Want to get my first straight razor, what good advise can you give

[Jason smooth]

So you use the strap every day; how often do you actually sharpen the blade?. I assume this is done in a stone with some liquid on the stone?

 

[Cambouis]

So you use the strap every day; how often do you actually sharpen the blade?. I assume this is done in a stone with some liquid on the stone?

The strop is used before and after shaving - afterwards is important as it should remove moisture that could cause local corrosion and of course it cleans the edge. I in fact have a fast-growing and tough beard; I strop between passes - I always do three passes to get a proper shave though two is enough with most of my razors to get a presentable result.

As for sharpening, so much depends on the individual blade - i.e. the steel and heat treatment used in its manufacture and also on the individual's beard and technique. Bad technique can quickly damage an edge. Normally one can feel the blade starting to "pull" rather than cut. this is the signal usually initially for a "refresh" this can be done with chromium oxide paste on a balsa wood strop followed by stropping on canvas and leather. Eventually the razor must be honed properly. This requires a set of stones or abrasive films. I suggest you visit the honing section.

There are many more here far more knowledgable than I, the above words are merely a summary of what I have picked up so far!

Best of luck.

C.

 

[dmatcuk]

Based on videos I have seen, to sharpened the blade you should have a smooth action going back and forth on the strap for 50 times and not press too hard. Is there something with the technique I am missing? Is it that hard to sharpened the blade correctly?

I believe you are talking about stropping on the leather strop. There is a difference between stropping and honing. Stropping should be done regularly to maintain the edge on the blade. You could go round and round about when, why, how much, etc. The best thing to do is find what works best for you. I do 80 - 100 laps (stroke up and down the leather) each morning before shaving. On the strop you do your laps, or strokes, with the spine leading. Minimal pressure and keeping the leather tight. The spine should be resting on the leather while you do this.

When your edges starts to get dull you can try pasted strops or balsa strops that other people mention. You will notice your blade is starting to tug hairs, or you are not getting as close of a shave. These strops are used the same as your leather strop. Spine leading laps. You may not need as many as on your leather. You can use pastes or powders for these. If your blade is not too dull, they will get you back to shaving relatively easily.

At the point when pasted/balsa strops will no longer bring the edge back you need to have your blade honed. For this you can use lapping films (cheapest option) or a variety of stones (these can get expensive). You can also send the razor out to be honed by someone else. Just make sure that they know what they are doing. Razors are much different than knives. Your best bet is one of the many people here or possibly where you by the razor from. When honing, your laps will typically be with the edge leading. There is some technique to getting it just right without damaging the razor. You may be able to just do a touch up honing with one or two stones. If the bevel needs to be reset, then that can be much more difficult. From what I have read, synthetic stones are easier to learn than naturals.

If you are interested on honing your own razors I suggest checking out the hones/honing threads. There is lots of great information there. If you decided to try honing, you may want to find a cheap razor to start with. That way you don't ruin your nice razors while you practice.

 

[Rellik137]

I would vote for a Whipped Dog setup, but there are a lot of other options. There are shave ready Gold Dollars out there, for around $20, sometimes. There are cheap shave ready blades for sale on BST once in a while. There are a couple of ebay vendors who can be trusted... see if the vendor has a store with a bunch of razors, and a good feedback rating, and ask on this board if he is known. If you want to splurge on a new, good quality razor, I suggest a shave ready Dovo Bismarck, probably the most ergonomically designed razor in production today. Jarrod at TheSuperiorShave.com sometimes has them.

It is a good idea to start out with two razors. You shave with one until it is dull, then send it out for honing and you still have the other for shaving. Or try your hand at honing, which will likely have your dull razor out of action for a few days as you learn to put a proper shaving edge on it. Either way, the backup is a good idea. If you get one new one, get another, backup razor, from Larry.

You could try your hand at straight shaving this very night, if there is a Sally's Beauty Supply near you. Get a shavette. That is a razor that is sorta shaped like a straight razor, but instead of a permanent blade that you use for 200 years, it has a blade holder that accepts a disposable blade. Get the type that uses half of a DE blade. Blades are waaaaaay cheaper. Sallys also sells Personna blue pack blades for a reasonable price. While you are there, get a big bottle of Clubman. Or a jug if they have it in gallons. Can't go wrong with the club. It is a bit different than using a proper straight, but if you can shave with minimal blood loss with a shavette, you can certainly shave with a straight without slicing your face to bits. Keep your skin stretched tight, pressure light on the face, and the shave angle dead low, where the spine of the blade holder is practically dragging on your face. So a shavette will get you in the game while you are waiting for your new straight to arrive. It could even serve as your backup razor, or travel razor, since no strop is needed and you can get blades at most drugstores. I have two of them, so when I snap a blade in half I have a place to put both halves. They are cheap as dirt. Magic Razor is the brand name on them.

Too bad you missed Doc47's passaround. I understand he is considering doing it again in the future, though. And there are frequent one-off PIFs on the board, so you could get lucky.

+1 for this imo is some solid advice its how i have started out and it has worked wonders for me

 

[Acmemfg]

True dat about the Dovo Bismarck pattern being one of the best ever. Only thing I dislike about that razor is the over-zealous bling treatment. Luckily I scored one of the very limited "Palisander" models a while back. Finest kind
View attachment 710469

The Boker Elite is another good choice in the same style blade. Here's one with custom Koa wood scales (courtesy Doc226)


Point here might be, buy a nicer razor and if you find yourself staying with the game, you have something you enjoy and are proud to own. Don't like it? Safe bet I could sell these in a heartbeat Doubtful I could do the same with an old, worn razor, no matter how it shaved. Really depends on your outlook; there is no right or wrong way to go about all this

 

[Slash McCoy]

Revisor has some Bismarck style blades as well.

I wanted one of those Palisanders but I just didn't have enough discretionary funds to make it practical. I already have an original Bismarck and two Dovo Bismarck's, anyway. I don't let the fluff and feathers worry me... It is still a shaving tool, and not jewelry, to me. I don't tape the spine to "protect" it. A little gold wash doesn't affect the shave. I used to dislike it but now I don't even notice it. I just love the way the razor fits my hand as I shave or hone.

 

[Jaidmaster]

I just ordered my first straight - a honed gold dollar from life2short1971.
I think it will be a good way to find out if it's for me.

 

[Slash McCoy]

I just ordered my first straight - a honed gold dollar from life2short1971.
I think it will be a good way to find out if it's for me.

He is known here. Your GD should be ready to shave with, and the price is nice.

 

[Acmemfg]

I just ordered my first straight - a honed gold dollar from life2short1971.
I think it will be a good way to find out if it's for me.

Good call......

 

[seattleshaver]

The most cost effective way is Larry at Whipped Dog (already mentioned I know). His razors will be vintage. The blade will be good and it will be honed correctly. It's best if you get two for the reasons mentioned.

You can also get a pasted strop (and a regular strop) from him as well as a cut down 12k finishing hone ($15). This is potentially all you will ever need to maintain those razors.

If you want fancier scales you can always buy some on Ebay and take the blade out of your Whipped Dog razors and put them in new scales.

You can buy nice 6/8 round tip vintage razors on Ebay all day long for $20. IMO there is no reason at all to pay $160 for a new razor. All a razor is is a blade and some scales (usually plastic). Wade&Butcher razors from 100 years ago are just as "quality" as anything you can buy today.

For $160 you could get 2 razors, 2 strops, 12k finisher and still have money to buy Ebay razors and a bevel setting hone.

 

[Steve56]

Good call......

+1

Cheers, Steve

 

[MntnMan62]

I just ordered my first straight - a honed gold dollar from life2short1971.
I think it will be a good way to find out if it's for me.

I did the exact same thing. I can't wait for it to arrive. I'll buy a Poor Man's Stop Kit from Whipped Dog and that should be enough for me to see if this straight razor hobby is for me as well. Good luck to you on your new journey. Keep us informed of your progress as I will do the same.

 

[Jason smooth]

One thing no one talked about much is shaving the left side of your face with your left hand. I think I will practice with a butter knife looking in the mirror and making sure the way I angle my hand in the mirror is the way I want to go before I get a straight razor.