Thread: My First Self-Honed Razor

The first step on the path to chasing the edge,,,, no turning back now,,,,,,

Congrats on your findings! This success will lead to others as you will start to have a better understanding of various types of feedback.

Setting the bevel will always be the most critical step so it makes a lot of sense to invest in a quality bevel setter.

I would agree with everyone above and say a good 1K will make a world of difference. Congrats on you first successful start to finish hone, it's a great feeling.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

The first step on the path to chasing the edge,,,, no turning back now,,,,,,

Yep, he's screwed

I see a lot of new stones in his future

I was watching that razor.... glad to see it has a happy home. Honing, in my opinion is an addiction. I hone razors all the time that probably don't "need" to be honed. I just always feel I can make it better. I just received my chosera 1k for christmas and have honed almost all my razors... there will be struggles, especially when you encounter razors with hone wear and uneven bevels, but just read up on here and ask questions if you are unsure. Congrats!

Phrank, congrats. It is a really unique feeling and accomplishment. And, you can add, when asked, that not only do I shave with a straight razor, I also hone them as well

It is another interesting facet of SR sport to discover the differences in metals and grinds and how they feel and react to stones.... then one starts to wonder how those same razor would react to different stones(fortunately, not me. I'm OK with what I've got though I could use a G20)

Also, another rewarding experience is going from having spent a good deal of time honing a Sheffield razor, then going to an extra hollow Solingen with 1/5th of the time and effort and having it all come together.

Fantastic.

@Phrank very cool! Sounds like you did just great!

I'm preparing (very slowly) to give honing a shot. I bought the Norton kit (220, 1k, 4k, 8k, and flattening stone), and have been reading in the forum and watching videos. I just need to decide what razor to start on. I got (my first) razor for XMAS from SRD, shave ready, and with a coupon for honing. Then, I bought another shave ready razor from the classifieds, with a different grind and slightly smaller, to see how it feels.

I don't think I want to hone either of those, and it'll be a while before they need honing anyway, I suspect. Not sure if I should get a blade off eBay, or seek one from classifieds that is not shave ready.

Any suggestions folks?

Originally Posted by pcm

@Phrank very cool! Sounds like you did just great!

I'm preparing (very slowly) to give honing a shot. I bought the Norton kit (220, 1k, 4k, 8k, and flattening stone), and have been reading in the forum and watching videos. I just need to decide what razor to start on. I got (my first) razor for XMAS from SRD, shave ready, and with a coupon for honing. Then, I bought another shave ready razor from the classifieds, with a different grind and slightly smaller, to see how it feels.

I don't think I want to hone either of those, and it'll be a while before they need honing anyway, I suspect. Not sure if I should get a blade off eBay, or seek one from classifieds that is not shave ready.

Any suggestions folks?

Another member here, LilRascal (doesn't post to often) lives in my area, and has given me some honing tips along with two Gold Dollar straight razors. He honed one up and it was excellent, the other was still brand new in the box, so I've been using those to learn on - they're cheap an if you destroy one, no biggie, they're literally almost a dime a dozen - start with a cheap GD first.

I really wanted to shave with that Anchor, so I figured I'd read and watched and practised that I had to take the plunge...again, for me, it was overcoming the fear factor....hope this helps.

Frank congrats! I am glad you had success.

Congrats on your achievement. The only thing I would say, if you are honing a razor that you do not want to show wear on the spine, 1 layer of 3M electrical tape is a good addition to the equation.unless you're okay with a certain amount of spine wear. In that case, no biggie. Don't ask me how I know.