Thread: Honing

I am new at using a straight razor and would like to learn about honing. Where should I start? As far as what I need in equipment? Is there a fairly inexpensive starter kit or do I investing a better stone? Any suggestions on videos to watch that are helpful? What is a good rule of thumb for beginning and ending grit?

Check out Lynn's DVD in the forum.
He also has several videos on YouTube.


http://straightrazorpalace.com/showthread.php?t=24886

Welcome to the addiction. Make your first stop the library on this forum. There is enough info there for you to get more than a great start and the folks here are always ready to help. Also search the archives here for specific questions. Guaranteed it's been asked before. Good luck and enjoy the journey.

Thanks guys , look forward to learning as much as I can on lost art along with the honing

Originally Posted by Immy

I am new at using a straight razor and would like to learn about honing. Where should I start? As far as what I need in equipment? Is there a fairly inexpensive starter kit or do I investing a better stone? Any suggestions on videos to watch that are helpful? What is a good rule of thumb for beginning and ending grit?

As a former meat cutter I was sure that honing a razor wouldn't be any problem as I'd not only shapened things since I was a kid but had been sharpening my expensive knives for cutting meat for years!

Guess what? PROBLEM! Honing a razor and sharpening a knife is as different as Black and White/Night and Day!

I have said it before and I'll say it again. Those who are new to learning this age old art have their plates full just learning the basics of making lather, stropping, learning the angles!

I also have and will continue to encourage those that wish to learn to hone to wait at least a Year before they even think about learning how to hone as it is an Art All Of It's Own!

Once you have the basics at least semi mastered, then I'd be glad to help you all I can.

I have told you all of this as I want you to Succeed and Not Fail!

Sounds good sir , and that was the base of my question. Didn't want to toss good money after bad . Thank you

Haha, Cuda gives good advice. I learned the same lesson the hard way. I had a shave ready razor when I started. I obtained a second, and a set of hones to tinker with. I thought that would be a fair to learn shaving, stropping, and honing at my pace.

Problem with that was, it doesn't take much to ruin the edge of a shave ready razor. All I had to do was make the mistake of leaving mine in the bathroom one day after a steamy shower.

It took an unreasonable amount of time to get one of the 2 able to shave again. It happened purely by accident, and while it worked it wasn't right. I spent the better part of a year shaving with barely acceptable edges (because I'm a stubborn @$$ and was going to win come hell or high water!) before everything I learned started to coalesce and I began to get decent edges off the hones.

And now I need to figure out proper stropping! Learning backwards is interesting, but...well...

"If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough."

There was a LOT of failure before there was success. But the success was oh so sweet!

Hehe, kind of my story Marshal.

So, with razors there are many variables from razors, grinds, and condition of vintage razors. Mostly what you need depends on what you want to do, from maintenance to full restoration. And then there is the mindset, many come to razors from tool and knives, in the search for the ultimate edge. But fail to realize that for razors, that is not the goal. The goal is a comfortable shave from a keen edge. Knives and tools give no thought to comfort of an edge, there is no need.

More importantly before you learn to hone, you have to learn to strop, as one errant stroke on a strop can wipe out an edge that took you days to build.

First do some reading and viewing of honing and stropping videos, a mentor for hands on training will speed your learning curve and prevent costly mistakes.

Read the first 3 post in the honing forum and visit the library for further information, links to video and other post. And look around for a local mentor. If you cannot find one we can do online mentoring, it takes more time, but that can be a good thing.

Lastly do not try to reinvent the wheel, do what others before you have done, with equipment that has provided proven results.

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