Thread: Newbie from Honolulu Hawaii--hey guys!

I live in Honolulu, Hawaii and am just getting into straight razor shaving. I'm pretty sick of the idea of disposable razors--always having to throw them away and buy new ones. So I thought I'd get into straight razor shaving.

I'm having some difficulties with honing, though. I've been trying to use a King Ice Bear 6000 grit Waterstone to hone a Dovo Best Quality 5/8" straight razor. When I try to use the stone it seems to get so dull as to not shave anymore. Also, now I noticed some small nicks in the blade. What's going on? I've seen youtube videos where people are able to shave off of 6000 grit stones. Is this not the case?

From what I've been able to read no the forums, my guess is that the King stones are not very good for honing. I was considering maybe buying a Norton 4000/8000 grit combo stone (and maybe a strop and chromium oxide paste, as well) as some posts and videos seem to suggest that this is one of the best stones for beginners to hone with.

Your thoughts on this, veterans?

Hey friend, I haven't ventured into honing yet, I'm a noob too. I've decided to work on the shaving thing, and test my skill in that area before I tackle the stones. Just wanted to say hi and welcome! Ask all your questions here, and check out wiki. There is so much help here, and the guys are great. Have fun and take it slow!
P.S. How's paradise. I was in Maui in September, and I sure do miss it!

Welcome to SRP!
some folks with even shave with a blade that was honed on a brick with milk. most people would not recommend it, even fewer would enjoy it. you will need a strop, it needs to be used before every shave. you may want to send your razor out for a honing, yes it is fun to do it yourself but at the very least you should have the norton stone it is a good all around tool. you may also want to consider a shave ready vintage blade from the classifieds. 2 blades are nice especially when you have to send one out for a honing.
if your razor is getting duller you might want to look at Lynn's and Glen's (gssixgun) videos on honing honing a razor is different than sharpening a knife.

enjoy,
jim

Originally Posted by RNMike

Hey friend, I haven't ventured into honing yet, I'm a noob too. I've decided to work on the shaving thing, and test my skill in that area before I tackle the stones. Just wanted to say hi and welcome! Ask all your questions here, and check out wiki. There is so much help here, and the guys are great. Have fun and take it slow!
P.S. How's paradise. I was in Maui in September, and I sure do miss it!

Thanks for the warm welcome. Things are same old, same old here in paradise. Not much going on really. Good luck with the shaving.

Originally Posted by syslight

Welcome to SRP!
some folks with even shave with a blade that was honed on a brick with milk. most people would not recommend it, even fewer would enjoy it. you will need a strop, it needs to be used before every shave. you may want to send your razor out for a honing, yes it is fun to do it yourself but at the very least you should have the norton stone it is a good all around tool. you may also want to consider a shave ready vintage blade from the classifieds. 2 blades are nice especially when you have to send one out for a honing.
if your razor is getting duller you might want to look at Lynn's and Glen's (gssixgun) videos on honing honing a razor is different than sharpening a knife.

enjoy,
jim

Thanks for the advice. I'll have a look see at some of those vids and the wiki.

Aloha HRG,
I live in Honolulu and recently got into the whole wet-shaving method and loving it. I currently use DE for my shaving, but am leaning towards a straight right now (pickup up a couple straights and have a strop on the way, etc.).
I am also looking forward to checking out Mojo (a friend's brother opened the shop!).
Wishing you the best, and welcome to the forums!
Mahalo,
Tescot

Aloha and welcome to SRP fellow newbie :-)

Hey Tescot...Info on the shop pleaseWe need to support our own!

Aloha Bruddahs Howzit? I am a newb I hope to get my gear and start soon.

Aloha local str8 shaver, Noobie myself, been str8 shaving for a couple of months. Wish there was a local Honemeister, need to learn to hone also, without shipping razor's to the mainland. Happy Shaving