Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
The amount of schooling I have is staggering, but not much of it was what I regard as educational. Far too much was the inefficient sharing of information better shared in other formats.
At one time I studied a discipline and should have had a teacher but couldn't find one. I had books and good manuals. I'd read the stuff, go practice, read the stuff, go practice, etc. It was very challenging to make any sense of what I should do, but I'd figure it out after a while. When I finally found a teacher I was begun in my formal training at the advanced intermediate level, but I wouldn't have ever gotten to the advanced level and beyond without a hands on live teacher to correct and guide and mentor me.
The barbering textbooks I own and/or have looked at aren't bad at information sharing. Of course, barbering is a trade so the information shared in the textbooks is trade school level stuff. Not knocking trade school information. I believe a lot of what is called basic science in graduate and professional schools would be better were it more like trade school level stuff and less like professors showing off; I'd prefer it to be more basic with supplementation by advanced reading rather than endlessly too deep coupled with information overload. If you've been there you may know what I mean.
It's a criticism I have of most all schooling past about 8th grade. It's just worse the higher you go.
Another case in point: Instead of three years of high school Spanish and four quarters of college Spanish wouldn't it have been more cost effective and efficient and educational to send me to Spain for a one summer total immersion. I can't even order a burrito or find out where the bathroom is.
The barbering textbooks just don't have much to say about honing or stones. Not that what they say isn't okay, but it's very very limited. I wouldn't expect them to say anything about shaving yourself as barbers shave customers which is considerably different. Nor do they talk about how to cut your own hair.
I won't buy any more barbering textbooks that's for sure. I shouldn't have bought the last one. Nobody's fault but mine.
All that said, way back when cars and trucks were built so an owner could work on them I had an amazingly helpful manual. I used it to repair my old truck. Many of my friends used it too; we wore it out and got it greasy that's for sure. All of us also had access to a mutual friend who was actually a skilled mechanic willing to answer questions but he was so busy it was hard to get a question in and his answers assumed an understanding we often didn't have. The manual was an amazing resource but great manuals like that one are rare.
None of this is really much of a problem for most of us. There are well explained and broken down honing methods (The Method & some of the published coticule stuff come to mind) but we, as hobbyists, are interested in more than simply finding a simple and easy way to sharpen razors. Plus, we might be seeking a much higher level of perfection than a barber would find necessary.
Just to be clear about it, the best shaves of my life were delivered by skilled and experienced professional barbers. The really good ones are vastly better at shaving me than I am. I seek that level of shave at home every day.
Happy shaves to everyone,
Jim
