Thread: dont think this guy knows what he's doing??

So I'm new to straight razors. Got a blade from a guy online and shaved/ strpped with it for about 2 months. Now it's dull and needs honing. Now I should mention I'm a chef and have been doing my own knives for some 15 yrs. I wouldn't trust my knives to anyone. But rather then be cocky I realize that a razor is different in huge ways to a chef knife, I get that.. So I thought I should baby step into honing my 2 razors. Thought perhaps I should get them professionally honed so I have a refrance point. I've looked in classifieds here and can't seem to find anyone close by to do these blades. (I'm in London Ont. Canada) Then I find a guy in Ingersall just down the road who sharpens straights. He has a store front called on the edge.Knives, swords yadda yadda. So I think what the hell I'll take a drive. $10 a razor. Well i just got back. Here's what I thinnk. I found him to be very over confident.. Like I was just some idiot who knew nothing.. He began by telling me to make sure I don't use shaving foam. Make sure I have a brush and soup blah blah! But I didn't get insulted.. Told him I know all that thank you.. I've been using these razors for a bit now. But I need them honed before I tackle it myself. But then he started talking about how he hones them with an angle not with the spine flat.. Plus he`s using a machine and a electric stop.. Whatever that is. Now I'm thinking hmmmm.. Whats that going to do?? He tells me to strop them with a slight angle as well spine not touching the leather. And that that the leather doesn't do anything to the blade other then hold the diamond paste!!!! What is this guy going on about??? I paid him my $20 and left feeling a little bummed. Like another dead end. Anywho I just had a shave and well the two razors are better then they where but I still think my beard and the shave itself should be smoother. What am I to do? anyone in southwestern Ont wanna teach me to hone?? hahaha!!!!

Im also relatively new to this, only 6 months or so, and so if someone more senior disagrees with me defer to them. I have found as I started to hone that it really is something you can teach yourself. Your skills at getting a knife sharp will go a long way and most people who are good with there hands pick it up very quickly. I would worry that the gentleman who just honed your razors may have messed up your bevel if he raised the spine to much in which case you will either have to reset the bevel yourself or send them out again. Good luck!

Wellcome to SRP,hang awhile,in a short time you will know what to do

Welcome to SRP!

If you feel uncomfortable with the guy, you should trust your instincts and avoid him.

Learning how to hone a razor is not hard. Choose a honing setup, and just go to work. It may take a little while before your edges match your preferences, but you'll figure it out.

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While I like natural hones myself, I'd say that lapping film is a decent (and inexpensive) way to get started. Look up the threads on this site about lapping film and just start honing.

You just learned, and it cost ya $20 plus a drive, that Knowing knives/tools, doesn't mean Knowing razors

You now have two razors that need bevels set and re-formed.. Touch-up on a razor is a pretty straight forward process, and pretty easy to learn, -BUT- re-setting a proper bevel and honing from the ground up especially on razors that have been damaged (yes your's are damaged) is not quite as easy.. Obviously you just proved that to yourself by taking your razors to the Expert

There are plenty of Vids and Threads about how to hone razors on here watch a few and see what the process actually entails, keep in mind that most of the guys doing the vids are very experienced at it and they make it look pretty easy.. Much the same as any other instructional vid out there, I watch the Woodworking ones and want to find the guy in the vid and beat on them, because my stuff never works out quite that easy as they make it look
But at least they will give you an idea of what is going on, and you would have known to take the razors away from that guy, before he messed them up..

Take a look then decide if it is something you want to tackle...

As soon as he mentioned honing with the spine lifted, I would have walked. No freakin way would I let him touch my razors.

Hey and welcome to the forum. You have had a bad experience and as Glen has said the blades will need a bevel reset and honing. There are vendors from this site located in Southern Ontario that you could send your blades to for that process. I have sent blades to Phil at The Classic Edge Shaving Store Your Straight Razor Specialists. and they turned out well. There also might be member/members near you that might mentor you on honing.

Bob

Man! I wish you lived close to me...that story compels me to help. You have seen two wrongs, we need to balance that with some right

My suggestion would be to ship BOTH razors to someone who is well known on this site as a very good razor honer (there are several...just read around the forum and you will see).

Once yours are repaired you will have two good standards for how a razor ought to shave AND two razors that will not require serious skill to hone (once someone sets a good bevel, maintaining/re-honing it is easy compared to the task ahead of the poor soul that needs to repair yours).

Honing is not hard, but it takes knowledge and practice. Start out on something that requires little and see if you can do it. If you start with a blade that needs a lot, you may become unnecessarily frustrated.

Maxi is in Toronto, if I'm not mistaken, and he hones razors. I hear he is very good.

Yea, I had Maxi hone a blade for me and it turned out very nice. I was going to suggest Maxi but I don't see him listed in the vendors section.

Bob