teach me that I didn't already know - I audit training in my government department) but I'm trying to be 'engaged'.

A requirement of the course is to do some teaching, and today we had to choose three activities to teach. They were supposed to be work related; but I'm hardly going to teach someone to audit an education center in a prison (which is my job) so I decided to teach some practical tasks. Looking around home I was stumped about what to teach. In the end I chose loading film into a vintage box camera, loading a movie on to a 8mm movie projector, and (you guessed it) honing a straight razor.

It was interesting to do this as an actual formal lesson. I think all in my group were really interested in the whole 'vintage' feel of my lessons, and we had good discussions on what we've 'lost' in adopting new technologies.

Just wanted to share this.

You got my attention with "film" and "camera". What kind of film and what box camera?

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Originally Posted by guitstik

You got my attention with "film" and "camera". What kind of film and what box camera?

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He had me at 'honing'!

So, would you accredit your course, and would they let razor honing be taught in prison :)
I speak in jest, if you are going to train people, you need to be passionate about the subject matter, and it sounds like you engaged your students, therefore they will remember something, even if it is, a well dressed, short, craggy backed man said that if i keep the spine of a straight razor on the hone my film wont get damaged :)

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Originally Posted by guitstik

You got my attention with "film" and "camera". What kind of film and what box camera?

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Hi there. It was a Zeiss Ikon 54/2 box camera ('34 - '38) using medium format 120 film. The film was an exposed film used just for practice; normally I use Ilford HP5 400 film (B&W ISO 400) or Fuji Velvia 50 slide film. I use a Rolleicord III MF camera with the Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar lens, or a Gevaert Gevabox, Agfa Click, Agfas Clack, 'basic' Agfa box camera or Holga 120 GFN, but mainly I use the Rolleicord.

In the last two weeks I was given a Zenit 12XP 35MM camera; I had one before but never used it. I loaded this one with Ilford 100 ISO B&W film, but on second thoughts should have used ISO 400 due to the slowest shutter speed being 1/30. I quite like the Zenit but my favorite is the Rolleicord, and after that the Zeiss Ikon. Here are some photos, the first from the Rolleicord and the second from the Zeiss.

Attachment 170991

Attachment 170992

(Sorry I'm off the topic of honing)

Rolleicord III

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Zeiss Ikon Box Tengor

Attachment 170994

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Originally Posted by edhewitt

So, would you accredit your course, and would they let razor honing be taught in prison :)
I speak in jest, if you are going to train people, you need to be passionate about the subject matter, and it sounds like you engaged your students, therefore they will remember something, even if it is, a well dressed, short, craggy backed man said that if i keep the spine of a straight razor on the hone my film wont get damaged :)

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Ed, you summed it all up in a great manner. My wife the other day said she doesn't 'get' me. She said I dress like a homeless bum around the house (I was was wearing baggy tracksuit pants, five t shirts and a cardigan) but when I go to work I dress WAY over the top like I'm going to have cucumber sandwiches on the lawn at the palace. The 'craggy back' is a given...As are the astonishing biceps...

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Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

Ed, you summed it all up in a great manner. My wife the other day said she doesn't 'get' me. She said I dress like a homeless bum around the house (I was was wearing baggy tracksuit pants, five t shirts and a cardigan) but when I go to work I dress WAY over the top like I'm going to have cucumber sandwiches on the lawn at the palace. The 'craggy back' is a given...As are the astonishing biceps...

Attachment 170995

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I like cardigans and also corduroy. As for the biceps, if my arms were 3" long my biceps would look that big too :)

Thx for posting, Carl. 'Love the images, choice of gear, and particularly the passion on the topic. Its an old love for me.

I've been returning to it lately. The artistic and creative worlds for me are like visiting Alpha Centauri. Male pragmatism would naturally lead me to obsess about the gear (worthless) the way the new guy pants after the latest pet rock for his razors. Its very much a more personal struggle to face one's self to change our level of skill on something. So if photography bears any parallels to honing - I may have some basic skills after 50-100k images seriously shot. I went both digital and med. format - costing about what a full compliment of natural finishers would run. Now the hard work of developing skill.

If any guys reading are delving into honing - favorite lines about the learning process are from a couple members.

"Go hone a couple hundred blades and most of these questions will go away." - Holli4pirating

"At 100 blades honed, you think you know some things about honing. At 500 blades, you realize you don't know what you thought you knew" - Glen (sixgunner)

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Originally Posted by Frankenstein

He had me at 'honing'!

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That, pretty much, is a given. Had he not gotten my attention with honing I would not have been here to see the camera stuff.

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Originally Posted by pinklather

Thx for posting, Carl. 'Love the images, choice of gear, and particularly the passion on the topic. Its an old love for me.

I've been returning to it lately. The artistic and creative worlds for me are like visiting Alpha Centauri. Male pragmatism would naturally lead me to obsess about the gear (worthless) the way the new guy pants after the latest pet rock for his razors. Its very much a more personal struggle to face one's self to change our level of skill on something. So if photography bears any parallels to honing - I may have some basic skills after 50-100k images seriously shot. I went both digital and med. format - costing about what a full compliment of natural finishers would run. Now the hard work of developing skill.

If any guys reading are delving into honing - favorite lines about the learning process are from a couple members.

"Go hone a couple hundred blades and most of these questions will go away." - Holli4pirating

"At 100 blades honed, you think you know some things about honing. At 500 blades, you realize you don't know what you thought you knew" - Glen (sixgunner)

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You can draw a parallel between photography and honing. Henri Cartier-Bresson said of photography, "Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst". All it takes is the perseverance to keep at it, a practiced eye.

Carl, that is some gorgeous gear makes me want to get my Yashica-24 out.

Did the quality of edges on hidden knives in prison go up after your demonstration?

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Originally Posted by guitstik

That, pretty much, is a given. Had he not gotten my attention with honing I would not have been here to see the camera stuff.



You can draw a parallel between photography and honing. Henri Cartier-Bresson said of photography, "Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst". All it takes is the perseverance to keep at it, a practiced eye.

Carl, that is some gorgeous gear makes me want to get my Yashica-24 out.

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A parallel can be drawn to any skill practiced by human hands. At least by those who are self-aware enough to recognize that there are things they could do better. Hence the old saying: "Practice makes perfect."

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Originally Posted by eKretz

A parallel can be drawn to any skill practiced by human hands. At least by those who are self-aware enough to recognize that there are things they could do better. Hence the old saying: "Practice makes perfect."

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There is another adage that is an addendum to that one, "Piss poor practice makes for piss poor performance". Meaning, if your practice is flawed but you continue to follow it improvement will not be forthcoming. I prefer, "Perfect practice makes perfect performance". With honing, this couldn't be more true. If you receive erroneous advice you will never get good. Just look at all the razors on eBay where the toe of the blade has been worn away or uneven hone marks or any of the other bad things that can be done to a blade. Those things usually take time to develop and usually comes from improper technique.

So Carl when are you going to lose that pedestrian Rolleicord and get a real one a Rolleiflex?-Har har:)

Don't disparage the little Rolliecord, I have both and the 3,5 Schneider is one heck of a sharp lens. Put pictures from the 2,8 and the 3,5 next to each other and you would be hard pressed to differentiate the two.

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Originally Posted by guitstik

That, pretty much, is a given. Had he not gotten my attention with honing I would not have been here to see the camera stuff.



You can draw a parallel between photography and honing. Henri Cartier-Bresson said of photography, "Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst". All it takes is the perseverance to keep at it, a practiced eye.

Carl, that is some gorgeous gear makes me want to get my Yashica-24 out.

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Yeah, honing and film photography, esp vintage film photography actually makes you THINK about what you're doing. Of course photography is about seeing things, but there is also the technical aspect.

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Originally Posted by guitstik

Don't disparage the little Rolleicord, I have both and the 3,5 Schneider is one heck of a sharp lens. Put pictures from the 2,8 and the 3,5 next to each other and you would be hard pressed to differentiate the two.

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Ha ha! I think he was joking (maybe). I did consider getting a Rolleiflex but after quite a lot of reading decided not to. The Xenar lens may not be quite as sharp as a Planar but I have read that they are quite close. Also, the focusing knob on the RH side of the 'Cord suits me, I don;t think I'd like to focus on the left, with the big wind lever thing of the 'Flex being on the RH side. I also like to use an old Zeiss Ikophot hand held light meter, and have read that the meters in the Rolleiflexes are often not accurate anymore. My hand held meter seems quite accurate, and if it looses its accuracy I can always get another or even a new hand held meter.

I have read that the focusing screens of the Rolleiflexes are brighter. I have considered a new screen, but elected to take mine off and clean it which made it brighter; although it's still quite dim, esp inside (indoors).