Thread: 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?

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?

None what so ever

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.