Thread: Confessions of a honing anarchist

I think I would be more concerned with the frown that seems to be forming in front of the heel and the uneven spine wear..

It could of course be all in the pic, but it looks "Off"

Originally Posted by gssixgun

I think I would be more concerned with the frown that seems to be forming in front of the heel and the uneven spine wear..

It could of course be all in the pic, but it looks "Off"

Arrrgh! I'm not sure what you mean exactly. Might be a trick of the light. All I can say is that after snapping the pic, I went and had a fantastic shave. That doesn't mean disaster might not be looming in the future, but for now, I'm lovin' this Hart razor!

Take the razor and Sight along the edge toward a bright light like you would a rifle close one eye let the shine disappear until the edge profile becomes a shadow, that will allow you to see the actual edge profile and not any wear lines that can deceive the eye..

Always hone toward a smile it keeps the edge happy and eliminates the posibility of a frown..

I have seen way to many frowns lately come across my hones, half the battle is a sharp smooth edge, the other half is keeping it that way for the future..

This stuff that many are showing on vids now as being "Fast" by going straight up and down and doing 1/2 Strokes as they are called are a receipe for frowns and odd spine wear...

Thanks! I think this razor is more 'smile' than 'frown'. When I sharpen, I try to envision putting some 'belly' in the blade--I think they shave better that way. I use an arcing motion--both push and draw strokes--when I hone; I avoid straight up/down. I don't want a straight straight-razor. A bit of a 'smile' adds a subtle slicing action to the blade when shaving as I see it. BWTFDIK?

Originally Posted by Nix

Today I stated wondering if other people are sticking to a formula for honing, or are there other free-form honers out there, other honing anarchists?

I think all of us who hone are razors and stick with it for awhile break out and experiment after some time passes. I learned on the pyramids and went on to experiment with progressive honing for a time. Lynn, the founder of SRP and the guy who really is responsible for spreading the word was the main mover of pyramids for years and now is practicing the circle honing method with great success.

I've been dabbling with the circles myself for a time, and liking the results, but I still find myself going back to the familiar pyramid. It works so well for me. BTW, the comparison to meditation brings to mind when I was doing that very thing. Based on a book called Three Pillars of Zen. Counting exhalations while focusing on an object was the method. Counting strokes when honing seems to do the same thing for me.