Thread: How to maintain honing skill ?

I've been in "startup mode". After a few months of playing with straight razors (all but one are vintage), and developing some sharpening and honing skill, I've come to a realization:

. . . I only have one face to shave.

If I owned one razor, I'd be stropping it daily, running it over a pasted strop occasionally, and touching it up with a stone a few times per year (at the most).

With seven razors in rotation, the wear on each razor is reduced. So each will need a touch-up on a stone every few years. And -- adding all of them together -- I'll only using that stone a few times per year, just as much as I would if I owned one razor.

I have a question:

. . . How do I maintain (and improve) my honing skill ?????

I see three alternatives:

1) Hone my razors more often than they _need_ to be honed (doesn't sound sensible);

2) Keep buying old razors, sharpen and hone them, and add them to my growing "collection" (doesn't match my rather small home)

3) Keep buying razors, sharpen and hone them, and sell them.

Is (3) how people get into the "razor business" ?

Thanks --

Charles

I got me a similar situation, maybe a few more razors.
I find honing somewhat relaxing like meditation only more productive.
I'm open to suggestion.
Maybe we can buy cheap straight kitchen knifes and fashion a snap on spine.
you could pretend but if it works remember to dull if using in the kitchen.

I keep buying old razors, and some, very few, new ones. I have a rotation of something like 200 at last count. I think it is a good idea to either buy a razor or two that is honed by a honemeister or to send some out for such honing. Gives something to compare your own honing to. Not everyone needs to do this to learn to hone. If you like razors and find honing enjoyable it is one option.

I would definitely buy three or four razors to "experiment" on. Antique store and ebay razors can be had cheap, but they sometimes come with problems that beginner honers (like me) cannot figure out. If you get one in good shape, that is an excellent tool to practice on.

If you have some more disposable income, you can try to find a sale and purchase a cheaper new production razor like a Dovo Best and practice on that. That is what I am currently doing and it takes the guess work out.

Not to worry. It's like riding a bike. you never forget how to hone. If you want to continually improve then you will need to work on a variety of razors in different conditions and buy the hones to go with them.

Like TBS just stated, to improve it is all about different razors, different steels, different hones, and different problems...

Now imagine the opposite of that, you have 7 razors and one hone, you would get so good at that one system, on those razors, that you would start to believe that it is almost magical....

And there my friends is the basis of most of the honing "Discussions" on many of these forums...

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Like TBS just stated, to improve it is all about different razors, different steels, different hones, and different problems...

Now imagine the opposite of that, you have 7 razors and one hone, you would get so good at that one system, on those razors, that you would start to believe that it is almost magical....

And there my friends is the basis of most of the honing "Discussions" on many of these forums...

Very true. Add to that it is important to learn the characteristics of the hone or hones that you have. For those of us who suffer from HAD if the acquisition outruns the practice you can have a mess of good hones and not really "know" any of them. Been there and done that. Caught up to most of them but it took awhile + some discipline.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Very true. Add to that it is important to learn the characteristics of the hone or hones that you have. For those of us who suffer from HAD if the acquisition outruns the practice you can have a mess of good hones and not really "know" any of them. Been there and done that. Caught up to most of them but it took awhile + some discipline.

This sounds very familiar...

The way I look at it, there are a few aspects to learning to hone.

One revolves around knowing what to look for in the edge at particular grit levels. IE What does a set bevel feel like? What should the razor do off the 4k/8k/10k/etc.

Another is, as I believe Glen called it "The Art of Slurry." Pretty much what is slurry, how can it help you, how much should you use, when should you dilute, what pressure to use at a given level, and what should the edge be doing. This varies for every hone, but I think the basic theory/groundwork can be carried across a number of hones.

Another is types of strokes/circles and when to use them.

I'm sure there are others as well.

Some you can work on off any hone, like types of strokes and when to use them. Some are hone specific - like what should your edge feel like off the 1k when you first put a bevel on it. But touchups always help on the "what does a shave ready razor feel like" front.

Also, some things you won't really forget. The strokes are muscle memory. What the edge feels like is tactile. Slurry stuff is visual and tactile memory. I think unless you go a LONG time without honing at all, you shouldn't worry about it.

But going back to your OP, I was a 2 and now I'm a 3. I would never advise over honing razors that don't need it.

I have to agree with people who says your skill wont change but learning new hones will go less.
Lets say.
you used Norton 4/8k and know how it works.
this is it you won't loose that knolwedge. As soon as you pick up norton 4/8 you know what it does,
In the other hand learning different stones will go down.
Example.
i have never tried Naniwas and i asked for help from Jimmy.
he send them to me and i use them learn them how they do act.
Next one i get Chosera pro hone recently from srp member for testing.
I got amazed how fast cutter that stone was.
those are learning different stone examples.
good luck.