Thread: Time to hone?

How do you know when to re-hone a razor, other than when it begins to pull or tug? As a new SR shaver, it is difficult to know if the razor is pulling or if my technique is off.

Do you have Chromium Oxide? If you suspect the shave is significantly less comfortable than when you started running a handful of laps on some CrOx would freshen it up pretty well. To my understanding if that has little to no effect on the edge and you notice no difference is time for a stone. There are tests like cutting a hanging hair and midway on your arm hair to gauge the sharpness too but that doesn't necessarily relate to the comfort of the shave.

If you have to ask it's probably time. Like what maxx said a pasted strop will help assuming it's not quite as keen as you like but there is a point at which crox it won't help and you are better off honing it or getting it honed. If it needs honing it may be time to get a finisher and try your hand at a refresh otherwise you'll need to send it out.

Your time between refreshes whether it needs a honing or just a few laps on a pasted strop will become less frequent. Address your stropping skills as that is the largest factor in keeping it ready. It only takes a couple bad strokes to screw up a good edges.

A lot will be your experience level , with my time on a blade I may be able to shave comfortably while you may not. This is the experience factor that takes time, but if your doing everything right and it's not performing well then some paste should do the trick , but alot of this depends on your stropping to begin with, that will keep your blade shaving a long time , as for honing , if the blade hasn't been damaged a refresh will take care of it and a decent barbers hone and a few strokes your back to shaving, or like I said before chrome ox on a strop will tune it up. You very seldom need to go to a stone. Tc

I generally expect to get 4 or 5 shaves from a razor I've honed before giving it a few swipes on a barber-hone to freshen it up. But on that basis, I've had many shaves without a full re-honing. I don't think of a full honing, from bevel-setting through finish hone, as a common occurrence in a razor's life. Maybe every 40 or 50 shaves? I have razors I honed a couple years ago that are still fine with nothing but a barber-hone to freshen them up every few shaves.

Look at the edge with magnification. What you see determines what you need, generally not a full honing.

Stropping is your first go to. If I feel a razor pull slightly I strop it and look at it. Often just stropping can improve an edge, but for a new shaver it can also be the problem. Learning to strop will extend your edge life and quality dramatically. Some hands on coaching will also improve your stropping.

Generally go slow, keep the spine on the strop at all times, stop at the flip and use light pressure. It can take a long time to perfect your stropping technique, no question your edges will be better next year.

If you feel a pulling, look at the edge, if you see a chip - it needs honing, micro-chips – a touch up (finish hone, barber hone or pasted strop) no damage or chipping – stropping on leather.

Go slow, and use a progressive approach, least aggressive to more aggressive. You can buy good magnification for as little as $2, 60X lighted loupe.

I don't hone myself and most likely never will. I've been shaving with str8 razor for about a year, which is not long, however I think I've managed a decent stropping technique. My question is that it seems to me that sometimes after the honing the shave is somewhat harsh. I understand it depends on the razor, on the honemeiste , but is it also possible that the harshness may go away at some point with proper stropping ?

Anytime that you notice a diminishment in the quality of the shave, it is time to touch it up. If you have and want to use paste, then try that first. Eventually if the paste does not seem to be bringing the edge back the way you want, then it is time for a honing touch up. Following the often stated adage "less is more," you start with a few strokes on a high grit hone. If that does not do the job then try more strokes on that high grit hone. Unless repair is needed, you should not need to drop down lower than your finishing hone.

I'm afraid I don't get it how it is related to to my post about "harshness" AFTER honing (?)

Originally Posted by ibixon

I'm afraid I don't get it how it is related to to my post about "harshness" AFTER honing (?)

If the straight razor is extremely sharp the first shave can make the skin feel kind of burned in spots. For example the where the hair grows in different directions near the atoms apple and the lower part of the neck. It is what I think of as chicken skin there. How ever your second shave with the same razor will be awesome if the edge was just extremely sharp, and yes stropping always helps. There is also a trick called "Corking" but I don't recommend it if some one is honing your razor for you. I hope this helps