Thread: Barber honing advice - blade still dull

Hey Guys,

I picked up a barber hone a while back to use for touching up edges that are starting to pull without having to do a full honing (i.e. sending it out for someone else to do it). I know everyone here loves the gritty details so here they are:

Started out with a new Dovo that was plenty sharp and has been a great shaver. Did about 8-10 x-pattern laps on my barber's hone with some watery lather on it. Then I moved on to a suede bench strop (8"x2") coated with CrOx for about 15 laps of the same x-pattern (this got the edge really smooth). Then 30 x-pattern laps on bench strop with unpasted suede. Then 30 laps on my standard strop, only the leather side. I used almost no pressure on the barber's hone and the bench strops, normal (minimal) pressure on my hanging leather strop.

I shaved with the razor and while the shave was really smooth, it was also really dull. I got through it, and it cut the hairs, but definitely not the closest shave I've ever had. I know since I'm new at this I'll probably improve with practice, but I'm wondering if anyone has any tips to accelerate the process?

Originally Posted by zappbrannigan

Did about 8-10 x-pattern laps on my barber's hone with some watery lather on it. Then I moved on to a suede bench strop (8"x2") coated with CrOx for about 15 laps of the same x-pattern (this got the edge really smooth).

This is likely a stupid question, but did you do the honing with the edge leading and the stropping with the spine leading?

Yeah, I at least know that much

Has the barbers hone been lapped?
Is there any chips?
Are the edges beveled?
Some barber's hones just aren't as sharp as some of us are used to, others are. Finding the right one can be luck of the draw except for a few known names.

Honing is hard to learn. Smaller hones even more so. Practice is the way to go

Originally Posted by zappbrannigan

Hey Guys,

I picked up a barber a while back to use for touching up edges that are starting to pull without having to do a full honing (i.e. sending it out for someone else to do it). I know everyone here loves the gritty details so here they are:

Started out with a new Dovo that was plenty sharp and has been a great shaver. Did about 8-10 x-pattern laps on my barber's hone with some watery lather on it. Then I moved on to a suede bench strop (8"x2") coated with CrOx for about 15 laps of the same x-pattern (this got the edge really smooth). Then 30 x-pattern laps on bench strop with unpasted suede. Then 30 laps on my standard strop, only the leather side. I used almost no pressure on the barber's hone and the bench strops, normal (minimal) pressure on my hanging leather strop.

I shaved with the razor and while the shave was really smooth, it was also really dull. I got through it, and it cut the hairs, but definitely not the closest shave I've ever had. I know since I'm new at this I'll probably improve with practice, but I'm wondering if anyone has any tips to accelerate the process?

Tip... watch the youtube videos where Lynn talks about
honing. One does touch on barber hones.

On youtube look for videos from straightrazorplace, gssixgun and even mantic59

Use the lightest touch with a barber hone and only five or six strokes.

Ignore the CrOx hone for now....
barber hone,
canvas (if no canvas use newsprint, suede is worth a try.)
leather (smooth and deliberate not like TV or the Movies.)

Tell us which barber hone you have someone might know it and have
experience to share.

Do not feel that you need to lap a barber hone flat.
You can clean it with Comet cleanser and a tooth brush
or a green scotch brite. If it needs sanitizing
bleach and a tooth brush is OK just rinse the
heck out of it.

Water, lather, mouthwash, spit, toothpaste can all be used
on a barber hone, most can also be used dry.

Most of mine feel like they are about 5K so
do not use a lot of strokes knowing that just one
too many strokes can raise a fragile burr.

Less is more ...

Originally Posted by zappbrannigan

Yeah, I at least know that much

I told you it was a stupid question, but I had to ask.

Thanks for all the the feedback guys.

The hone was lapped and the edges were beveled. It was also more or less brand new when I got it (got it from a reputable source here). I did watch a few of the videos on youtube for barber hones, including gsssixgun's.

I did use the hone once before, without the CrOx stropping after, and while that may have produced a slightly sharper edge, it was also very rough. Maybe I'm doing too many passes on the CrOx strop afterwards?

what is the name of the barber hone? can you post pics? Cro2 wont hurt Blade

You mentioned doing a lot of things between when the razor was known to be pretty sharp and your shave test when it no longer was. Any of those steps listed (or something else unlisted) could have caused the problem. My first thought was to ask whether you have experience honing other razors at all, or if this was your first (or second or third) go at it. I'd also ask about your stropping technique, as that looked to be a lot of stropping (for newer guys with not as great stropping technique, every stroke is a chance for a mistake).

The hone is an "Oneida Razor Hone," if I remember correctly. Don't have a pic.

It was my first time honing (well, second, after the first go), but I've been shaving with straights for... 3+ years now, so I've stropped my razors many times. I did make sure I used literally barely any pressure at all when I was honing, pretty much only the weight of the blade, and I went very slowly so I could watch the entire edge of the razor stay flat on the stone for the whole stroke. For the bench strops, pretty much the same technique (except spine first obviously), maybe a little more pressure but that's about it.