Thread: Thanks for the Push toward Honing, Gentlemen

Great view from your deck. I say lets have a get together at Zips place. Lol. Good luck.

Originally Posted by ZipZop

OH YES! I can see this happening, big time. I've already had my eye on a top shelf finishing stone. But my grandfather's genes wispered in my ear.... slow down son, slow down.

I inhertied my grandfather's Solingen, and his strop, but I have no idea whatever happened to his honing stone. From my memory, he had only ONE stone, but that was so long ago and I was so young, my memory may be off. I swear my grandfather stayed with a straight razor rather than jumping to a DE for one reason and one reason only, he was too thrifty to buy blades! So it would not surprise me if he had only one stone, one strop, one razor and probably Ivory soap in his shaving mug. I mean, why not Ivory? Glycerin based, dirt cheap and it's readily available in the bathroom......Grandmother probably would not even notice a piece was shaved off!

Your memory is likely not far off. Aside from keepsakes like the large treadle stones kept as decor, My grandfather only had 3 or so he used for honing. One hardware store carborundum style hone and a pair of Arkansas stones. I have a lot of rocks and I doubt any of them do much that his could not.

Originally Posted by Hacker7

Great view from your deck. I say lets have a get together at Zips place. Lol. Good luck.

Mahalo!

Definitely up for a meet. I discussed a SRP Meet in Hawaii with a few other members in another thread not that long ago. We talked about meeting sometime in late January, early February. All SRP members invited.
I organized a similar meet on an Audiophile Forum that I'm a MOD on and surprisingly about 20 people from the mainland showed up. My avatar is taken from a local barbershop chain that would not hesitate to host a place for us to meet. Classy place that straight shaves (with a shavette of course). I'll probably start an official thread on that in October.

-Zip

Originally Posted by Marshal

Your memory is likely not far off. Aside from keepsakes like the large treadle stones kept as decor, My grandfather only had 3 or so he used for honing. One hardware store carborundum style hone and a pair of Arkansas stones. I have a lot of rocks and I doubt any of them do much that his could not.

It was a different time for our grandfathers. Mine went through WWI and the great depression, so he was VERY thrifty. One mug, one brush, one stone, one strop, one razor, one styptic pencil, one bottle of Witch Hazel. That was his total shaving line-up. And he shaved every day at the kitchen table with a basin and a folding mirror. Nothing fancy but he got the job done. If he had two or three stones, I never saw them, but he could have had them in his workshop in the basement and just had the finishing stone upstairs for convenience.

Originally Posted by ZipZop

It was a different time for our grandfathers. Mine went through WWI and the great depression, so he was VERY thrifty. One mug, one brush, one stone, one strop, one razor, one styptic pencil, one bottle of Witch Hazel. That was his total shaving line-up. And he shaved every day at the kitchen table with a basin and a folding mirror. Nothing fancy but he got the job done. If he had two or three stones, I never saw them, but he could have had them in his workshop in the basement and just had the finishing stone upstairs for convenience.

It's funny because my parents went through the depression and they had two of everything. Just in case. We never seemed to throw anything away and they repaired everything over and over even though they had another one brand new but that one was for "just in case".

I inherited that thinking and just bought another Koken shell strop just in case.

I also liked your comment about other members having dozens of razors! I think that, sir, is an understatement.

What's wrong with dozens of razors?



Have you been talking to my wife?

Originally Posted by ZipZop

Aloha!

I thought you had suggested getting a Norton stone and starting my journey, but perhaps it was someone else. But by all means, come to Hawaii and give me some lessons! The door is always open. Spam and eggs for breakfast (Hawaii is Spam Crazy) oceanside on the lanai, follwed by some honing lessons.

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I spent two solid weeks studying the videos and reading the articles before I put blade to stone. I think it paid off. But I'm no fool. I realize there is a TON that I do not know, and of course, I don't know WHAT I don't know yet. But it will all come with time. That's part of the enjoyment for me.

-Zip

Looks like the Kailua side of Oahu. Originally from the Waianae side myself. Makaha actually! Glad you have started honing your own razors now. Not very hard and although you will some setbacks, it will come.


Mike

Originally Posted by mglindo

Looks like the Kailua side of Oahu. Originally from the Waianae side myself. Makaha actually! Glad you have started honing your own razors now. Not very hard and although you will some setbacks, it will come.


Mike

Aloha Mike.

Close. It's Kaneohe. That's Kaneohe Bay. But it is indeed Oahu's windward side... so well done, my brother.

A hui hou

-Zip

Let's see if you still thank us when the value of your box o' hones is more than you spent on your first car!

Originally Posted by kelbro

Let's see if you still thank us when the value of your box o' hones is more than you spent on your first car!

That doesn't seem like much of a challenge at first though because my first car only cost me $600.
But that was 1976 dollars.... so projected with inflation from 1976 to 2017, that is $2,600.
Yes, $2,600 for a box o' hones would be pretty steep even today.

-Zip