Thread: Where to start?

I think the fastest and easiest way to learn is in person. A meet or a mentor are the best. You can start with touching up blades and move on to more complex honing later. Also
Tape is your friend at least until you get a good grasp on what you are doing. One of the really confusing things is there are many paths to the perfect edge, but you can only follow one path at a time. Pick one person who you feel has a good presentation and is a well know honer. I went with Gssixgun many people have also followed Lynn, there are others, those are the two that get the most recommendations. There are a lot of members in Florida so maybe someone will volunteer to help out.
P.S.
I started with top quality razors from known maker in very good condition and did not destroy a single razor, with care caution and tape it is possible.

Agree with RezDog on picking one person to guide you. I cobbled together my honing from several different sources. I watched videos for a year before any success came my way. I think the most important milestone in the beginning is recognizing when the bevel is set. Learn that and you will be on your way.

Literally the easiest way is to buy a vintage razor for under $20, and a 12k quarter hone from Whipped Dog for $15. Get someone else to hone it for you and then maintain it yourself.

You can get a Norton 4k/8k if you want to do it all yourself from the beginning. It's just practice after that.

If you look at the pictures carefully you can avoid pits, chips, rust, cracks. You can buy a decent razor for under $20 so why buy a crappy one for under $20.

I wouldn't buy a Gold Dollar though. You will just spend time trying to correct the stabilizer and why? You can get a decent vintage for the same money.

I would not recommend a factory Gold Dollar with which to begin honing. However, you can buy them from hobbyists who have corrected the basic geometry and honed them for $20-ish, and those would be fine. They're not that much fun to shave with though compared to better built razors.

Even a corrected one will likely have an overground heel, but that is not uncommon even among decent razors (overground centers are fairly common too). A lot of them smile. But if you're going to hone razors, you have to learn to deal with common razor grinding imperfections. I have a fist full of Gold Dollars (see what I did there?) that I use for test razors and the ones with decent geometry and straight(er) edges are about 20% of them.

But there are some advantages to learning to hone on a corrected Gold Dollar. Being a heavy razor with a heavy grind, a Gold Dollar is also less sensitive to too much pressure, which almost every new honer applies I believe. And considering the bevel angle is always too steep, you don't need to worry about spinewear, a thinner spine is actually a good thing.

I would advise that you not begin with a wedge or full hollow razor since hollow edges flex quite easily and wedges may need layers of tape. Once you can get a good edge on a half- or quarter-hollow blade, then you can take on grinds that require lighter pressure or a different technique.

Cheers, Steve

Originally Posted by gcbryan

Literally the easiest way is to buy a vintage razor for under $20, and a 12k quarter hone from Whipped Dog for $15. Get someone else to hone it for you and then maintain it yourself.

If you by a "12k quarter hone," you will be handicapping yourself with a hone that is too small for a beginner. Spend the $26 for a 2" wide hone or the $40 on a 3" wide version at Woodcraft. It's not a 12k hone, since it's a natural rock, but the majority of them are decent finishing/maintenance hones.

Originally Posted by Utopian

If you by a "12k quarter hone," you will be handicapping yourself with a hone that is too small for a beginner. Spend the $26 for a 2" wide hone or the $40 on a 3" wide version at Woodcraft. It's not a 12k hone, since it's a natural rock, but the majority of them are decent finishing/maintenance hones.

I would have to agree with Utopian, I have 1/4 Norton and that is what I still use and learned with but a full size stone would be much easier. I missed that the first time I read your post. Go with a wider stone or frustration will be high.

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Just cant go wrong with the Norton 4k/8k combo stone, it will last you a lifetime, tons of information about how to hone with them http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...on-2012-a.html

Originally Posted by ejmolitor37

I would have to agree with Utopian, I have 1/4 Norton and that is what I still use and learned with but a full size stone would be much easier.

This is from the website...
Quarter 1.5" x 4" Norton- $60

Even though the hones are smaller than a full size hone, they are 50% larger than the average barbers hone. You will have no problem honing straight razors.Even though short X passes are possible, you will probably use more circular motions than you would with a larger surface hone.

This is just plain a LIE. Math makes it clear.
Area of a quarter Norton = 1.5 x 4 = 6 square inches.

An average barber hone is the size of a Swaty, which is 2 by 5. I own a lot of barber hones and this is by far the most common size.

Area of an average barber hone = 2 x 5 = 10 square inches.

Now, is 6 50% larger than 10???? (Hint: No it is not.)

If the claim were true, then the average size of a barber hone would be 4 square inches, as 6 is 50% bigger than 4.

If the average barber hone were in fact that size, then here are the potential sizes of what is being claimed to be an average barber hone.
1 x 4
1.5 x 2.7
2 x 2
NONE of these are an average sized barber hone.

Don't buy into this lie.

Good feedback, like so many other things this leads me to more questions. I like the idea of getting a vintage razor and as long as I don't bang things up too bad having a shaver after the fact. But that leads me into another field I knew honing would bring me. Being able evaluate them, Obviously a chip or rust means get out but what else. Pitting, I'd imaging on old razors you can have some and maybe it's not a big deal? Anything else I should be watching for?

PM Me Ill Be Happy To Send You A Couple I Didnt Go Through The Hole Thread,, Just Tell Me What Your Looking For Razor Wise,,, Do You Have Any Stones Might Just Have One Of Them Laying Around.. Ty