Thread: What's the trick?

Like others have said, you have probably got a razor with a few issues and they are not easy to hone for a beginner.
If you can't find someone near you to mentor you then as you say it will be trial and error. Learned that way myself and it took a long time and I am still learning. If it gets frustrating learn to walk away and come back to it later, no sense doing the same thing over and over with the same poor results. When you go back rethink what you are doing and why then try something different. Every little success you have and why will stick with you for sure. It is a looong learning curve but you eventually will get there.

Here is a list of Mentors SRP Staff - Straight Razor Place Forum . Maybe you can find one close to you and PM them for help.

Bob

What stones are you using?

What does the edge and bevel look like with magnification?

Have you read “ The Beginers Guide to Honing”?

Why aren’t you using tape?

My 2 cents. Don't depend on the arm hair test for bevel set. Everyone has different hair types so not as reliable a test. Try the Thumb Nail Test (TNT), the sharpie test, and a loupe. Don't be to discouraged it takes time for all of us. I still have to put down and walk away from abot 10% of the razors I clean up and hone.

Originally Posted by MattCB

I still have to put down and walk away from abot 10% of the razors I clean up and hone.

+1 - Word...

Learning to hone can be fun/interesting/challenging - one of the many things I learned starting out (and still learning) was to be able to set a razor aside or even clean up the kit and try again another day.
Because of the variety of material, hardness, shapes each razor has it's own "personalty" even when they don't have structural issues (uneven wear, warp, smiles, frowns etc.)

The single best advice from the forum was to learn how to maintain a razor I was using - one that had been prepped by a pro.
Starting with the Diamond and Crox, then a Norton 4/8 and something to keep it flat.

For razors to work on from scratch I looked for the "Hardware store" or made for the trade (aka - No Name or Hardware Store/Barber Supply) razors with little or no wear and no obvious flaws, chips etc.
There is a big difference between "learning how to hone" and "learning how to restore" - don't make it hard on yourself..
There is a special joy in cleaning up a plain looking razor and honing it to a great shaver...

Smooth Shaving...

The real question is "what do you want to learn?" IMO, the first thing you need to learn is what a properly set bevel looks like/feels like/tests like (in whatever test you decide you want to use). For this, the best option is to sit down with someone who can help you.

Other things to learn: how to make consistent strokes on a hone, how to hone a smiling blade, how to set a bevel on a blade with uneven wear, how to touch up a razor (and how far to step down to do so), etc etc.

As a teacher, I can say that setting specific objectives is very important. As is making sure you have a method for assessing whether you have met your objectives or not.

If I may respectfully say, I completely disagree. A set bevel should be able to shave any kind of arm hair, be it thin or thick, dark or fair .

Originally Posted by MattCB

My 2 cents. Don't depend on the arm hair test for bevel set. Everyone has different hair types so not as reliable a test. Try the Thumb Nail Test (TNT), the sharpie test, and a loupe. Don't be to discouraged it takes time for all of us. I still have to put down and walk away from abot 10% of the razors I clean up and hone.

Originally Posted by Badgister

If I may respectfully say, I completely disagree. A set bevel should be able to shave any kind of arm hair, be it thin or thick, dark or fair .

Beware any/never/always/any/none....

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

Beware any/never/always/any/none....

you forgot Macduff and the Thane of Fife

Originally Posted by Badgister

If I may respectfully say, I completely disagree. A set bevel should be able to shave any kind of arm hair, be it thin or thick, dark or fair .

Fair enough assessment. I feel I personally get better feedback with the TNT and reflecting light off of the bevel to ensure the bevel is set then the arm hair test. To each their own. I do advocate, especially when learning how to hone, to do many different tests so they can see/hear/feel the differences. This feedback will vary very for different grinds and widths of razors. This is also something I am still working on and probably will be for quite some time.

Hi there and welcome to SRP. I'm in Chapel Hill -Pittsboro area. I'd be happy to meet with you and do some bevel setting and honing. I have a full complement of stones to use. We also have a group here that gets together every so often for a honing session. Let me know if you are interested and I'll PM with my particulars.