Thread: Honing help needed Pittsburgh PA

Originally Posted by Trubino10

Dear SRP community. I am new to straight razor shaving. I have gotten down shaving pretty well, and am beginning to be able to shave with proper technique. I had my first razor professionally honed and I love it. I know what a sharp razor is like. I have since bought two razors, one of which from an antique store. It's a Clearcut with a good looking edge. I also have a Frictionite 00 barber hone, so I used that to try my hand at honing a razor I got for a steal. I honed and honed and stropped and stropped and I have definitly sharpened it. It was not initially shave ready, but I was able to get it to be able to shave. However, it doesn't seem as sharp as my main professionally honed razor no matter what I did. Is there anyone in the western Pa, Pittsburgh area that is willing and able to teach me how to hone. I am eager and willing to learn. Also, is there anyone that may be able to tell me in writing some tips I can use to improve my razor to make it sharper? It just doesn't stop pulling no matter what I do. Thank you

Once you learn how to do it properly, a two sided barber hone like your Frictionite is THE ONLY HONE you ever will need. Now, "want" might be another matter but the reality is that the hone you already have can provide you with a lifetime of very good shaves. That is, as long as you have a good strop too.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Once you learn how to do it properly, a two sided barber hone like your Frictionite is THE ONLY HONE you ever will need. Now, "want" might be another matter but the reality is that the hone you already have can provide you with a lifetime of very good shaves. That is, as long as you have a good strop too.

Any advice on how to use it? Haha


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Aloha!

Welcome. IMO, you are already a good part of the way there because you actually know what a well honed razor that is truly shave ready is supposed to feel like when applied to your beard. It's always a good idea for newer straight razor users to have a blade or two professionally honed so they have a benchmark as to what a bade is supposed to feel like when it is properly sharpened.

I personally like my barber hone, but it's not a "do-all" stone for me. I do need my 1k (for bevel setting) 4/8k and 12k superstone. Once I properly hone a blade, then I can in fact keep it up to snuff with my barber hone and strop, but a blade that comes to me truly dull, I need my regular stone progression to hone it, not just a barber hone and strop.

Lots of great vids by Lynn Abrams here at SRP on Youtube about honing, and GSSIXGUN from SRP also has many good videos on honing he has poted to Youtube. Here is one about using a barber hone you may find interesting.



Enjoy the journey!

-Zip

Originally Posted by ZipZop

Aloha!

Welcome. IMO, you are already a good part of the way there because you actually know what a well honed razor that is truly shave ready is supposed to feel like when applied to your beard. It's always a good idea for newer straight razor users to have a blade or two professionally honed so they have a benchmark as to what a bade is supposed to feel like when it is properly sharpened.

I personally like my barber hone, but it's not a "do-all" stone for me. I do need my 1k (for bevel setting) 4/8k and 12k superstone. Once I properly hone a blade, then I can in fact keep it up to snuff with my barber hone and strop, but a blade that comes to me truly dull, I need my regular stone progression to hone it, not just a barber hone and strop.

Lots of great vids by Lynn Abrams here at SRP on Youtube about honing, and GSSIXGUN from SRP also has many good videos on honing he has poted to Youtube. Here is one about using a barber hone you may find interesting.



Enjoy the journey!

-Zip

Thank you for the video. I think I have the motion down. However, I feel like I do that and do that and it never gets sharp enough. Even after stropping afterwards. Also, he did it without electric tape on the spine. Does it hinder its sharpening? If I don't use it, how do I avoid sharpening the spine. Thank you


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Originally Posted by Trubino10

Thank you for the video. I think I have the motion down. However, I feel like I do that and do that and it never gets sharp enough. Even after stropping afterwards. Also, he did it without electric tape on the spine. Does it hinder its sharpening? If I don't use it, how do I avoid sharpening the spine. Thank you


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Aloha!

Shooting from the hip here (so to speak) it sounds like you have a bevel set issue. If you don't set a proper bevel on a blade, then you can hone till the cows come home with a finishing stone and still not get a razor's edge worthy of a sharp comfortable shave.

I personally can't set a bevel on a barber hone. From memory, your hone is approx 10k on the finish side, and I do not know the flip side grit. But 10k is meant for finishing not bevel setting. If your bevel is not set, you can't finish the edge to razor sharpness.

Tape VS no-tape is split down the middle. Some guys tape all the time. Some guys never tape. I never tape on a barber hone because my philosophy is the barber hone is for touching up and finishing not for honing or bevel setting. When I get a blade I need to run through the stones progressively from bevel set to finish, I always tape so the spine does not wear excessively. When you get to finishing stones, there should be no pressure at all, just the weight of the blade. You'd have to literally hone up a storm to wear that spine on a finishing hone even with no tape if you are properly honing.

My 2 1/2 cents worth. Other guys who are truly honemeisters will have different opinions.

-Zip

Originally Posted by ZipZop

Aloha!

Shooting from the hip here (so to speak) it sounds like you have a bevel set issue. If you don't set a proper bevel on a blade, then you can hone till the cows come home with a finishing stone and still not get a razor's edge worthy of a sharp comfortable shave.

I personally can't set a bevel on a barber hone. From memory, your hone is approx 10k on the finish side, and I do not know the flip side grit. But 10k is meant for finishing not bevel setting. If your bevel is not set, you can't finish the edge to razor sharpness.

Tape VS no-tape is split down the middle. Some guys tape all the time. Some guys never tape. I never tape on a barber hone because my philosophy is the barber hone is for touching up and finishing not for honing or bevel setting. When I get a blade I need to run through the stones progressively from bevel set to finish, I always tape so the spine does not wear excessively. When you get to finishing stones, there should be no pressure at all, just the weight of the blade. You'd have to literally hone up a storm to wear that spine on a finishing hone even with no tape if you are properly honing.

My 2 1/2 cents worth. Other guys who are truly honemeisters will have different opinions.

-Zip

Can you recommend me a good hone for bevel setting?


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Originally Posted by Trubino10

Can you recommend me a good hone for bevel setting?


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General consensus is 1k - 2k for bevel setting with most of the guys (me included) going with a 1k for bevel set.
But you can set a bevel up to about a 4k stone. We know this because many guys have the popular Norton 4k/8k combo stone. They start with the 4k, then the 8k then progress to a true finishing stone. But you can stop at 8k if you wish. It's just not as smooth as a 12k. Setting a bevel with a 1k just makes it go faster than with a 4k.

IMO, you will also need a magnifier (jewelers loop) to look at your edge as you are honing to make sure all is well. I have a 40x magnifier I got from Amazon. But we may be getting way ahead of ourselves here. We are not even sure that the bevel set is your problem. It SOUNDS like it is to me, but without seeing your edge, I am shooting darts at a board. Have you investigated our Library here? Lots of great info you really do need to know. I personally watched videos and read documents on honing for about 2 weeks before I put blade to stone.

So back to your mentor. You really would benefit from having someone close to you look at what you have, and what you are doing. If you were in Hawaii, I'd be glad to help!

-Zip