Hone a new razor?

I'm very new to straight razor shaving.

My wife bought me a razor for my birthday, and I'm not quite sure what to do as far as honing goes. This razor was SUPPOSED to be honed at the factory, and I guess it's kinda sharp. I tried cutting some arm hairs and took off a few with effort. I tried shaving with it twice, and both times it was pretty painful and I had to clean up with my cartridge razor.

I wouldn't mind honing it myself as I have a Norton 4k/8k stone and a 12k stone as well, but I have some reservations about that:
- I'm not good at it
- How can I tell that it has an edge that matches up with the spine already, so that when I hone it I don't have to reset the edge?
- If I did need to set/reset the edge, I'm not sure the 4k stone will be course enough.
- I'm afraid to ruin a brand new, expensive razor.

What should I do with this razor? It's half-hollow (I think), BTW.

Your best bet would be to send it to a hone master to have it honed. Once you know what shave ready feels like you will have a benchmark to aim for. Plus if properly maintained, the razor should perform without needing to be re honed for some time. I'm new to this two soooo take it for what it's worth:)

Brand of razor ???

And yes some do claim "Factory Honed" but factory honed is not really what we (SRP) consider "shave ready " here is a good article I did about just this exact problem

http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...ry-2012-a.html

Yea, get it honed preferably by a pro so you know what a shave ready edge really feels like. The only new razor I have had did shave out of the box but improved greatly after I honed it.

Bob

If you are in Australia I'll hone it up for you for the price of return postage.
Welcome to SRP BTW

Thanks all for the advice.

If I have it professionally honed, how will I know that it is not only sharp, but also that the edge is in alignment with the spine so that I can re-hone it myself later without resetting the edge?

Is there any way for me to tell if the edge is already set in line with the spine, in which case I might give it a go myself?

Am I making sense with this question?

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Originally Posted by mdavis

Thanks all for the advice.

If I have it professionally honed, how will I know that it is not only sharp, but also that the edge is in alignment with the spine so that I can re-hone it myself later without resetting the edge?

Is there any way for me to tell if the edge is already set in line with the spine, in which case I might give it a go myself?

Am I making sense with this question?

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None what so ever :rofl2:

Yer really new :) which is exactly what we are here for.. The razor is honed with the spine as a guide so it is is alignment with the edge, it is a function of the geoemtry of the razor...
Some of us use a layer of electrical tape to protect the sipne but the guy that hones it should tell you that, and honestly it doesn't much mattter later anyway...

You should learn to hone yourself, but the general consensus is to learn to shave first

All of this info is also in this Beginners forum and there are several series of tips on here for beginners that you should really take the time to read


What brand is the razor ????

Once that edge is honed, as long as you don't damage the bevel, it won't need to be reset for a long long long time. Actually once it's set and honed up your 12k lapped flat and about 5-10 passes every month or two, or when the edge feels dulled will keep you going for a year or more depending on how well you care for the edge when stropping and shaving and cleaning the blade.

Just for reference where are you? Someone posting here maybe be within driving distance if you decide to get someone to do it for you, that way you can watch and learn and some hands on practice too.

Buckingham and Sons.

Interestingly, the razor doesn't have scales, though it does have some fancy metalwork on the shank.

I'm in Santa Clara and happy to drive if somebody's willing to teach.

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Originally Posted by mdavis

Buckingham and Sons.

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This is why I kept asking, unless it is a one in a million razor that the brothers Paki & Stan got right by accident it won't ever shave...

Try and return it and get a refund..

PM me I should have a real razor laying around here that is shave ready, just promise to pass it on to another beginner when yer done using it..

Here you can have this one, I just have to remember where I put it :p I will touch it up for you, it is a nice 5/8+ Torrey


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A free razor and honed by Glen, now that's a flippin' deal man. I would suggest using the search box on this site, type in razors to avoid; it's on the wiki page I think? Print that list, and if you or your wife is going to buy another razor at some point for you, look at that list first. Saved me from buying one of the knock off "damascus" J Buckingham & Sons for $50, when most Damascus razors are $500+ when I was picking out my first straight. That right there is prime example of why Glen is always regarded as a stand-up awesome guy. :tu

mdavis, in my opinion you should focus on the shaving, stropping and touchups. Honing is another thing.

I learned from experience too that a factory sharpened edge is not sharp at all. I had my razors sent to a honemeister. They came back incredibly sharp.

Now after almost a year of straight shaving I still leave the honing to the masters.

That's a fantastic offer from Glen. Do take advantage of it.

Glen is the man. Take the offer! Its one you shouldn't be able to refuse.

I feel like Helen Hunt in As Good As It Gets, where her pride is making her hesitate over accepting the gift of healthcare for her son from Jack Nicholson and her mom says "Some gift you don't give back."

So Glen, how can I take advantage of your generous offer? I'll keep you updated on my learning process and pay it forward sometime soon.

You rock! But it doesn't sound like I'm the first to figure that out.

Michael

You are a wise man to take this Michael. Now you will know what a razor should shave like, and give you a base of comparison for future purchases...and there will be! Kudos to Glen for hookin a brutha up!

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Originally Posted by mdavis

So Glen, how can I take advantage of your generous offer? I'll keep you updated on my learning process and pay it forward sometime soon.

You rock! But it doesn't sound like I'm the first to figure that out.

Michael

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Michael, Look up, look right, see the tab that says Notifications ??? click that and it will show PM's inbox, I sent you one after I realized you might not know what I meant by "send me a PM" :)

That's really cool to get that razor Best thing though, is it's now in circulation for other beginners too. That's a really good nice idea, Glen...

So I have to mention this as the house is filled with the heavenly aroma of brewing coffee and not just any coffee mind you :p

Michael and I exchanged some quick PM's to get the razor headed his direction but, he also asked me a simple question to answer "Glen do you enjoy a good cup of coffee" well I says "Heck Yeah" :D
Turns out Michael roasts his own beans and graciously offered to send me out some of his latest, the Fed-Ex truck just left and I opened the bag and couldn't stop grinning.. I rushed to grind some up and get a pot perkin, and the house just smells way to good now..

I just poured a cup and gotta say "That is a damn good cup a Joe" Many Thanks Michael...


You gotta love SRP

I love roasting my own coffee! I havent been able to for a while but there is nothing better :)

thats a good barter i must admit. here it thought i made a good barter when i gave up some maple syrup in exchange for barber hone a buddie had laying around.

And here I am stuck at the office knowing there's a package waiting for me at my mailbox.

And no fresh coffee either.

Can't wait to get home!

Sorry for going dark on this thread for so long - I've been sick the last week or so and thus didn't feel like taking the sharpest blade I've ever held to the side of my face.

In any case, I had the great pleasure of trying out my brand new (to me) razor yesterday - and it was great. My very first real shave! I'm not going to count the two times I was pulling the hairs out with that other so-called blade.

I admit that I only tried the right side of my face and neck. I hit the left side with my cartridge razor.

Man - that thing was sharp! I can now no longer blame the tool. Now I just need to figure out how to create lather and strop properly.

Thanks so much Glen, you rock!