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

I usually recommend learning to touch up a razor, then learn to work down the stones versus learning to take a razor from start to finish. The "voodo" is in the bevel set, this is the most important part of honing a razor. If you are just touching up a razor, you will start to get a feel of honing & as your feel improves, so will your comfort level. You will also know what a shave ready razor is versus "thinking" you have done a good job, but you are just scraping whiskers off.

I hone my own.
I need to touch up most of my razors after 5 or 6 shaves.

Learned to hone my own out of necessity.

Bob

I got tired of my razors spending time in the mail instead of in my rotation, and started to hone myself. I am still practicing and need help with wedges, but am getting pretty good.

Who found this dusty old thread....lol...yah...I hone my own....it's too expensive to pay twice for shipping and 20.00 bucks ( last time I checked) for a sharpening.

Originally Posted by BobH

Learned to hone my own out of necessity.

Bob

Ditto Bob. I've been doing since I was a snot nosed teenager.

Honing can be "relaxing" to do..

OR

Honing can be your "GREATEST FRUSTRATION"

Originally Posted by Chevhead

Honing can be "relaxing" to do..

OR

Honing can be your "GREATEST FRUSTRATION"

How about both. Two sides of the same coin. Great when it produces a shave-able edge and frustrating when you end up going back to the stones several times. Although, the many trips often proves to be an education on how to handle imperfect blades. Failure is one of the best teachers around.

Originally Posted by Benz

Ditto Bob. I've been doing since I was a snot nosed teenager.

Have only been at it since I started learning to shave with a SR about 4 years ago. Just too expensive to keep sending them out to be honed and postage both ways. It's been a long hard climb for a 60 year old but we are getting there.

Bob

Originally Posted by Razorfeld

How about both. Two sides of the same coin. Great when it produces a shave-able edge and frustrating when you end up going back to the stones several times. Although, the many trips often proves to be an education on how to handle imperfect blades. Failure is one of the best teachers around.

SO TRUE!
I must have my PhD in honing then....

Seriously though.... Failure is sometimes a good thing.
If you do any type of restore work for yourself you will NOT get a perfect "easy" blade to hone 100% of the time.

Glen calls it honing gymnastics....sometimes I find it necessary to leave one alone for a period of time because its frustrating me or i just am not skilled enough to hone it at the present time.

I WILL get it sooner or later though.