Thread: not rocket science

I know I'm probably going to get flamed for this but I have to agree that this forum does get pretty complicated sometimes. Even the PMs get complicated. I just mentioned to another forum member last week that this part of the SRP forums is a little overwhelming at times. It does make honing sound like rocket science and almost as expensive as the Apollo missions. Yes, there is a Wiki but then someone will counter the Wiki and say their way is better. I think the truth is there are as many ways and as many correct stone set ups as there are people that do honing. I've noticed people are very passionate about their hones and their techniques. Sometimes this results in some of us getting flamed for asking questions. Then we get frustrated. It makes us shy about asking more questions or (as in my case) it makes us decide not to take up honing at all.

I'm sure many of you are are excellent honemeisters with some very expensive stones that took years to collect. You have a right to be proud of your accomplishments. Just remember one thing though. The basics might be obvious to you because you've been honing for so long but us newbies don't have those basic skills or equipment. Friendly encouragement helps us more than passion.

Lori

Originally Posted by LoriB

I'm sure many of you are are excellent honemeisters with some very expensive stones that took years to collect. You have a right to be proud of your accomplishments. Just remember one thing though. The basics might be obvious to you because you've been honing for so long but us newbies don't have those basic skills or equipment. Friendly encouragement helps us more than passion.

Lori

Get a Norton 4/8 combo, a DMT D8C 325 to lap it and that is all you need. If you want to get into used ebay or antique store stuff maybe a 1k for easier bevel setting. The Wiki honing section has articles specific to honing using the norton, or another combination of hones, with the proven pyramid method. The pyramid guide here, and alternative approaches here are both easy to understand. Learning stroke and pressure variables comes with time, practice and experience.

Originally Posted by LoriB

Sometimes this results in some of us getting flamed for asking questions.
Lori

I don't remember if I have ever seen a thread like you are talking about

The truth is, that the majority of people here are willing to help in anything, and they are writing in a friendly tone. I have asked a lot of questions, and read the majority of threads here, but never got flamed, and never received a bad word. Actually I am surprised how patient people here are. For example when a zillionth new member is asking what hones should he buy, and he gets normal responses, and not 10 posts about how lazy he is, and he could find it in 2 min on the wiki if he tried.

I am really getting a kick out of this thread.

Honing is not complicated. There are several very easy (to me now) processes whereby you can get your razors shavable. Like many other things, the more you hone, the better you get......usually. Like many other things, when you seek immediate success, you can get frustrated and blame everything but you for your problems.

The complicated part comes from there being so many people with so many opinions and so many available tools on the market. It also comes from people with limited skills,who want to be seen as experts. It also comes from some peoples desire (need) to dissect every little detail in every process and tool. It also comes from some wrong or not as good information that can be found. It also comes from people and fanboys swearing that all methods and tools that are not what they promote are not as good.

The good news is that most people (most) seem to be able to sift through all the dribble, try a stone or two or a method or two and come up with success.

This place has never been about the greatness of any one stone or method. It has always tried to present all the options based on experience and objectivity and the members here along with the information here have long been the basis for every other place on the internet to build their information from.

I'm with you Glen. Gots to love a good Trollie in the morning..........

Have fun,

Lynn

Very true. Sometimes it gets redundant, but most members are always willing to help. While honing is certainly not rocket science, there is most certainly a learning curve. Your choices are almost endless these days. Natural, Sythetics, Pastes, Sprays, Slurry's, film, sandpaper, etc.....For someone just starting out, just that can be confusing....let alone figuring out my razor, and what hone do I need to make it shave ready again....Some get it quickly, Some do not....

Originally Posted by terryearp

Wondering why some "honemister's" talk about sharpening a staight razor to perfection like you need a phd degree?
when your razor starts to pull and tug...just touch up on a 12k or better hone and your back in buisness...jeeze!!!

Why NOT?
there is smile blade, frown blade, wedges, warped blades , wrong honed blade, taped ones and sooooooo on on on so many of them out there?
It would be complicated if you don't know what are you doing.
Go head hone couple blades proper way send them to whom you trust let him test your blades for a weak and let you know the result.
It is not as simple as you think just remove the metal you will get the point where you like to.
it takes time and patience as any other hobby etc.

Now if we confuse you by giving you too much information then that would be different conversation. Sorry about that.
Everyone tries to help and result comes out complicated(this is why i haven't tell anyone how to hone last 3 months).
Simplest way to learn is own
Norton 4/8k and have fun.
gl.

For my part, I have gotten a lot of help with my early honing efforts, but that came after I had spent MONTHS reading/re-reading every relevant thread I could find, watching all the videos (especially Sham's and Glenn's). I'm still very much a honing newb, but am learning on my Nortons and Swaty Barber hone; will eventually get a finishing stone and/or coticule after I feel I have gotten all I can out of the 8k.

It's really just like any other skill or hobby. For instance, the very rudimentary basics of fly-fishing, shooting and guitar-playing (3 hobbies I have some experience with) can be taught in a few hours. But then you can spend a lifetime, and all the time and money you choose to invest, learning the advanced techniques/nuances of any of those pursuits.

As for the tone of this forum, I have been on fly-fishing forums where many men go out of their way to be some sort of "hardcore" internet badass. This is by far the most gentlemanly forum I post on. Seriously, look around at some of the boards out there, then compare to this one.

I can't even express how much I've learned on this forum from the people here. Going back over posts/threads of mine...it is apparent how much I've learned. I've never encountered a community that is as supportive and helpful as this place. I gotta say that I learn at least one new thing here everyday.

I've got to agree with Sham. Honing razors that start off great is very straightforward, but honing razors in general is not always. For me, it's actually harder to explain how to hone a messed up razor than it is to do it, because I choose what to do based on what is happening. But over the net, there are issues like incomplete information about the razor, subjective descriptors used by everyone, and just the general unknows; all of that means having to ask questions about the specifics that one would just notice and respond to without thinking.

Add to that that several people share their input for a given case, and there are several ways that work to do any given thing... Yea, it can look complicated. But it's nothing that you wouldn't learn if you sat down and honed a few hundred random (non-new) razors.

How many "Rocket Scientists" could sit down at the table, at any given time and bring a straight razor to shave ready? Not a lot, I bet.

All you need to know about honing , is available through this site. Just take the time to search. I never want things handed to me ; the hunt is 70% of the fun.

I'll be waiting to learn from the OP's vast knowledge. Please teach me!