Straight Razor Honing - How Often

[TedGamble]

Let's assume that we have a razor that was properly prepared by a honemaster, and that we strop it before each shave.

Let's also assume that we have a Yellow Coticule hone for touch-ups.

How long (how many shaves) should we typically get before we have to touch-up the razor on the Coticule ?

 

[JPM]

You might want to post this one in the Straight Razor or Honing forum. I'm a bit new to straights, but I recall a post where this question was asked and I think the consensus was somewhere around 20-25 shaves.

 

[richmondesi]

It needs to be honed as often as it needs to be honed

I hope that doesn't come across as sarcastic because it's not meant to be by any stretch. When you first start out with straights and don't know how to properly strop, shave, handle your razor; you could very possibly need to have it honed within a week or so. As your skills develop, you will not have to hone nearly as often. Some gentlemen can maintain a razor for a VERY long time with strops alone (some use paste and some use newspaper as an adjunct too that extend the life of the edge).

 

[kwigibocity]

I'd categorically state this varies far too much from the steel and your beard to get any meaningful data.

You could get 2 or 3 months without fanfare. On the other hand, a good friend of mine says after 6 or 7 shaves with a freshly-honed blade he feels some tugging, and keeps a small random-shaped coticule near the shave den just for any light refresher courses via a few swipes.

At least if you've some safety razor experience and are starting with a properly-honed blade there's a decent chance you'll know something's not as it was before.

 

[holiday]

Ive been going straight for about 7 months and only given my straight a light honing 3 times with a Naniwa 12k, also used a Cerax 1k/6k one of those times. I have pretty much used the same razor constantly. A touch up seems to be a pretty quick and straight forward process.

 

[TedGamble]

Thanks for the replies. I've been DE shaving since I was a kid (I'm 53 now). I'm also very proficient at sharpening knives, so I'm pretty sure that the stroke and feel will come very quickly. I'm just trying to decide on how long to hold off on purchasing a finishing stone. Looks like it needs to be sooner than later.

 

[ouch]

I hone three times per shave.

 

[holiday]

I hone three times per shave.

Wow, is you beard made of iron?

 

[Ru4scuba?]

Ok...as a guy just getting into str8s this post freaks me out! I just have a shave ready str8 and strop coming...am I going to have to hone it in a week????

I was hoping to just muscle through some bad shaves and stropping exercises for awhile...figuring I had a month or two before a hone job was required at least!

 

[richmondesi]

Ok...as a guy just getting into str8s this post freaks me out! I just have a shave ready str8 and strop coming...am I going to have to hone it in a week????

I was hoping to just muscle through some bad shaves and stropping exercises for awhile...figuring I had a month or two before a hone job was required at least!

not necessarily, but you could... Luckily, you have friends in low places to help you out

 

[Ru4scuba?]

Well...I may end up taking you up on that offer bro! And now it looks like I'm shopping around for at least another shave ready str8 for when that first one goes teets up!

 

[sproosemoose]

What about this question: how do I tell when my razor needs honing?

 

[Will P.C.]

I have been using only straights for a few months now.

I bought about 5 shave ready razors now and have been starting to try out different touch up methods. Barber hone, diamond srpay, Crox, newpaper.

I really feel like once you are committed to using straights and have been at it for some time you need to learn how to maintain your own razors.

Also just cause it says shave ready in the classifieds or someone says they can shave with it doesn't mean its shave ready. My first few razors were bought from guys claiming the razor to be shave ready, but it really wasn't. I was trying to save money but ended up having to spend 20 extra dollars to get it really honed right. If you do a small bit of researching and PM some guys they can tell you who to buy from and who will do you right.

Stropping takes quite some time to learn how to do effectively. IMO it is the most important aspect of SR shaving. However, the only way to learn is to do it and watch videos. You will probably mess a razor or 2 up in the beginning but most people have.

 

[mparker762]

What about this question: how do I tell when my razor needs honing?

The same way you know when your DE blade needs changing...

 

[Chimensch]

IMO, the minimum required purchase for a new straight shaver should be a razor, strop and barbers hone or similar. Leaving a new shaver with no way to sharpen the edge himself is a big mistake. If I were selling starter kits, I would buy a Norton 4K/8K stone and cut it into four 4" x 1½" pieces so I could include one as a sort of emergency repair kit.

The people selling starter razors (and those giving advice to new users) are motivated by a commendable desire to save them money but it's wrong. There are too many variables and too many things that can happen to a razor to leave a new user without a way to sharpen his blade.

You don't need the world's sharpest smoothest edge to learn to shave with a straight. The edge off of a barbers hone or Norton 8K is good enough. In fact, it's probably better to learn on that type of an edge.

 

[Ru4scuba?]

Ok....but what about the advice to not try and learn everything str8 at once? If you have to go out and buy (for the new str8 and wetshaver):

Blade
Strop
Hone
Brush
Cream/Soap
Aftershave

Forget it...most folks will be deterred by the steep learning cost I would think!

 

[richmondesi]

Ok....but what about the advice to not try and learn everything str8 at once? If you have to go out and buy (for the new str8 and wetshaver):

Blade
Strop
Hone
Brush
Cream/Soap
Aftershave

Forget it...most folks will be deterred by the steep learning cost I would think!

Not only that, but the idea of learning to properly use a hone to maintain his razor is intimidating to a lot of people for exactly the reason that Glen stated in another thread, "Pops isn't standing over your shoulder" the way guys used to learn. It takes really wanting to learn to hone to figure it out on your own. Faced with the insistence that they learn this from the outset, I'm guessing fewer gents would enter this side of things. However, over time (after gaining the stropping and shaving skills), I agree with Chimensch that a man should be able to keep his razor sharp (not necessarily do restorative honing, though).

 

[jendeindustries]

I just skip the shave, and Hone the razor again and again and again!

IMO, Don't be put off by the fear of needing to maintain or hone - you don't have these same fears with cartridge razors. Use it until you think you need to do something, like hone. As you get better, you do become more picky about the overall condition and the resulting shave, though, so you might get less, even though the blade may have "more" in it.....

 

[kwigibocity]

I don't know why so many expound the notion that honing's not for beginners, but to me even well before becoming a vendor I felt this idea was likely the best restriction on the growth of the pursuit.

Learning the hone is no harder than learning the straight shave. They both take significant practice, but if you can learn to shave with the straight than you'll surely be able to learn the hone, too. It is incredibly rare for someone to learn the straight and ultimately prefer anything else, so I see the hone (and especially a decent, cheap barber's hone) as a sound investment.

Back upon my first attempt to hone, with an ebay razor, I went from rough to an acceptable (if not great) shave with just a DMT D8EF, D8EE, and strop.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Touch up honing a perfect razor isn't hard.
Touch up honing a reasonable smile or warp takes a little practice, but it can be picked up rather quickly.
Honing a perfect razor from start to finish isn't all that hard either.

Skill comes in when you're honing a razor that isn't perfect. Nothing like honing a razor until it's shave ready only to discover the last few mm towards the toe (or heel, or both) can't even cut hair because you were rushing and didn't notice that the smile, though not enough to keep them off the stones, was causing them to receive a lot less pressure than the rest of the blade. A skill I've been working on lately is honing just toes and then averaging them back into the edge once they're sharp without taking the entire razor back to 1200grit.

You can restrict what you work with in razor honing to make it a fairly simple process, but there's a lot of underlying complexity if you really want to get your hands dirty. (Literally. I've had black-covered hands when I've finished removing some bigger chips.)

It is incredibly rare for someone to learn the straight and ultimately prefer anything else, so I see the hone (and especially a decent, cheap barber's hone) as a sound investment.

I agree. When I'm too rushed for a shave, I consider a DE, then ultimately decide I'll just skip it altogether so I have more to shave when I get home.