Thread: How many of you guys hone your own straights?

Apology accepted. The line comes from the Johnny Depp film "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street".

I have only been using straight for around 4 months but I do hone my own and it feels good knowing that I have can shave with a razor that I honed myself.
I only use a coticule and a slurry stone from start to finish.

I hone all my razors on this:



The Perforated Razor Hone.

Some folks I showed it to said it was nothing but a stupid little marketing gimmick (which I'm sure some people here will say as well), but the results speak for themselves.

I've used it to hone my two razors for the last three months and the results are wonderful. And it's really convenient too, because it's small enough to fit into my palm.

That's a cool looking hone. And there's a reason all (okay, maybe just the majority of) the diamond plate sharpening stones/plates for sale today are "perforated" like that. It makes for a quicker cut. Smoother shave? Maybe not but certainly more than just a "gimmick."

I hone my own razors, but all I have is 3 in 1 oil and a flat stone. I don't know if I am doing it right, but my razors seem to work alright.

I hone my own. Starting out with a shave-ready razor all you need is a barber hone or coticule. If you wanna try your had at ebay specials you'll need many more. And that's when HAD kicks in.

Definitely hone my own. It does take some practice, but if you keep track of what you did right and try to fix what you've done wrong, like anything else you'll get their eventually. The proof of your learning is always in the shave test.

Learned how to hone by watching LOTS of youtube videos. Jockeys has a good intro video, and Gssixgun has the mother load of great videos to try to emulate. Had a few........."rougher" shaves off the first many attempts, but I stumbled my way to being able to confidently (now) hone my own. The addition of Crox has made things very nice!

I received my Grandfather's 'Larkin' from my brother a couple of years ago, tried it, didn't like it, due to the fact it simply wasn't shave ready. It seemed 'crazy sharp' to my brother and I, but I knew (because I put it to my face) it didn't wipe the whiskers away. Men have been shaving with these things for eons... I thought... obviously this one needs work.

I set it on the shelf.

Last year my brother got me a "like new" W. H. Morley and Sons Cover Brand razor that had been put away in some time capsule. It's paper box was like the day it was shipped and the razor was like a mirror. I tried it... it wasn't shave ready.

Thankfully, along with that razor, my brother also gave me a brand new strop, and Lynn Abram's DVD.

I watched the DVD and joined this forum.

Lynn explained that a Norton 4000/8000 should get anyone shaving, so I got one ASAP.

I followed the instructions provided on this forum and on the DVD and in no time I had both razors shave ready. It's not that hard.

I want to get a 'finishing hone'... something in the 12k or 16k range, but I can tell you - just like Lynn says - a Norton 4000/8000 will get you shaving. You'll need a good strop and a good strop stroke, but that too can be found here, along with thousands of collective years of experience to guide you because everyone you meet here is more than willing to help you.

At the very least, you want to be able to keep your own razors up to kit, and to do that you'll need to hone your own razors. Your first step is a Norton 4000/8000 and good strop. From there, the sky (and your pocketbook) is the limit.

Originally Posted by tonycraigo

I received my Grandfather's 'Larkin' from my brother a couple of years ago, tried it, didn't like it, due to the fact it simply wasn't shave ready. It seemed 'crazy sharp' to my brother and I, but I knew (because I put it to my face) it didn't wipe the whiskers away. Men have been shaving with these things for eons... I thought... obviously this one needs work.

I set it on the shelf.

Last year my brother got me a "like new" W. H. Morley and Sons Cover Brand razor that had been put away in some time capsule. It's paper box was like the day it was shipped and the razor was like a mirror. I tried it... it wasn't shave ready.

Thankfully, along with that razor, my brother also gave me a brand new strop, and Lynn Abram's DVD.

I watched the DVD and joined this forum.

Lynn explained that a Norton 4000/8000 should get anyone shaving, so I got one ASAP.

I followed the instructions provided on this forum and on the DVD and in no time I had both razors shave ready. It's not that hard.

I want to get a 'finishing hone'... something in the 12k or 16k range, but I can tell you - just like Lynn says - a Norton 4000/8000 will get you shaving. You'll need a good strop and a good strop stroke, but that too can be found here, along with thousands of collective years of experience to guide you because everyone you meet here is more than willing to help you.

At the very least, you want to be able to keep your own razors up to kit, and to do that you'll need to hone your own razors. Your first step is a Norton 4000/8000 and good strop. From there, the sky (and your pocketbook) is the limit.

Well, welcome to SRP! Thanks for posting your experience, and I'm glad it turned out so well.

Peace,