Thread: Thanks to Randy Tuttle - Minneapolis/St. Paul Area Honing

I thought I would take this opportunity to make my first post and thank Randy Tuttle (randydance062449) for his assistance in honing out a ding in my Dovo Forestal. I located Randy through these forums as he lives about 20 minutes from me. He had me over to his place where he promptly, and very professionally, removed my little issue and imparted a lot of knowledge to me in the process. He returned my razor to like new condition. And I had a chance to pick-up some great tips and insights for the future (I hope to learn how to hone this winter).

If there is anyone out there in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area that is looking for some honing or general straight razor related help he’s your guy. He’s pretty active on these forums so I imagine many of you reading this already know of him. For those that don’t, I can’t recommend him highly enough.

Yup .

Welcome to SRP, and thanks for the post about Randy. He is a truly a mentor's mentor. I've never had the pleasure of meeting Randy face to face, but through much posting back and forth, and many telephone conversations Randy taught me much of what I know about hones, razors, and honing. One of the unsung heroes of SRP.

I never met Randy, but have seen him on video, and I think he'd agree that what he does is what SRP is all about. The mentors aren't just mentors in name, they're devoted teachers and supporters of those of us still lower on the learning curve chain!

I am glad you've found help as I have. Welcome to the club.

Thanks to all of you for your support, it is appreciated.

The back story......... Brad brought his razor over and I was expecting a nasty nick/bend in the edge that had made the acquaintance of his faucet! Much to my relief it was very minor ding on the toe of the razor. It was easily lapped out starting with a Norton 4K then up to the Norton 8K and finished with an Escher. We then reviewed the various "linens", proper stropping and discussed barber hones, finishing hones and pasted strops.

Much to my surprise Brad is also involved in craft distillery of whiskey and fine spirits!


Then he asked me how he could say thank you for my help......................

First off, bravo for being a class act, Submbr. I owe alot to several guys here & will sing their praises at a moment's notice. They've more than earned their appreciation.

One of the reasons I have really high regard for Jimmy - is his humbly giving credit to guys like Randy, Lynn & others. I've not had the pleasure yet of meeting Jimmy. If/when I do - it will be a huge pleasure

I was fortunate to have the chance to meet Randy last yr. 'Drove over an hour each way to do so & would do it again in a heartbeat. 'Extremely knowledgeable, unpretentious, super generous w/ sharing what he knows, personable. You'll find that a recurring theme amongst most of the old bulls in this hobby. He has met w/ members to do tutorials - which is where the 'pay attention' part comes in. Guys, if you have the ability to connect with Randy - or Utopian, Lynn, Glen or any of the experienced guys here - you'll kick yourself for not having done it sooner. If you doubt that - read any post from a new guy at a regional meetup or a private tutorial time. It saves you alot of time, frustration and usually no small amount of funds - from not chasing the latest fad or finding a trinket or pet rock to fix something only time and skill will remedy.

I don't worry about sounding over the top on this subject. There's a lot of guys that know its true. Ask them.

Do yourself a favor & connect w/ Randy or others with similar experience. You'll really be glad. Your face will thank you.

Randy's has helped a LOT of MN/WI users. You've learned from one of the best!

Originally Posted by randydance062449

Thanks to all of you for your support, it is appreciated.

The back story......... Brad brought his razor over and I was expecting a nasty nick/bend in the edge that had made the acquaintance of his faucet! Much to my relief it was very minor ding on the toe of the razor. It was easily lapped out starting with a Norton 4K then up to the Norton 8K and finished with an Escher. We then reviewed the various "linens", proper stropping and discussed barber hones, finishing hones and pasted strops.

Much to my surprise Brad is also involved in craft distillery of whiskey and fine spirits!


Then he asked me how he could say thank you for my help......................

I assume (hope) we will meet him the next time we have a meet-up at the distillery?

Originally Posted by Utopian

Yup .

Always learning eh Ron

As soon as we are open, or close to open, I'd be happy to host.

Originally Posted by Utopian

I assume (hope) we will meet him the next time we have a meet-up at the distillery?