Where are you located?
Thank you so much for the offer and the words @GNR, that’s so kind.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”!
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.
“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'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!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.
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.
Thank you! I forgot to ask, do you know where I can get those from? eBay? Manufacturer’s website?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!
You’re not junking anything up!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.
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!
That was one of the first things the honer said as a possibility when I messaged him.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.
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.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.
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.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 READYrasoir-sabre.com
...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!
And yet another addicted fool .....
Anyway, I'm in too deep to throw in the towel, and understand your determination.