Ok I’m in, but need some help

[Darth Scandalous]

Where are you located?

 

[Alex Jr]

I’m in Brazil.

 

[GNR]

When I get home tonight I’ll send you a pm. I have a couple of Vintage razors that have nice edges on them. I can get those in the mail so that you have razors that will shave while you figure out the Gold Dollar.

I’m pretty new to straight razors, so please understand that I’m just trying to offer some help as someone who recently went through the same challenges and doubts. And I had plenty of both.

Your Gold Dollar is no longer shave ready. You can hone it yourself, there’s no better time than the present to learn.

I don’t think your 5k is going to work for settling the bevel. Setting the bevel is the foundation and in the beginning it’s all trial and error but, you can do it.
I think you need something in the 800-1.5k range.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to like Straight Razors so I went for well known and inexpensive hones to start. You can get a King 1K pretty cheap and it might not be the fastest but it’ll work. At this stage, “not the fastest” is good. It allows us to make easily correctable mistakes.

What kind of strop are you using post shave? I found it easier to learn on a paddle strop because then I could only focus on the razor. After I felt confident I moved to hanging strops. I think I have a paddle left that I can include. I’ll have to look.

So when you have a shave ready straight in your hand and you go for your first pass…STOP!

Take a deep breath and then make your angle shallower and your pressure lighter. I know it sounds counterintuitive but, it will shave closer. Lighter pressure means at the blade edge to the skin. I know my first few strokes were tentative. Shallower angle and you’ll be fine.

In the beginning expect sub par shaves, some nicks, and some irritation…that’s all normal. You may want to knock down a WTG pass with your usual razor first, then do WTG with your straight.

Sorry that the first shave didn’t shave. Don’t get discouraged. My first Straight Razor shave was May 2nd and I haven’t touched another razor type since. It’s doable and more importantly fun. And the best description in the very beginning was; “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”!

 

[alex1921]

At this point with where the market is, having tried different razors from different vendors.
Best option would be one of those Riga razors. They come shave ready, geometry is perfect and price is hard to beat.
Use the GD to play, I doubt it's worth the money to ship to the US and back plus paying for honing.

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

“5k+10k and pasted strop would be enough? Sorry for the ignorance.”

So, it depends on your razor honing experience. The good news is the spine wear and bevels appear fairly even, which means you lucked out and got a GD that was decently ground and not warped.

If shipping is pricy, you have nothing to loose by learning to hone it your self, you will eventually need to learn.

But Gold Dollars have issues and reshaping the heel moving the heel corner away from the stabilizer will keep you off the tang and the razor flat on the stone.

I would reset the bevel with a 1k, but if you do not have one, a 5K will do it as the bevels are already reasonably flat.

Which 5 and 10K do you have. A 10k Shehiro is a nice shaving edge.

What are you stropping on? You are either way too aggressive or the strop has issues.

 

[Alex Jr]

When I get home tonight I’ll send you a pm. I have a couple of Vintage razors that have nice edges on them. I can get those in the mail so that you have razors that will shave while you figure out the Gold Dollar.

I’m pretty new to straight razors, so please understand that I’m just trying to offer some help as someone who recently went through the same challenges and doubts. And I had plenty of both.

Your Gold Dollar is no longer shave ready. You can hone it yourself, there’s no better time than the present to learn.

I don’t think your 5k is going to work for settling the bevel. Setting the bevel is the foundation and in the beginning it’s all trial and error but, you can do it.
I think you need something in the 800-1.5k range.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to like Straight Razors so I went for well known and inexpensive hones to start. You can get a King 1K pretty cheap and it might not be the fastest but it’ll work. At this stage, “not the fastest” is good. It allows us to make easily correctable mistakes.

What kind of strop are you using post shave? I found it easier to learn on a paddle strop because then I could only focus on the razor. After I felt confident I moved to hanging strops. I think I have a paddle left that I can include. I’ll have to look.

So when you have a shave ready straight in your hand and you go for your first pass…STOP!

Take a deep breath and then make your angle shallower and your pressure lighter. I know it sounds counterintuitive but, it will shave closer. Lighter pressure means at the blade edge to the skin. I know my first few strokes were tentative. Shallower angle and you’ll be fine.

In the beginning expect sub par shaves, some nicks, and some irritation…that’s all normal. You may want to knock down a WTG pass with your usual razor first, then do WTG with your straight.

Sorry that the first shave didn’t shave. Don’t get discouraged. My first Straight Razor shave was May 2nd and I haven’t touched another razor type since. It’s doable and more importantly fun. And the best description in the very beginning was; “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”!

Thank you so much for the offer and the words @GNR, that’s so kind.

Believe or not, despite the shaving “without” actually shaving, I loved the experience and didn’t find to be an impossible task, it felt quite natural. I don’t know if my shavette times helped or not.

This is the paddle strop I’m using. Pretty cheap and I don’t know if it’s good or not. It’s very hard to purchase straight razor material over here, a lost art for sure.

Front and back.

Thank you once again.

 

[Alex Jr]

At this point with where the market is, having tried different razors from different vendors.
Best option would be one of those Riga razors. They come shave ready, geometry is perfect and price is hard to beat.
Use the GD to play, I doubt it's worth the money to ship to the US and back plus paying for honing.

I’ll definitely look into that, thank you!

“5k+10k and pasted strop would be enough? Sorry for the ignorance.”

So, it depends on your razor honing experience. The good news is the spine wear and bevels appear fairly even, which means you lucked out and got a GD that was decently ground and not warped.

If shipping is pricy, you have nothing to loose by learning to hone it your self, you will eventually need to learn.

But Gold Dollars have issues and reshaping the heel moving the heel corner away from the stabilizer will keep you off the tang and the razor flat on the stone.

I would reset the bevel with a 1k, but if you do not have one, a 5K will do it as the bevels are already reasonably flat.

Which 5 and 10K do you have. A 10k Shehiro is a nice shaving edge.

What are you stropping on? You are either way too aggressive or the strop has issues.

I just did a wobble test and the thing failed. There’s a slight wobble when I checked for it. I watched the drmatt video on it.

Man just thinking about bevel setting and all feels like a nightmare. I know it’s not impossible but from a beginners point of view it’s so overwhelming.

Sometimes I feel like throwing the towel but I won’t, it’s just a setback.

Again, it’s so difficult to access quality material over here, either stones, strops etc… it really feels like a challenge.

I don’t have any stones yet, the one I asked about is this “corundum” Chinese one below. I don’t even know what that means.

Naniwa, shapton or Norton I’d have to source from my parents in Italy.

 

[Loner16]

At this point with where the market is, having tried different razors from different vendors.
Best option would be one of those Riga razors. They come shave ready, geometry is perfect and price is hard to beat.
Use the GD to play, I doubt it's worth the money to ship to the US and back plus paying for honing.

I'll make no recommendations, who am I to critique? But I can certainly vouch for the Riga being a top quality razor for any price range!

 

[gpjoe]

Then your SR is not sharp enough.

Now, in fairness, there are different levels of sharpness. Some like it sharper, others less. Perhaps the person which honed your razors didn't aim for a high level of sharpness.

While these are fair points, my point was more about an inexperienced user being handicapped by that lack of experience. What is shave ready to someone who has never experienced a true shave-ready razor? Is my difficulty my fault, or the razor?

This thread is a perfect example of the difficulties a new shaver will experience. The OP was given a "shave-ready" razor and it didn't shave. Why?...razor?...technique?...did I damage the razor?...who knows? Especially with no reference.

With a DE or barber razor, the fix is simple: if the razor don't shave, replace the blade. Still don't shave? Work on your technique.

Personally, I have never worked as hard to remove facial hair with any other method than I have with a straight razor, and I've gotten razors from three different sources. The best edge I've shaved with is a vintage razor purchased from Griffith, and while it is my best it still doesn't compare to my Feather DX. My next hope (number four) will be a razor that I am sending to Doc for an edge. If that one don't work I will know for certain that the problem is me.

Anyway, I can't help the OP other than to sympathize with his plight, so I will wish him the best and stop junking up his thread.

 

[JPO]

On part of the blade you might have folded over a weak edge while stropping. The other part is probably underhoned, ie. The bevel is not set properly. You also have alot of deep chips in the edge.
Some of these blades also have bad steel at the edge. You might need to take off a bit of steel to get to better steel.
I would reach out to someone and get a good vintage blade honed by someone with experience.

 

[Alex Jr]

I'll make no recommendations, who am I to critique? But I can certainly vouch for the Riga being a top quality razor for any price range!

Thank you! I forgot to ask, do you know where I can get those from? eBay? Manufacturer’s website?

While these are fair points, my point was more about an inexperienced user being handicapped by that lack of experience. What is shave ready to someone who has never experienced a true shave-ready razor? Is my difficulty my fault, or the razor?

This thread is a perfect example of the difficulties a new shaver will experience. The OP was given a "shave-ready" razor and it didn't shave. Why?...razor?...technique?...did I damage the razor?...who knows? Especially with no reference.

With a DE or barber razor, the fix is simple: if the razor don't shave, replace the blade. Still don't shave? Work on your technique.

Personally, I have never worked as hard to remove facial hair with any other method than I have with a straight razor, and I've gotten razors from three different sources. The best edge I've shaved with is a vintage razor purchased from Griffith, and while it is my best it still doesn't compare to my Feather DX. My next hope (number four) will be a razor that I am sending to Doc for an edge. If that one don't work I will know for certain that the problem is me.

Anyway, I can't help the OP other than to sympathize with his plight, so I will wish him the best and stop junking up his thread.

You’re not junking anything up!

The struggle is real. I’ve been researching straight razor shaving for a while. At the beginning I thought this is not for me, so much variables involved and everything looked so complicated.

As time went by things became a little more clear on stones and gear but even so, still difficult because there’s almost zero straight razor stuff here.

I pulled the trigger when I came to a point of thinking ok, I’ll get a razor professionally honed, a strop, a green paste and with that I can play until I see if I like it or not.

If that would be the case, based on videos and threads here, a 4K/8k and/or a single 12k and that would be it to maintain it.

It’s not so complicated after all is it? But things did not go as expected as noted above.

I thought the shaving would be the hardest part. It wasn’t.

I maneged to shave with a dull razor without a nick, cuts and despite the leftover stubble some strokes were smooth and easy like It wasn’t my first time.

It’s not over… it’s personal now!

 

[Loner16]

Thank you! I forgot to ask, do you know where I can get those from? eBay? Manufacturer’s website?



You’re not junking anything up!

The struggle is real. I’ve been researching straight razor shaving for a while. At the beginning I thought this is not for me, so much variables involved and everything looked so complicated.

As time went by things became a little more clear on stones and gear but even so, still difficult because there’s almost zero straight razor stuff here.

I pulled the trigger when I came to a point of thinking ok, I’ll get a razor professionally honed, a strop, a green paste and with that I can play until I see if I like it or not.

If that would be the case, based on videos and threads here, a 4K/8k and/or a single 12k and that would be it to maintain it.

It’s not so complicated after all is it? But things did not go as expected as noted above.

I thought the shaving would be the hardest part. It wasn’t.

I maneged to shave with a dull razor without a nick, cuts and despite the leftover stubble some strokes were smooth and easy like It wasn’t my first time.

It’s not over… it’s personal now!

Security Measure

www.ebay.com

You have to keep an eye on his store. He often has razors that are far less pricey..

 

[JPO]

I really wish people would stop recommending these razors to beginners without a disclaimer.

Starting straight razor shaving does have a learning curve, but throwing a joker in the mix does not help.
It can be quite simple if you have a razor with good geometry and good steel.
This is an entry level razor with good steel and it comes shave ready. The one I got was close to perfect.

Gustave Lalune 6/8 straight razor "English Archer" Blackwood

Gustave Lalune straight razor 6/8: *high carbonsteel 100c6 forged in Thiers *fully hollow ground *plastic scales *satin polished *carton box SHAVE READY

rasoir-sabre.com

 

[Alex Jr]

Some of these blades also have bad steel at the edge. You might need to take off a bit of steel to get to better steel.

That was one of the first things the honer said as a possibility when I messaged him.

But you’re right, it’s not the ideal razor. He said the same. Maybe, just maybe, the 208 model.

 

[JPO]

That was one of the first things the honer said as a possibility when I messaged him.

But you’re right, it’s not the ideal razor. He said the same. Maybe, just maybe, the 208 model.

You can learn allot from a blade like this, but it is also nice to have a razor that shaves as you develop your shaving skills. Doing both at the same time can be a bit frustrating.

 

[Rick1500]

Andrej's ebay name is rigarazor21. He's in Lativa, I see he still has two on ebay, the prices are higher than the one I am waiting on to arrive, they have nicer scales.
He's a great guy, and very helpful.
Here's the one I just bought, shipping/taxes total $221

 

[Loner16]

I really wish people would stop recommending these razors to beginners without a disclaimer.

Starting straight razor shaving does have a learning curve, but throwing a joker in the mix does not help.
It can be quite simple if you have a razor with good geometry and good steel.
This is an entry level razor with good steel and it comes shave ready. The one I got was close to perfect.

Gustave Lalune 6/8 straight razor "English Archer" Blackwood

Gustave Lalune straight razor 6/8: *high carbonsteel 100c6 forged in Thiers *fully hollow ground *plastic scales *satin polished *carton box SHAVE READY

rasoir-sabre.com

I have also questioned the wisdom of a new gent starting with an extremely low quality razor shaped implement, but I generally keep my mouth shut and let each person make his own decision. I've never owned a Gold Dollar, and I'm sure never will. That doesn't say they cannot be made to shave.. I know that some can, and I know experienced guys that have done it as a challenge, but why should a new guy, already in the deep end of the pool, also have to fight the razor? Particularly when there are many quality razors, some of which may not look like much, which will not hampef a new gent's skills.

But, this is just my opinion.. as always.

 

[gpjoe]

...You’re not junking anything up!

The struggle is real. I’ve been researching straight razor shaving for a while. At the beginning I thought this is not for me, so much variables involved and everything looked so complicated.

As time went by things became a little more clear on stones and gear but even so, still difficult because there’s almost zero straight razor stuff here.

I pulled the trigger when I came to a point of thinking ok, I’ll get a razor professionally honed, a strop, a green paste and with that I can play until I see if I like it or not.

If that would be the case, based on videos and threads here, a 4K/8k and/or a single 12k and that would be it to maintain it.

It’s not so complicated after all is it? But things did not go as expected as noted above.

I thought the shaving would be the hardest part. It wasn’t.

I maneged to shave with a dull razor without a nick, cuts and despite the leftover stubble some strokes were smooth and easy like It wasn’t my first time.

It’s not over… it’s personal now!

Restraint is not a strong point of mine.

Since jumping on the SR bandwagon, I've acquired six vintage razors, four of which were portrayed as shave-ready (and three were, as far as i can tell).

Well, gotta maintain em, right?

I picked up two assortments of film, glass plates, a 1k Shapton, a 4k/8k Norton, a flattening stone, a finishing stone, and a Heirloom Vanilla strop (which, yes, I've managed to slice ).

So, all-in at about 600 bucks give-or-take a Benjamin.

I tried shaving with an edge that I put on a razor and it was just OK, even though it removed random arm hairs without touching the skin. After the second pass I finished with a pre-war Tech.

Anyway, I'm in too deep to throw in the towel, and understand your determination.

 

[rbscebu]

@Alex Jr, I am sorry to hear of your SR plight.

My understanding is that;

• this was your first SR shave,
• you shaved with your SR directly as-recieved from the honer, no stropping etc.,
• you have (limited) experience shaving with a replaceable blade SR so should understand about shaving pressure, shave angle and skin stretching,
• you have tried testing the blade's edge and found that it would not cut hair in any way,
• you live in Brazil where you have to deal with corruption and inefficiency in your customs/postal services, and
• after your first shave you stropped the SR and it still would not cut hair in any way.

Now my observations:

• The GD66 SR you have appears to be one of their "modern" grinds meaning that it doesn't exhibit any major heel problems that require correction.
• the razor's bevel shown in the photos appears to be in poor condition with striations going all the way to the edge or very near.
• The bevel appears to be of a compound form (double bevel) indicating that a taped spine may have been used in the final stages of honing.
• The blade's edge appears to be rather "chippy".

If reasonably possible, you should send the SR back to the honer. He may have had an off day. What he sent to you does not look good and obviously does not cut hair. The edge should at least shave arm hair, even a pocket knife edge can do that.

Failing the return of the SR to the honer, you have but two options; re-hone the SR yourself or get another SR that is properly and truly shave-ready. Honing yourself is not impossible. You will at the least need some acrylic plate and lapping films. Both can be purchased on AliExpress.

Having a slight warp in a SR is not unusual and can be handled well by an experienced honer or the inexperienced if the honing medium is held in-hand.

I feel partly responsible for you SR shaving dilemma, having been instrumental in helping introduce you to this insidious addiction. PM if you wish to discuss anything in detail.

 

[rbscebu]

....

Anyway, I'm in too deep to throw in the towel, and understand your determination.

And yet another addicted fool .