Thread: What makes someone a Honemeister?

I was thinking a little more about this and wanted to add, that all of our members who come to SRP and learn how to hone their own razors to a level that produces shaves that they can enjoy, become their own honemeisters and at the end of the day, this to me is the greatest achievement of them all and well worthy of the highest recognition. I would also recognize every next generation of people who help teach our members to be self sufficient and in turn, teach the next generation. This is where the accolades go in my opinion. I also hope we will always have people who need every hone out there and that can experiment with how they all work and come up with new techniques that are better that what we have today. It is my dream that this knowledge along with the teaching and helpful spirit of this forum will be passed on well beyond my time.

Thanks again folks,

Lynn.

Let's face it; there are a lot of "good" honers out there. Some are anywhere from good to really great. I am pretty good, and I know it, and I have been told that. I have honed perhaps 500 or more Ebay junkers, and I would say that I am at the least "pretty good", BUT...

In my opinion there will only ever be one honemeister, and that is Lynn Abrams. It's true! ...because, "It's true"

THE END

Steve

Originally Posted by Lynn

I was thinking a little more about this and wanted to add, that all of our members who come to SRP and learn how to hone their own razors to a level that produces shaves that they can enjoy, become their own honemeisters and at the end of the day, this to me is the greatest achievement of them all and well worthy of the highest recognition. I would also recognize every next generation of people who help teach our members to be self sufficient and in turn, teach the next generation. This is where the accolades go in my opinion. I also hope we will always have people who need every hone out there and that can experiment with how they all work and come up with new techniques that are better that what we have today. It is my dream that this knowledge along with the teaching and helpful spirit of this forum will be passed on well beyond my time.

Thanks again folks,

Lynn.

Well said...and this is what makes Lynn THE Honemiester

WELL, YOU GOT YOUR MASTER PLUMBERS AND YOUR MASTER ELECTRICIANS AND YOUR MASTER BARBERS AND YOUR MASTER MECHANICS AND YOUR MASTER CARPENTERS (another Abrams) AND YOUR MASTER SARGEANTS AND YOUR MASTER MINDS SO IT WOULD FOLLOW THAT THERE IS AT LEAST A POSSIBILITY THAT THERE MIGHT JUST BE A MASTER HONER OUT THERE SOMEWHERE.

IT LOOKS LIKE THE APPRENTICES HAVE ELECTED THEIR MASTER. WE APPRENTICES ARE SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT WE NEED A TOP NOTCH ROLE MODEL. AND THAT'S WHAT WE GOT.

This is something I think is really cool about SRP, and the straight shaving world in general.

As I've looked around here, I've picked up that it's not just the method of shaving that's old-school. The method of teaching and learning is as well.

In a world where can spend thousands of dollars to come away with a certificate telling people we are masters at something when, in fact, we have never done it in real life, has taken a lot of the meaning out of what it is to be truly proficient and masterful at whatever it is you do.

I have always very much been a fan of the idea of hands-on learning, the idea of apprentice/master training, and merit decided by those who have experienced our craft first-hand.

It's a very old-school way to look at it.

But as far as I can tell, a honemeister is one who has learned through doing, often with close teaching and discussion with another who is highly skilled, and has been given their title by the people whose razors they have honed to an exceptional degree.

It's a merit-based system supported by an individual taking initiative and controlling their own learning.

I really love that concept, and I really love the environment of creativity and dedication it creates.

From my newbie point of view I've always considered it in Glenn's terms: Someone you can trust to sharpen a blade to really great standards (he knows what he is talking about). This philosophy has saved me a lot of the "I'm not sure if it is me or the blade that there is something wrong with" bellyaching. You are guaranteed ultimate shaving sharpness in a world of "shave ready", half broken ebay blades. And knowing that Lynn set the honemeister standard, you have a name you can trust.

This sounds so much like a diet soda commercial pitch I wanna puke. But it is more true than anything you've ever seen on TV (and twice as sharp). There are some self proclaimers around but there are enough resources here to ID who knows what they are doing if you keep your eyes open, your ears up and your head on your shoulders.

With that said there are certainly many here who can get a razor sharp without being a honemeister but that is a whole different realm I'm going to explore when I'm comfortable with knowing that I can get a fantastic shave consistently with each shave, and how long that great edge should last.

I dunno, just my approach to what seems like a big wide world of straight razors.

Well, we're getting a bit off topic here, but I'd like to remind the non-German speakers of the etymological origin of the English loan word "Meister".

• Urban Dictionary: meister has the current usage (warning, swear words ahead)
• Meister - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia has the etymology: "
  The word Meister originally means "master" in German (as in master craftsman [...]). It has been borrowed into English slang, where it is used in compound words. It is often used as a suffix added to a noun to demonstrate proficiency in a given area. A person referred to as blank meister is one that has extensive theoretical knowledge and practical skills in their profession, business concerns and training. Typically the blank is filled in with a word that describes the particular skill set the person in question is an expert in, (for example, a puzzle meister would be someone aptly skilled at completing puzzles).[...]
• The interesting bit is this one: Master craftsman - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. "Master" in German implies formal training and approval: "The master craftsman is the highest professional qualification in crafts and is a state-approved grade. The education includes theoretical and practical training in the craft and also business and legal training, and includes the qualification to be allowed to train apprentices as well. The status of master craftsman is regulated in the German Gesetz zur Ordnung des Handwerks, HandwO (Law of crafts)."

So, it's all relative, as always. And the term "honemeister" should indeed be reserved for the very few people who actually know how to hone anything on anything. Those who easily dismiss the idea of "honemeister accreditation" should keep in mind that the concept is still common in a number of European countries, and therefore theoretically feasible, but practically impossible, because there would need to be a formal education body, scholars, etc. Neither practically feasible nor, I think, desirable. Honing a razor that is almost shaving sharp is relatively easy, for everything else there is Lynn et al. And yes, I am myself most wary of people who join this forum, amass four digit postcounts within a few months, and then start honing for money (same for free honing by beginners, by the way - it's basically "give me your razor for free and pray I won't screw it up" thing.).

Regards,
Robin

im never going to teach my boys to drive but when i get the hang of it i might just sit them down and teach them how to use a straight razor then to hone

oh just in case you were wondering 18 and 20 yrs old

ian

Originally Posted by Lynn

I was thinking a little more about this and wanted to add, that all of our members who come to SRP and learn how to hone their own razors to a level that produces shaves that they can enjoy, become their own honemeisters and at the end of the day, this to me is the greatest achievement of them all and well worthy of the highest recognition. I would also recognize every next generation of people who help teach our members to be self sufficient and in turn, teach the next generation. This is where the accolades go in my opinion. I also hope we will always have people who need every hone out there and that can experiment with how they all work and come up with new techniques that are better that what we have today. It is my dream that this knowledge along with the teaching and helpful spirit of this forum will be passed on well beyond my time.

Thanks again folks,

Lynn.

This pretty much says it all why there is no place like SRP. I really have to say that the Mods do great job and prevent lots of predatory types from haunting the people who are here just for the passion of shaving and sport honing. Many places you go you find lots of freinds but then the caveat is they have something to sell you and really no honest interest in what you are doing after that. Success for me is to teach and convert as many as I can and get one nice shave each day.

there is alot of good posts on this thread. i found a shumate barber hone...yea its time to learn i just hope i dont wreck the edge.....but what i would consider a honemeister would be if i was to ask a group of people who is the best at honing a straight when they all say the same name (Mr. L. Abrams) all at the same time...thats when the quality and dedication of your work speak for you and you dont have to say a word.