Thread: A Thank You to JoshEarl

I just received the last of the razors I sent to JoshEarl for cleaning and some restoration:

7-day Dovo set (antique)
Puma
Star Barber
Mint Dorko
Mint Dorko #2
TI with horn scales

I have been working my way through the individual razors. Some of these were in need of some serious hone work, others just needed my crappy stropping damage corrected. The 7-day set need the most work.

Well, the first set of blades came back and were amazing....I intended to use the blades both for shaving and as a benchmark for when I start honing on my own (I ned to get some blades from Lynn as well...) and after seeing the superb work Josh did, I have now doubt they will serve both purposes admirably. Not only did they come back sparkling clean and scary sharp, but Josh was even nice enough to write down the pyramid he used and what other things he did so I cna have a reference.

Some of these were un-used razors, but needed some fine tuning...other needed honing and "Dremel lovin' " as Josh says..

All that I have shaved with have been spectacular and have helped me develop the feel for what I want in a razor. The 7-day set almost look like it just came from the factory.

It is obvious that this type of honing and restoration is more than a passing fancy with Josh, The attention to detail, the care to not cause more damage, and the patience it required speak volumes. He even wrote me a note thnaking me for the opportunity to work on the razors!

He is a class act and will do your razors proud!

Thanks Josh! An amazing job, with spectacular results. I will take some pics and post them, along with pics of the Escher (see the Hone forum).



Greg

the couple razors that i have picked up from josh are great also. i have been thinking about sending him a couple razor that i just cant manage to get to the comfortable stage. i think i should get those to him now....

man- what a nice group of razors- enjoy.


as always josh is great!

cheers,
ryan

I agree. Josh got me my first razor and even after a week it is still sharp - it cuts paper easily.










Just kidding - great job Josh. I'm not surprised WB likes your honing so much. The thing is that sometimes I have these impure thoughts of not even trying to hone - just enough to be able to refresh the edges and outsource all honing to the masters....

WB these are some nice instruments - I wonder what're you gonna do with that thuringian of yours - you won't need it for few years. I could offer you free storage so that you can free some space for razors

Free storage...hmmmmmm. Actually, I want to get to the point that I am comfortable honing blades and then look into doing some honing, cleaning, restoration work. There are so many craftsmen here re-doing blades, custom scales, etc. I think it will be a great skill to learn and fun as well. Also, I haven't seen anyone on the forum who does honing in Colorado.

There is an Art of Shaving store here in Denver and on Sundays, they offer free straight razor (shavette) shaves with a purchase of $30.00. I went in there to get some shave cream (long before I joined the site and learned the wonders of Colleen's and MamaBear's soaps and creams) and asked if there was someone who could hone a straight razor. The had the name of one person....

I would like to get to the point that maybe I could do demos there...just to spread the word.

Greg

Originally Posted by gugi

I agree. Josh got me my first razor and even after a week it is still sharp - it cuts paper easily.

You really had me going there gugi...

Thanks, guys. I am humbled and touched. Each razor is a labor of love.

BTW, you should have seen how that seven-day set cleaned up. I used my Dremel and the bristle discs that Bill Ellis recommends in his restoration CD. They were all tarnished and stained, and the bristle discs got off everything but the pitting. I got a kick out of noticing that Monday's razor was particularly bad.

It's always my goal to pass on what I've learned so far, so other guys can hone and maintain their own razors. But there's no shame in learning to touch up a good razor before tackling a really bad one.

Back in the day, I think a lot of barbers just did touchups on a barber hone or coticule and sent the heavy-duty work--what I would call edge restoration--out to someone who specialized in cutlery.

What we consider "normal" honing was probably beyond the skill level of the majority of straight razor users. No wonder it takes us a few weeks or months to get there.

Keep at it,
Josh

Originally Posted by JoshEarl

What we consider "normal" honing was probably beyond the skill level of the majority of straight razor users. No wonder it takes us a few weeks or months to get there.

And even a modest selection of quality hones would be beyond the means of most people.

*red stripe beer guy voice*

"Yaaaaay JoshEarl"

Originally Posted by JoshEarl

I got a kick out of noticing that Monday's razor was particularly bad. Josh

That was funny....then, as now, Mondays suck........



Greg