Are you a honemeister? A casual honer? A honeapprentice? Interested in learning to hone? This is for you!
This is not your typical tough guy AA challenge. No Ultra Nightmare Mode, no tuggy blades, just 31 good shaves.
Straight razor maintenance is a very accessible and satisfying skill to learn, but it can feel daunting at the beginning. The goal is to create small welcoming AA community for those curious about getting into straight razor maintenance, perfecting their technique, or talking shop with fellow straight razor maintainers.
This challenge is about straight razor appreciation and lowering the entry hurdle to straight razor maintenance.
TL/DR:
- You start with a shave-ready straight razor of your choice
- you use it daily with the same soap and brush to keep the number of variables to a minimum
- If you’re new to honing, you read up on honing straight razors (I also recommend watching these videos by @gcgallant@sub.wetshaving.social), and ask questions about honing.
If you have experience in honing straight razors, you answer questions of the newbies. Feel free to share videos, meet for voice calls on discord or matrix. Get a conversation going. - On the weekend of August 17/18, we all refresh the edge on our straights, to experience, discuss, and share the effect of a refreshed edge.
- Profit!
What do I need?
A shave ready straight, a finishing stone, a strop, a brush, a soap, styrofoam packing peanuts.
If you need a finishing stone, Naniwa 10k or Naniwa 12k water stones are widely recognised a as good value. You can get one here for instance.
Can I combine $Honemeisterschaft with other challenges?
Mostly yes. $Honemeisterschaft is compatible with $FriodomRiders, $RawHoggin, and all the software challenges, but it is incompatible with the no-honing rule of $headless.
What if my edge is bad? Do I have to wait for the 17th?
No, this is about having a good experience with your favourite straight. If the shave-ready edge turned out to be less than, or you have a stropping mishap, or you have the world’s toughest beard and softest razor, whatever, refresh your edge, that’s what the hone is for.
It is recommended to start with a good edge and wait for the 17th, so as to make the effect of the refresh noticeable. If you keep refreshing your edge, the effect of maintenance is hidden.
How do I participate?
Include the character string “$Honemeisterschaft” in your SOTD posts. (Yes, that’s a Dollar sign $, not a hashtag #. If I never have to talk about hashtags in SOTD posts again, it’s still too soon 😅)
What do I get?
The honour of displaying the 🗡Honemeister🔨 flair.
I’m the only one who read this post as an “unhealthy invitation”? ✊️🗡
I’m not sure. Probably?
It’s getting downvotes and I can’t figure out why anyone would be sufficiently annoyed by a hobby group doing an innocuous hobby event to downvote.
What made you think it?
Well… reach serenity… and a razor… it feels a bit like a rebus 😅
Or maybe I’m juste seeing things and people react badly to the “austerity” term🤷♂️
Oh well… I can see that 😅
The concept of Austere August is a bit obscure, I guess
That sounds fun, but August is for me the worst month for this 🤷
How come? Lots of air travel?
It’s the only month of frequent travel (going to visit different branches of the family with young children and worried mothers). Bringing along an open knife and a honing stone is a no-go 😭
This is my solution to the problem. I found it for last year’s AA.
Maybe something like it can reassure all involved mothers?
The hone is a different story, of course, but you only need it on the 17th. (Or not at all, of you participate only in $FriodomRiders)
