Thread: Is honing really that difficult?

Originally Posted by BobH

Glad you said that. There is more than one way to skin a cat and Drmatt357's way probably works, for all I know. To me grinding on the spine to correct geometry is the nuclear option rather than using some learned finesse. You are right though, whatever floats your boat.

Bob

My response is...it depends.

I have employed the suggestion in his video on flattening the spine. Don't worry, it was a Gold Dollar lol. I can confirm that I did have an easier time getting the edge right.

With that said, I was new to honing at the time. Given the same razor now with everything I have learned since, I probably would not go nuclear on the spine.

If you want to learn and can get to a meet - do that. If you can't do that, maybe try to find a mentor near you that can look over your shoulder and offer you tips and advice.

Failing that, you can do what I and many others around here did. Pick up a practice razor and set of hones. Learn via trial and error. Expect to find out that it is more difficult than those videos make it look. Also expect to find out that it is very much doable. You probably won't get it right the first time, and that's ok. Failure is part of learning, no matter what you're trying to learn.

It probably took me 6 months and a LOT of bad shave and razor burn to get my first working edge. And another month after to repeat that success. I've been honing more or less since my join date, not all that long. I certainly don't have it mastered, but I get then right more often than I get them wrong these days.

Practice makes perfect.

Originally Posted by Marshal

My response is...it depends.

I have employed the suggestion in his video on flattening the spine. Don't worry, it was a Gold Dollar lol. I can confirm that I did have an easier time getting the edge right.

With that said, I was new to honing at the time. Given the same razor now with everything I have learned since, I probably would not go nuclear on the spine.

If you want to learn and can get to a meet - do that. If you can't do that, maybe try to find a mentor near you that can look over your shoulder and offer you tips and advice.

Failing that, you can do what I and many others around here did. Pick up a practice razor and set of hones. Learn via trial and error. Expect to find out that it is more difficult than those videos make it look. Also expect to find out that it is very much doable. You probably won't get it right the first time, and that's ok. Failure is part of learning, no matter what you're trying to learn.

It probably took me 6 months and a LOT of bad shave and razor burn to get my first working edge. And another month after to repeat that success. I've been honing more or less since my join date, not all that long. I certainly don't have it mastered, but I get then right more often than I get them wrong these days.

Practice makes perfect.

Well said.

As far as the "nuclear option" goes I was trying to be polite about what I thought of that option. It's an annoying Canadian trait that I'm trying to give up as a New Years resolution. To be clear, my opinion on that is unprintable.

Bob

Just random numbers I am thinking.....

I think no one would argue that it would take the average person a year to learn how to shave well. 365 shaves.

If you are honing for yourself only that would mean you would hone on an average every 3 months over that time to be good.

365/4=91.5 years.

You would have to live a long life only honing your own to become an expert.

This thread has been very encouraging for me... I have been frustrated and depressed because I can't get a particular blade (W Greaves and Sons Sheaf Works razor) sharp enough to shave my arm hairs !! It's nice to read here that I am not the only one, AND that it is not as easy as the videos make it look. I happen to have another blade that I can get fairly sharp, but still not "shave ready" - it shaves arm hairs, but it's dull and you have to press too hard. I have a third blade that I bought here shave ready - I keep it pristine and use it as my gauge of how a sharp blade should feel. I think I'll look for a mentor in Tallahassee. It's been a blessing to read these posts.

Originally Posted by DaveTriplett

This thread has been very encouraging for me... I have been frustrated and depressed because I can't get a particular blade (W Greaves and Sons Sheaf Works razor) sharp enough to shave my arm hairs !! It's nice to read here that I am not the only one, AND that it is not as easy as the videos make it look. I happen to have another blade that I can get fairly sharp, but still not "shave ready" - it shaves arm hairs, but it's dull and you have to press too hard. I have a third blade that I bought here shave ready - I keep it pristine and use it as my gauge of how a sharp blade should feel. I think I'll look for a mentor in Tallahassee. It's been a blessing to read these posts.

Your post is a Breath of Fresh Air! If only others would listen to those who have been at this for quite awhile there would be a higher success rate. Far too often a Newbie will go out spend all that money and find that it is indeed harder than the videos make it look. OR find that this age old art takes more time and patience than they care to expend.

One that gave up posted that he was Done with this straight razor crap and it wasn't what it was cut out to be. He'd purchased a Norton 4/8 and I offered him 1/2 of the purchase price with me paying for the shipping. He countered that he'd pay shipping and he asked for 60% off the original price. That I never figured out

When the hone landed, he hadn't even bothered to lap it! I sold the one I'd been using to a friend who Had Listened and waited until he'd semi mastered making lather, stropping and shaving with a straight for $20 and that included shipping paid by me.

Thanks again for the Fresh Air! :

Originally Posted by cudarunner

Far too often a Newbie will go out spend all that money and find that it is indeed harder than the videos make it look.

When the hone landed, he hadn't even bothered to lap it!

For an alternative view, the skills demonstrated by such videos as from Lynn Abrams, gssixgun (Glenn), Dr. Matt, and others are easily learned and repeatable by the new guy. I know, I've done it without a meet up or a mentor. Yes, I've talked to Glenn, John Crowley, Howard Schectner, others, by phone, but I've done it by myself. And so can anyone else by following those video instructions.

So your newbie example hadn't even lapped the hone? Hmm, sounds like he didn't invest anything on the learning side of things.

Is honing really that difficult?

Not to put you off. It's worth learning how but just google all the threads asking for honing help then google all the threads that say honing is easy.
That will answer your question

Difficult one to comment on, I can only really summarize my experience.

I started honing by following the "Pyramid Instructions" in the library here.
I have never had an issue with it. It seemed and still does seem, extremely simple.

On the other hand, I have only ever really honed blades already honed by people who are experienced at honing, that is to say maintenance.

I have also only ever bought one used razor, which was very old (purchased from the classifieds here), and that was just so sharp and comfortable that I then questioned my honing.

The short and long of it is, that I have been using straight razors, exclusively for 6 years, shaving 5 or 6 days a week and have never sent a razor anywhere for honing, after the initial purchase.

I have literally never sharpened anything before that, not even a penknife. But I did work as engineer (hands on) for many years, maybe one becomes proficient using hand tools and that carries over ?

So in the end, I guess I have to say that I have found it to be pretty simple.

But I also do not clout the tap (faucet) with my razors (though I did manage to ding one on my front teeth, luckily the teeth are made of zirconium), neither do I cut the strop in half.

That brings up a good point that illustrates many of the different opinions of what it takes to learn to hone.

Maintenance honing your own particular 1 to 3 blades or learning to hone from the bevel set through a whole progression of hones?

Yes, two big differences there.