Thread: My Journey in Learning to Hone

Originally Posted by Longhaultanker

Did he learn his lesson? Albeit an expensive one at that. What was it Forest Gump said?

I would certainly hope so! $170 down the drain. That was by far the worst newbie honing disaster I've seen here. The edge was into the "King Cutter" etch on the blade and the spine was approaching flat. You would have needed 5+ layers of tape to try and save that one

Originally Posted by rodb

Same here, I probably saved a few blades that way when I starting out.

I wish I could find the thread on the brand new Boker that someone killed by honing

If it is the thread I am thinking of he said he killed three of them but only showed pictures of one.
I taped for a long time to prevent that. Sometimes I tape to compensate for geometry issues, I am a really long way from anywhere, so my beginning to hone was partly due to the fact that I did not want my razor gone for over a month. In the beginning my honing was mostly touch ups, the on to bevel setting on very good razors. It is not rocket science, but it does go sideways every now and then when razors are not quite right, bends and twists and such. If you get to something you don't understand PM someone or post a thread. Early on in my honing I tended to PM people that I thought would know a good answer. I chose to PM because I was looking for one opinion and one correct answer. I knew if I posted a thread I would get twenty conflicting answer, all of which were potentially righ, but it is difficult to figure all that out when you are not even sure how to ask the question clearly.

Originally Posted by RezDog

Early on in my honing I tended to PM people that I thought would know a good answer. I chose to PM because I was looking for one opinion and one correct answer. I knew if I posted a thread I would get twenty conflicting answer, all of which were potentially righ, but it is difficult to figure all that out when you are not even sure how to ask the question clearly.

+1. Exactly what I chose to do and for the exact reasons. Ace really helped me learn and still does. Now we help each other but I think I get the most help from him.

The Greaves razor I honed the other day had more issues than a GD including a chippy edge. Ace helped me nail that one down into an "easy hone". I can usually hone just about any razor on a full ark progression but every once in a while there is a bugger that comes along and it sure don't hurt to get some outside advice and reminders.

I absolutely love honing all things sharp and was a. If reason for getting into straight razors. I remember my Dad's pocket knife was always razor sharp and he would "strop" it on an Arkansas black dry. He would oil the hone maybe once in a while but other than that it sat in the utensil drawer ready for use. I learned on old knives by trial and error and the old test was to shave arm hair with it. The good ole days.

What is a meet? Do they have them around Seattle? I've got a big commercial building I would be willing to offer the use of in Marysville, WA

A meet is a great way to learn more. Hands on honing, sharing soap samples, learning about a lot of things that have to do with shaving.
I recommend you do a search for members in your area. Try to find a Mentor or admin from the forum to help you if you want to put together a meet. Some lasts days but like in Denver, or meets are 5 or 6 hours. Having a place is the first step. Getting folks together and wanting to come can be tough with schedules. Refreashments are a bonus and a comfortable location is a must. So find a few members in your area and send out some PMs. Hope you manage to get it going. Its a lot of fun.

Originally Posted by Obadiahhj

What is a meet? Do they have them around Seattle? I've got a big commercial building I would be willing to offer the use of in Marysville, WA

There have been a lot of meets in the Seattle area. Usual under the name of shavecon or such. There is a member that organizes them. The last one I was at had a lot of suppliers there. Gssixgun is in Sandpoint Idaho and travels a lot and teaches honing. He is one of the most experienced guys around.
mattcb used to organize it in Seattle.
If you are really interested in getting involved in organizing a meet I suggest PM him first.