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

Hi guys,

just a quick economy question.

How many of you hone your own straights?

I've got an old Boker I'm fixing up with a decent blade. If it works out, I'd probably have it honed at first, but would like to do my own.

I got into this, because I really like the shave with a DE or Shavette, but also for the economy. If I had to send my own razor out every few months, it would sort of defeat one of the things I love about the Shavette and DE.

Is its really witchcraft, or not too bad? Can an inexpensive hone be made to work?

I'd be happy to have her honed, and just keep it for that nice saturday morning shave.

Thanks,

Ryan

I hone my own and find it to be a very enjoyable and satisfying pursuit. Just in my humble opinion, I wouldn't feel right without at least a 1k, 4k, 8k and 12k or more set of stones. A diamond plate to lap/flatten the stones and a good strop. A paddle or flatbed strop with diamond paste or chrom-ox is very handy to have too. Then, IME, honing many razors in order to learn to use the hones is necessary. Vintage pieces in very good or better condition obtained on ebay, antique shops, the SRP classifieds are how I learned the skill. That is just my experience. I have read that many guys bought a strop and a barber honed and maintained their razors for years with those alone. More folks will chime in with their experience, the above has been mine.

I hone all my razors myself. And to boot, I'm completely self-taught with honing, as well. Seeing as I'm still alive...I must be pretty good.

Haha,

thanks guys, well....for the cost of even a couple of hones, it might be worth jumping in.

I'm trying to get my Dad interested. If he was, it would be really easy to justify buying a couple of hones to share.

Its funny, I rember Dad teaching me to shave 18 years ago, and nowwe're right back were we started!

I have been using Straight Razors for 30 years come this Summer

The first 26 years I used 2 Razors, 1 Strop, and 1 Arkansas Stone, to maintain my razors... They shaved well until I finally dropped the second razor...

Then I found SRP while looking for new razors on the Internet

Keep in mind that some of us are crazy, you do know that right???

You can maintain razors forever with just a Barber's Hone and a strop and they will shave well, the problem comes in with the Well-vs-Great Muhahahaha

Originally Posted by Shangas

I hone all my razors myself. And to boot, I'm completely self-taught with honing, as well. Seeing as I'm still alive...I must be pretty good.

Says the guy who's sig reads "at last, my arm is complete again." That prosthetic fitting went well did it?


Q for the masses: I know what a polishing hone does, but in place of a 12k, could a good swaty or like barber hone fit the bill? No, I don't think it would give you that glass polished look under a scope that I know some guys strive for, but would it refine that edge off the 8k to a comfortable smoothness that a good stropping would finish out and make a good shave? (Not talking about going for the mystic perfectly smooth off a j-nat 24k stone kind of shave, just a good, comfortable, serviceable shave). Whaddya think?

Peace,

Originally Posted by BigJim

Q for the masses: I know what a polishing hone does, but in place of a 12k, could a good swaty or like barber hone fit the bill? No, I don't think it would give you that glass polished look under a scope that I know some guys strive for, but would it refine that edge off the 8k to a comfortable smoothness that a good stropping would finish out and make a good shave? (Not talking about going for the mystic perfectly smooth off a j-nat 24k stone kind of shave, just a good, comfortable, serviceable shave). Whaddya think?

IME, it won't do very much to improve on a 8K edge. Well, mine won't.
(I guess some will to some extent, but a standard Swaty or similar won't)
What that barber hone will do is bring it back there again, after use, in a flash and a half.
IMHO they are two separate entities, one is used in the end of a progression, the other is a quick fix to bring the razor back to a shave able state.
Other, more experienced guys, may have a different view on this.
Replacing a 12K used in the end of a progression with a barber hone doesn't sound like the best option out there.

Originally Posted by Birnando

IME, it won't do very much to improve on a 8K edge. Well, mine won't.
(I guess some will to some extent, but a standard Swaty or similar won't)
What that barber hone will do is bring it back there again, after use, in a flash and a half.
IMHO they are two separate entities, one is used in the end of a progression, the other is a quick fix to bring the razor back to a shave able state.
Other, more experienced guys, may have a different view on this.
Replacing a 12K used in the end of a progression with a barber hone doesn't sound like the best option out there.

So, in your experience, shaving off a barber's hone is about the same as shaving off an 8k?

Right now the Norton 4/8 is at the top of my wish list. I have a good swaty for maintaining my currently sharp blades, but I have a couple that I want to hone myself. At question is, will I really NEED a polisher? I know you can shave right off the 8k, but I've heard several times that it isn't comfortable.

Sorry if this is hi-jacking the thread here.

Peace,

Originally Posted by BigJim

Says the guy who's sig reads "at last, my arm is complete again." That prosthetic fitting went well did it?

Wah? Was that supposed to be an insult?

Dude, try better next time.

Originally Posted by Shangas

Wah? Was that supposed to be an insult?

Dude, try better next time.

No, it was definitely not an insult in any way. It was a funny remark. There was nothing of insult intended. I found the combination of your comment and your signature line ironic. I apologize if you felt it insulting.

Peace,