Thread: First time Mentoring someone

Interesting day today. About a week ago I had a gentlemen contact me, wanting his razor honed and to go over using a straight razor and it's care. So this guy shows up in style riding a BMW motorcycle (kinda partial to them, because I have one). We introduce ourselves and he gets this Joseph Rogers out with a 5/8 Round point with ivory scales, very nice tool! We sit down and I start going over the hones I have and what each does. I hone the razor being sure to mention the different strokes used and why. I had him look at the edge with the loupe to see the changes as I progressed through the different hones and TPT & TNT. Looking back now, he plans to hone his own razors, I might should have let him hone his own......oh well. Finishing up the razor on the hones I went over stropping the razor and how I clean and maintain mine. He brought his shave brush, and I got him setup for a shave. I stood near by as he asked me to spot him. The band-aids were close by and gauze -lol. I have to say I don't even think I was as confident as this guy was when I did my first straight razor shave. He did a complete shave, and ended up with a few weepers but all in all nothing major. I was impressed, he said he waited for forty years to shave with a straight! (almost as Long as I am old -lol). We learn so much from people older than us. It felt good to teach someone older than me, something. Good deal.....

Well done. I've often found it pretty useless to hand someone a razor and stone to teach him how to hone. I can make corrections, that is helpful, but they won't learn the skill right off, because it's based so heavily in practice. It's like handing someone a guitar and hoping they'll get it.

Watching you for a bit is a great start.

The main thing they learn doing it themselves is just how hard it really is.

I think you started on the right path, showing him the stones and progressions, and reasoning behing the various strokes. All very helpful.

Congrats!

I attempted to mentor a co-worker last year. I even went over to his house and did a full shave demo and then stood on standby while he did a full shave too. He did well, but gave up soon after. He dumped his entire kit, sold it for a song too. Silly twit.

Anyway, I try not to look at it as wasted time, just helping someone decide if SR shaving is for them..... How's that for positive thinking? LOL

Thanks for doing it! I have found that I learned more than the person that came to me than they from me! I found the things I do from practice that were not in by basic schooling. I have the really think what i am teaching to a newer person so they do not really foul up a blade trying something I may only use for a particular razor.
What it all means is that a good training may allow a newer person to screw up...and recover with the well taught basics of honing. I think we all try stuff that we see or hear about and not all of that is good! I have had to go back and reset a bevel etc. when I tried something outrageous and goofed!
Have fun, you are a lucky man!
~Richard