Thread: Hello

Stropping is VERY important and a new user can kill a strop FAST!! Best to practice with a dull razor shaped object (like a butter knife) for a bit until you get the flip perfected, that's where cuts will come from.

Thanks for the advice Robd

Welcome mitnageek. This hobby of ours is easy to learn, providing two conditions are met. First, you need a good source of information. You've got that right here on SRP. Secondly, don't be in a hurry. Much of what we do in shaving, stropping and honing is based on experience. Developing a good touch is a skill that can only be acquired one day at a time. Enjoy the ride.

apologies for the brutal summary ... but this is what I'm sharing with my knife sharpening peers:

Originally Posted by mitnageek

apologies for the brutal summary ... but this is what I'm sharing with my knife sharpening peers:

Will be interesting to see what your knife sharpening buddies have to say, so far seems to be just you taking sound advice out of context.
If you want to learn to shave and hone razors, you found the right place.
Otherwise, keep that beard and concentrate on how thin you can slice tomatoes...

Grazor, There is context but that would make a big screenshot.

The advice other (knife etc) sharpeners have offered has been sound, I'm trying to add to our collective knowledge, not correct them or it.
And the advice I've been offered here has been excellent. Any errors in the screenshot are mine and mine alone. I feel privileged to live in an age where these conversations are even possible.

But i have always had trouble saying "no" ... I like to help ... and someone had contacted me with an immediate sharpening request.
I replied with "ok, I'll learn how and get back to you".

The sharpeners said - "ok. here's how you could do that. here's how we have done that".
Whereas, from the people and resources here, I've learned that the skills required are similar but different.

I've learned that a little bit of humble comes in handy and there's a lot of stuff I thought I knew that I need to accept I don't, before I move on.
I will still sharpen razors.
I will be shaving with a straight razor (to save money, if for no more noble reason) as soon as I safely can.

But I will not, now, be offering to sharpen a random razor the week after next.

In my view, that's progress.

Originally Posted by mitnageek

Grazor, There is context but that would make a big screenshot.

The advice other (knife etc) sharpeners have offered has been sound, I'm trying to add to our collective knowledge, not correct them or it.
And the advice I've been offered here has been excellent. Any errors in the screenshot are mine and mine alone. I feel privileged to live in an age where these conversations are even possible.

But i have always had trouble saying "no" ... I like to help ... and someone had contacted me with an immediate sharpening request.
I replied with "ok, I'll learn how and get back to you".

The sharpeners said - "ok. here's how you could do that. here's how we have done that".
Whereas, from the people and resources here, I've learned that the skills required are similar but different.

I've learned that a little bit of humble comes in handy and there's a lot of stuff I thought I knew that I need to accept I don't, before I move on.
I will still sharpen razors.
I will be shaving with a straight razor (to save money, if for no more noble reason) as soon as I safely can.

But I will not, now, be offering to sharpen a random razor the week after next.

In my view, that's progress.

That is the biggest thing I have read on here from people who sharpen knives is that they take for granted that there is a carry over to razor honing. Then come back and ask what they are doing wrong.

It is almost impossible, initially, to convince them that similar to but not really the same. That it is better to approach learning to hone a razor as if you have no prior experience sharpening knives for that reason. Just approach it with a clean slate and you will get there eventually.

Bob

Is there a limit on the number of times I can press the thank button? (rhetorical)

Hi and welcome. You will find just like knives the honing skills come with practice. Your first attempts will be hit and miss but you will get it. After doing it for a while and with more practice you will get good at it. Shaving will be the same. No different really than most skills. As long as you keep a reality check and don't expect instant results and put in the effort no reason you can't be successful at this. Good luck and always any questions feel free to ask we are always happy to help people learn

Thanks Ed. I'm ready to take the time. I've scaled back the ambition "a bit" to where now I want to learn to shave, strop and then hone. Once I'm comfortable with what I can do in a personal capacity, then I'll extend that to bring it into my professional life. Where I started from was "I can make a kitchen knife so it will shave ... what could be so different about a razor?". Now I'm more like "Oo. That looks a bit tricky and delicate".

But if there's one thing I love, it's learning a new skill. And if there's friendly folk to answer questions then that makes it even better.