Just Honing

Discussion in 'Straight Razors' started by Leclec13, Apr 15, 2019.

  1. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    I cannot attest to how blades feel on other peoples faces, just mine.
    Rule of thumb, from what I've gleaned, those with thick, and coarse beards, tend to gravitate to heavier grinds, like Wedges. Those with fine beard hair tend to prefer a more hollow ground blade. Many makers, from long ago, marketed different grinds for different types of beards.

    ..
     
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  2. brit

    brit in a box

    cool sir thank you.i am trying to figure if i have a coarser beard type or lighter per se.like a derby is sharp for some but others need a feather. just in a general way.
     
  3. Leclec13

    Leclec13 Well-Known Member

    I have very fine head hair. Which HHT would fail.
    I have almost no arm hair so testing tree topping is limited to my limited leg hairs. I often have no hair on legs where I can reach
    And when I’m desperate to check, armpit or other coarser body hair

    I read on another page where someone bought human hair extensions in an attempt to standardize test. I haven’t broke down and bought any yet. It sounds like a good idea to me.

    In my limited experience. yes I think there are different degrees of sharp.
    Yes I think an edge can be too sharp.
    There is the somewhat mythical sharp that will silently remove hair and not cut skin.
    Its a fine line between aggression, sharpness and comfort

    I’ve been experimenting getting my edges as sharp as I can with my equipment. Then very slightly “dumb” the edge down by a few strokes on a polished coe ark, ( technically lower grit) for a more comfortable shave. It’s not as hard as a surgical black ark. But close enough for me. So in that sense I am customizing edge for my face and hair. Before I got better at honing, I had a razor pro honed that was tree topping at honemeister, got home provided an only so so shave.
     
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2019
  4. Leclec13

    Leclec13 Well-Known Member

    coarse or fine ....i think it comes down to finding the perfect combination of blade and razor for your hair and face
    i'm realizing the same with honing right razor, style of hone, for hair and face
     
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  5. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    Send me your address, and I'll mail you a ball of fine long blonde hair, freshly pulled from the wife's brush. I would hate for you to resort to the short curlies. :happy097:
     
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  6. Leclec13

    Leclec13 Well-Known Member

    too late :shocked003::signs131:

    i've been pacing so normally i have a patch of hair to test somewhere on my legs. but have been a bit stressed lately and have been honing a bit more..... who would of known it is decent stress relief

    i already checked my friends wife and kids hair and brushes.... all too fine compared to my hair

    i've even tested a rabbit pelt, and horse hair bench duster
     
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  7. Primotenore

    Primotenore missed opera tunity

    Article Team
    Any test that must rely on a specific hair type is not a reliable test. Sorry.
     
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  8. Edison Carter

    Edison Carter Well-Known Member

    Not that the short curlies aren't okay to use....... It is the harvesting that hurts
    :cool:
     
  9. gssixgun

    gssixgun At this point in time...

    Supporting Vendor

    Exactly !!! :p
     
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  10. Leclec13

    Leclec13 Well-Known Member

    I agree
    I have come to prefer my vintage blades especially genco, and realize they are thin even extra hollow grinds. The thing is I can’t get great shave from thicker grinds From modern razors dovo special, Theirs Issard, But would like to. I feel like at the hone and tree topping they are similar in sharpness.
    I find my self avoiding the heavier grinds / thicker razors
    Trying to figure it out, i’d Like to be able to enjoy my thicker SR?!
     
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  11. Trigger

    Trigger Double Jedi Knight

    Edison, I agree with you. You know that I like my Dovo shavette. Don't listen to the naysayers. It's your journey and you are the driver. Personally, I believe one should first learn to shave with a shavette before graduating to a traditional straight. The reason is that you learn to use light pressure and you learn better technique because the shavette is unforgiving. The transition to straights is smoother because of it.
     
  12. Trigger

    Trigger Double Jedi Knight

    Joseph, the great honemeister Lynn Abrams would agree. The proof is in the pudding. The best test is to shave your face with the razor that you honed. If it shaves your whiskers without tugging or pulling and no irritation, then you did a good honing job.
     
    Last edited: Apr 18, 2019
  13. Primotenore

    Primotenore missed opera tunity

    Article Team
    :)
     
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  14. DrStrange

    DrStrange Well-Known Member

    I finish and maintain kitchen knives with a Lansky Mini Crock Stick.

    https://lansky.com/products/mini-crock-stick/
     
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  15. The Fox

    The Fox Well-Known Member

    I know this topic is suppose to be our experiences with honing, and this isn't quite that. But it's still honing related and I didn't know where else to put it. About a month or so ago, I bought a Robeson ShurEdge at an antique shop. The other day, I was putting it back in it's (probably) original case and noticed some mangled old paper stuffed inside. Imagine my surprise when I pulled this out of the case. As bad of shape as it's in, I'm amazed it survived at all. It's like a little peek into the past of shaving. What does it cost to get a razor honed now? At least $20 I think. This certificate says it was 25 cents back whenever this razor was new. I wish there was a date on here so I knew exactly how old this thing is. But two of the coupons are still hanging on! Where do I ship it off to? If there's any razor in my collection that needs some professional help, this is the one! Anyway, since a lot of you guys are into the historical aspect of razors, I thought you'd enjoy this archeological find. Certificate.jpg
     
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  16. BaylorGator

    BaylorGator MISTER Fancypants

    Awesome find! It’d be even better if you could get someone to honor the certificate!
     

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