Honemister

Discussion in 'Straight Razors' started by jbcohen, Jun 3, 2009.

  1. jbcohen

    jbcohen New Member

    What are your thoughts about a new straight user sending straights to a honemiester for honing? What are your thought about the advantage of a stainless steel straight over a carbon steel straight?

    I have two, one is a carbon steel dovo which has been to see Lynn Abrams for honing while the other is a Dovo Inox which has not seen a honemister. I am thinking of sending the Inox to see Lynn Abrams. I am thinking that its easier for a new straight user like me to learn to hone a razor that has been done by a honemister than one that has not.

    What are your thought on this matter?
     
  2. Ragnost

    Ragnost Member

    If you have never honed a razor always send it out and buy a cheap one IE Wapi, double Arrow to practice on then if I say if you wreck it:scared001, it won’t matter as much as wrecking a expensive razor:shocked003 and you will have the benefit of having the other two to compare your efforts with and what your aiming for :D
     
  3. azjoe

    azjoe New Member

    My $.02 is that you should send your razors to someone like Lynn to have them sharpened until you've mastered shaving and are sure you're going to stick with it. It's very easy for beginners to get turned off to str8 shaving if their razor is not sharp. By getting your razors correctly sharpened you'll know what a truly sharp razor feels like if/when you decide to try sharpening your own razors.

    BTW, lots of people send their razors out to be sharpened... some because they don't wish to ever learn to do it themselves, some because they can't master the techniques involved, and some because they don't want to lay out the cash for the hones.
     
  4. Truckman

    Truckman New Member

    Jeremy, what about your tutor? Can't he do it for you, save the shipping? What was his name again, Eric or something?


    Jeremy, in all seriousness, though, you definitely need to send your blades out to a honemeister. No two ways about it, and don't even think that your "hone" on your paddle strop will do a good enough job. If anything, that's for touch-ups once it is properly honed and has been used a while.

    Jeremy, maybe post a WTB (that's Want To Buy) post in the Classifieds to find someone willing to hone your razor for you. Remember, it's a TOOL and requires proper care and maintenance, as all TOOLS do.
     
  5. omegapd

    omegapd New Member

    I say go to SRP (STRAIGHT RAZOR PLACE) and read up on how to do it yourself. If I had to send off a knife for sharpening every single time it needed it, I'd be cutting with spoons most days. Give it a shot. You never know what'll happen until you do.

    Eric (the tutor)
     
  6. Jimbo

    Jimbo New Member

    Sending a razor to a honemeister initially is a great idea. It gives you a frame of reference for all subsequent edges you might put on yourself in the future. Plus, it eliminates one extra variable from the plethora of variables that come into play when learning how to use a straight. I'd say concentrate on mastering the shave and stropping to start, worry about learning to hone later.

    James.
     
  7. JimR

    JimR Active Member

    In Principle, I agree completely. I am truly enjoying learning to hone, and it's no good sending your razors out to others to hone all the time.

    BUT. And that's a big but--most straight razor users don't need to hone their razors. Razor use is not NEARLY as dulling as knife use. A properly honed razor, stropped correctly and cared for well, will not need to touch a hone at all for a long time. At most, it will need a few strokes on a barber's hone every month or two. Learning to hone is really only NECESSARY for crazy guys like me who insist on buying more razors than they could ever sanely need, and buying them from unknown people on eBay and the like.

    So, there's that to think about.

    Of course, you might want to learn to hone anyway, and that's great. Go for it!

    HOWEVER. It is vital. VITAL, I say, that you have a good idea of what to aim for when you are learning, AND that you have a good shaving razor to keep you smooth while you do it. (JB, You have that with the Lynn Abrams Razor, unless you take it in your head to try honing that yourself).

    It is also a good idea to have a cheap razor to learn on until you have a good grasp of technique, so you don't go getting hone wear and uneven bevels all over your expensive new razor.

    These are all lessons I have learned over the last couple of months, and some of them I have learned "the hard way". I have the utmost faith that you will pay attention to everyone's advice...and do whatever you had decided to do in the first place.;)
     
  8. joed

    joed New Member

    +1 on what Jim said. It's great to know how to hone but practicing on a less expensive razor is the best way to go. A barber's hone will make a share ready razor that went slightly dull sharp again and will be all yo need for years to put your shave ready blades back in service.

    To put an edge on a straight like Lynn does will take several hones and a lot of practice. Also, stainless blades will take a better edge if your honing technique is a little different than that for carbon steel blades. Stainless steel is a gummy metal when cutting it. You will obtain better results learning on a carbon steel blade and going to stainless after getting that down. As a note, most barbers back in the day did not hone their own straights, and didn't know how to do it. They only used for a barber's hone to maintain the edge. The owner of the shop usually did the honing or they went out for initial honing and were maintained with the barber's hone. Source for this info was my local barber, who owned a shop in the 70's.
     
  9. kernel

    kernel New Member

    For me, using stainless steel and sending a razor off to be honed because I couldn't hone it is like doing everything with gloves on. I would suggest learning how to hone so that you can do it in a pinch, for whatever reason, but then if you don't feel like doing it again, send it off. But to not know how is to tie your own hands.

    I don't use any knife that is stainless except my SAK. It just seems dishonest to me. Steel and wood are imperfect materials. To use them you must know them.
     
  10. JimR

    JimR Active Member

    I'm really confused by this. Why does stainless seem dishonest? What does WOOD have to do with anything?
    :confused:
     
  11. hoglahoo

    hoglahoo Yesterday's News

    What's a honemeister?
     
  12. MsJoeD

    MsJoeD New Member

    I agree that the first one or two blades for a newbie should be done by a honemeister so that you know what a truly shave ready blade is. Once they are honed, as long as you don't damage the edge, they should be good to go for quite a while. If you want to learn honing for your next blades, Then definately check out SRP for the wiki info on honing and grab yourself a cheap ebay or antique shop blade for practice. Honing, like straight razor shaving can have a steep learning curve and it's better to practice on a spare blade than to try to touch up the ones you are using.

    Just my $.02
     
  13. Crankymoose

    Crankymoose Member

    in short a person who is skilled enough to hone straight razors for others and have others pay for it, generally though not a title one would give themself and to be really proficient there is much to it then just finishing the edge of a factory razor, it includes but is not limited to setting or resetting the bevel, fixing a badly honed or damaged edge or an uneven or warped edge. most honemeisters have done several thousands razors and have the ability to obtain an edge on any number of sharpening medium

    generally imho when starting straight shaving everyone should get at least 1 razor done by a reputable honemeister this accomplishes 2 things, if you do decide later to hone you have an idea what a properly honed edge will feel like and when starting out you have enough other things to worry about, blade angle and hand position etc so at least you will know the razor was ready and typically most only charge around $20 which is a very minor investment
     
  14. RayG

    RayG New Member

    Honing is not something you will learn with one or two razors. It will require a significant investment in time and equipment. Like Jimbo said, concentrate on your shaving and stropping technique first, then IF you decide that straights are for you, then consider honing.
     
  15. RayG

    RayG New Member

    Lee... I think you meant to type honemister? ;)
     
  16. hoglahoo

    hoglahoo Yesterday's News

    :eek:

    :D

    :happy102
     
  17. wkodgzeke

    wkodgzeke New Member

    I would definitely recommend to any straight shaving newcomer that their first blade be professionally sharpened by a honemeister
     

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