Aussie with honing problems, any advice would be great!

Hi there,

I recently bought my first straight razor and attempted to shave with it. After an awkward and disappointing first try (the razor pulled on my face and removed almost no hairs) I decided to research the problem. I discovered that most internet bought razors, although advertised as 'shave ready' are actually anything but. So i got myself a Norton 4K/8K and a chinese 12K along with Lynn's DVD and studied it closely.

I attempted the pyramid technique and tried to shave again, but I guess the number of laps I chose were not sufficient. So my noob questions are:

My razor is pretty much brand new (except for a few attempted shaves and a little noob honing, I'm pretty sure I didnt damage it there, I was very careful), what would be the best course of action? can anyone give me any advice for how I should hone a almost brand new razor? (pyramid or not, approx number of laps for each grit ect) or should I try and track down a honemeister in Australia to get a starting point, and just refine the pre-honed edge they set as necessary?

Any help is appreciated

Cheers

There could be many things wrong with your razor. First and foremost: what razor did you buy? Unfortunately newbs often fall victim to people selling crap razors that will never give you a decent shave.

If you follow Lynn's advice on the DVD you will eventually get a sharp edge.

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Originally Posted by Malinko

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I attempted the pyramid technique and tried to shave again, but I guess the number of laps I chose were not sufficient. So my noob questions are:

My razor is pretty much brand new (except for a few attempted shaves and a little noob honing, I'm pretty sure I didnt damage it there, I was very careful), what would be the best course of action? can anyone give me any advice for how I should hone a almost brand new razor? (pyramid or not, approx number of laps for each grit ect) or should I try and track down a honemeister in Australia to get a starting point, and just refine the pre-honed edge they set as necessary?
...

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Many variables. Did you flatten your hones? What razor do you have?

I don't worry about lap counts except as a guide to stop at regular intervals and test the edge again.

A known standard is good to have. Some like to buy a truly shave ready razor from the classified section here, or at the B/S/T forum at Badger & Blade. Then you could slowly perfect your honing on the razor you now have. You could re-read the faqs here on both Pyramid Honing and Progressive Honing (links are near the bottom of the first post here: Honing FAQ Index). Try both methods and use what works for you. On a new/vintage razor, I almost always start my sharpening with a black marker ;) (details in the honing faqs).

A local honemeister would be the best route. He (or she?) could show you how they hone in person. Any local barbers available maybe? You seem to have decent equipment to get a good edge. Now's as good a time to learn as any. Don't forget to watch Heavydutysg135's tutorial here.

Hi There

I'm based in Perth if your from the west I'm more than happy to help show you how to hone up your razor.

As others have said follow Lyn's dvd and you'll be fine.

rgds

Jon

Welcome to SRP. If you have a good eye loupe or better yet a hand held microscope check out your bevel. That is the foundation of a sharp edge. Usually set with lower grit such as 1K it can be set with the 4K but takes longer. Without magnification it is hard to see if you have a good bevel. Check out the Wiki for tutorials on bevel setting and further honing. Lynn's video is great,that is how I started. Heavysquare has a good video series as well. Check the forum index it is in the video section. If you accept Jon's generous offer to show you and can get together with him that would be a good thing. :gl: