Thread: Do you ever get discouraged?

I never give up, I never surrender and stop when the blade ressembles a tooth pick.

I know what you mean, it is frustrating sometimes, just when you think you are close the edge seems to dissappear.

Gary

Yea that happens to us all (well almost all, maybe not lynn) I recently got an Eboy special and my usual routine with these razors which usually works didn't this time so now its back to the drawing board. I usually view it as a problem to be solved. I'll probably be doing some very aggressive honing on the 4K to reestablish the bevel and then go from there. I guess I need to invest in a 1K stone. One of these days I'm going to really need it.

The question should be different for me: is there ever a chance to get honing right the first time ?

For me each blade so far is different, and mostly resists my current abilities/knowledge until I find its special point.

Aside from that its as xman wrote: no more than 30 mins in one session - this leaves time for me to think it over and eventually narrow down my mistakes until in the end everything is fine....

-Axel-

Sure, I get discouraged. It's great to have a benchmark razor from Lynn, but right now I'm wondering if I'll ever get one that sharp! I have a medium/fine and an ultra-fine in barber's hones and work w/ them in a modified pyramid. Mainly that means doubling the round trips! An old Henckels is getting closer, but I thought I almost had it once, and it then it was over honed! Took a two week vacation and didn't take any straights with me, so I had a break. Really not much of a break as we went with our church group to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi for a week to help with the clean up work. Then to Florida and Epcot and the Kennedy Space Center. Best part was driving home through the Smokies. Smoky Mtn Knifeworks was awsome! I used the Lynn sharpened razor the other night, but mainly have been shaving w/ my DEs till I work up enough nerve to start honing again!

Originally Posted by dennisthemenace

...we went with our church group to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi for a week to help with the clean up work.

I just can't believe there have been two forums I have joined in the last few months (Straight Razor Place and Blade Forums) where there are still people that do selfless work for the good of other people. I suppose one of the common features is there are members in their thirties, forties and and over. I'm not saying that much younger people won't become "giving" members of the world when they get a few more years under their belt, but it's just so refreshing to find so many contributors to society!

My young'uns (boys aged 7 and 5) and I went to volunteer at a few places that provide free services (meals, beds, showers etc etc) for homeless people here in our smallish community in Oz, but with the legal implications these days etc, they wouldn't allow young people to help. Which is a bit of a shame, because I did it from that age when I was knee-high to a grasshopper.

So now we visit the elderly on weekends at Nursing Homes. They enjoy it, the residents enjoy it, and everyone is a winner.

Dennis, you set a great example for many of us. Well done and power to you, mate.

Cheers
Phil (omniphile)

Thanks for the good words Phil. Truth be told, my wife signed us up for this trip & my reaction was, "Biloxi MS? In July? Are you crazy?" She and another lady were the company cooks for a couple dozen of us. Couple other ladies were nurses, so besides doing grunt work, they looked after the rest of us and made sure we took plenty of breaks and drank plenty of water. They also, cleaned and bandaged the wounds and blisters. Several of us guys in the mid 50s range, the oldest was 62; but the majority of this group were our church youth, high school through college age. My son is 15 and I was very proud of him and all the young ones. I wish I could get him to work so hard around the house!