Thread: How often to hone - advice needed

Based on the responses to your posts, in my opinion, there are many variables to consider so YMMV.

"1OldGI" made an excellent point with, "I've learned that "as required" is the best solution." Then you read that "Ace" can keep up his razor's edge by stropping on the linen and leather and it works well for his razor and needs. No two people are alike and perhaps no two razors are alike as well.

Because my beard gets heavy, I will do a touch up on CrOx as needed. But that is well stretched out because I rotate among six razors so each razor is not used as often. Between honings, I strop on linen then leather after the shave, then leather only before the shave.

Just as a suggestion, perhaps you might want to consider getting a second razor to rotate with your Dovo to help extend your "mileage" between honings. Just make sure you are using good stropping technique because when I first started straight razor shaving, I rolled my razor's edge because of poor stropping technique.

Go with what you feel works for you and meets your needs.

Best of luck to your shaves!

Patrick

Originally Posted by honedright

Stropping decreases the number of times you will need to hone your razor. I vaguely remember the last time I honed mine, just to practice honing. I hone so infrequently that I'll do it, sometimes, just to maintain muscle memory. Six months, and up to a year, or beyond, is not impossible or unreasonable for a single, every day razor. But that's after a lot (years) of experience.

You only strop on unpasted leather and linen? And you never ever do touch-ups?

Originally Posted by Kees

You only strop on unpasted leather and linen? And you never ever do touch-ups?

Yes, that is correct.

good linen can be quite abrasive in it's own right, and if you get your pressure right (none) then you can minimise edge rounding for a very very long time.

Originally Posted by tekbow

good linen can be quite abrasive in it's own right, and if you get your pressure right (none) then you can minimise edge rounding for a very very long time.

I know that some of the guys advocate no pressure as you mention here, but I've found that pressure can be useful. Often I'll apply quite a bit more than "just the weight of the razor" pressure without any detriment to the razors edge, if fact just the opposite. Stropping involves a few variables that require much experimentation to get it just right.

SF,

Well there you go. It really would have been easy to answer: touch up every 39th shave. But it's not at all that simple because some of it is not just how the blade cuts, but how it feels on YOUR face, and you're the only one who has your face. This makes the discussion real subjective. So if the razor is tugging more than you think it should and you've been stropping it well before each shave, well it's probably time to touch up the edge.

well, well, and that's life in front of the mirror in the morning...

I downloaded your personal information from Google "Street View" and ran the numbers. It turns out that on average you need to hone once every 12.35 shaves, plus or minus 12 shaves.

James.

Originally Posted by honedright

Yes, that is correct.

Please enlighten us.

Originally Posted by Kees

Please enlighten us.

I've covered this in detail through several postings over the years. You might consider reading those.

Without going back over all of the details, I'll point out 2 important factors:

1) Stropping technique. Again, too many details and not enough time to go back over it all again.
2) Strop preparation - a stock strop may benefit from some tweaking. Mine have at least. And even the best technique on a strop without propper prep seems, from my experience anyways, to give sub-par results. Everyone seems to have their pet procedure for prepping their strops. Some a liitle involved (like mine) and some less involved, just hand rubbing for instance. What I've done to mine seems to work pretty well combined with my technique. Of course YMMV.