First Straight Razor shave (and shave readiness questions...)

First straight razor shave directly after DE...


ROUGH. Really rough... Everyone at work could tell what I did that morning! I had some cuts, and definitely a few gouges.

I'm honestly not sure how it's supposed to go. It's an old razor, I got it as a gift from my Mom & Dad (who didn't really use it.) A J.A. Henckels Twinworks (of some, unidentified type) with a round edge. a small amount of rust on the tang/shank area, right over the pin.

The shave seems very rough as the blade scrapes across my face pretty loudly. I can't tell if it's too sharp, or not sharp enough. How can I be sure it's shave ready?

The only way to know is by shaving with it, or by having it honed by a reputable person. A hollowground razor sounds a bit like buttering toast....
Do you have a strop btw?

Sounds like it needs to be honed indeed.
A first straight shave can be pretty rough even with a freshly honed edge though, technique means a lot.
Henckels are great razors, so find someone good to hone it.

hey, thanks for the info guys! Very appreciated.

I'm pretty sure it needs to be honed... I'm gonna try to find a barber to take it to, as the cutler i took it to (who sold shaving stuff...) didn't seem to know much about sharpening (apparently.) The guy also sold me an arkansas translucent stone to hone it with.... which doesn't seem to do the trick.

I do have a strop, with a canvas side and a leather side. it's actually rather nice.... maybe I just have bad stropping technique.

I would advise against giving it to a barber to hone and stay away from cutlery sharpening services. A straight is much different to sharpen than a kitchen knife and I'd be afraid they'd ruin it if they try. Barbers - nowadays many barbers can only use disposable blade razors due to health codes. And you won't know how good they are. I suggest getting someone here to hone it for you. Not sure the best way as I hone my own (with probably mixed results). There may be a list or you can post a message in the "want to buy" forum. There are quite a few great homers here that would give you a good deal and good honing.

Brent,

While you're probably right, I only have a limited amount of time... I am, however, trying to find someone who uses a traditional straight razor, as they do exist out here ( I'VE SEEN IT!)

But yes, I really only have a few days before I leave the country, so taking that much time is hardly an option.