Thread: New member from Illinois

The Hart razors are noticeably harder/tougher steel than a vintage razor so they require more time/patience to hone.

Hope this helps,

Originally Posted by SirStropalot

The real difference is, very delicate, very precise strokes, very light pressure, and knowing when to move on and when to stop. Hope this makes some sense.

At first, I thought it might be like free-hand sharpening the bevel portion of a plane blade, but from the side. But, with the razor being such a delicate blade, the pressure used must also be delicate. What you say makes lots of sense. Thanks. As for the bevel, isn't that maintained by the angle between the back (plus tape) and the edge? That seems similar to using a jig for the angle, but built in instead of attached. Is that aspect much different?

Thanks.

Tim

Originally Posted by randydance062449

The Hart razors are noticeably harder/tougher steel than a vintage razor so they require more time/patience to hone.

Hope this helps,

I'm used to O-1 tool steel, so exercising patience is not a problem. . Here' one picture to illustrate:

It's not quite the mirror of the razor, bit it was for wood and not my face.

Thanks.

Tim

Yes, the spine and edge are designed to work together. Originally they didnt have tape so the spine and edge wear were supposed to be consistent, of course, that's in a perfect honing environment. Tests have been made, and by our own gssixgun, that show that the addition of tape to the spine is so minimal to the geometry of the bevel that it's really irrelevant to the edge. We generally use tape to protect the gold washed, engraved, etc. spines from hone wear damage to the spine. Others like myself use it on all of our razors just because we don't like hone wear on the spine. So I guess it's not exactly the same purpose as a jig, just a preference and way to protect spines and fancy spines. Hope this made sense. Here's a link to Glen's (gssixgun's) videos on honing. They're very good and informative. YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

Regards,

Howard

Yep. It makes sense, Howard. Thanks. Thanks also for the links to Glen's videos. I'll be taking a look at them.

Re your sig quote: I prefer to skip class in the school of hard knocks and learn from the bad judgement of others. It's a lot easier that way.

Thanks again.

Tim

I'm rethinking my first razor again, of course. Instead of the Hart, perhaps the Dovo #1226850 would be better, especially at about half the cost. That one also seems similar to my planned second razor, the SRP Logo LE, but without the smile. It might be good training for when that one arrives. And, though I don't think I would mind it, the harder steel of the Hart was mentioned as a possible issue. This choice would alleviate that concern, though possibly raise others. I still like the idea of the Hart, but perhaps it should be #3. I might have learned enough by then to get the square point also. I wonder if they will eventually offer a shoulderless version.

Just thought I would share where my thinking is going...

Tim

I just looked at the link and that's a nice looking Dovo. I also like the look of a shoulderless razor. The round point is also a good feature IMO. It's much friendlier in the beginning, but I still prefer a round point, or a Spanish point. I have a number of square points, but the ones I use I generally mute the point quite a bit. Learning to hone might come a little easier on the Dovo because as said the Hart is a harder steel. Takes more time on the hones and can be a little more finicky to get dialed in. It's sure up to you, but starting with a more production razor makes sense to me. If you do mess it up on the hones, drop it or hit the spigot, well its a lot less painful, and you probably will do one of those, I think we all have in the beginning. Let us know which you decide on.

Regards,

Howard

Thanks, Howard. After watching one of Glen's video, I thought not having the shoulder might help with learning to hone. You're probably right about the drop also. I did that with my EJ DE when I first started wet shaving. The edge of the granite counter next to the sink put a nice mark on the side of the cap. Perhaps I should contact Larry for a 'first drop' razor.

Tim

Another good place to look is in our classifieds and the vendor section. On dropping, I refreshed my first razor, a Boker stainless, and just nailed it, luck! Shaved, and my very first , so called, BBS. Turned around to wipe the blade on my nice dry finishing towel and dropped it. Hit the edge of the sink, flipped and out of instinct I reached for it and it hit the back of my hand. Still have that scar, but from there to the floor I looked like a man in a red ant bed. Put a beautiful quarter moon dent in the middle of the edge. It's now closer to a 4/8's, but still one of my best shaving razors. good Luck!!

Regards,

Howard

Just to post an update of what I ordered...

• Dovo #1226850 Razor - It's the link I posted.
• Walkin' Horse Horsebutt/Cotton Strop
• Dovo White Paste

I'll post pics later.

Thanks again for the assistance.

Tim