When I'm shaving.....

[BakerAndBadger]

.....do I rinse my straight or should I wipe it on something (soft, not the side of the sink).
When I've been shaved in barbers in Belgium and Tunisia they wiped, one on a rubber bowl and the other on a piece of magazine!! But they were using shavettes so what to do with a straight?
I guess I shouldn't rinse - hands will slip and blade will rust easier if left damp, but I'm still in the theory stage so no practice!

Cheers,

Paul

[mdunn]

I drape the cloth I use on my face over the tap, then wipe my blade on it as I go

[BakerAndBadger]

I drape the cloth I use on my face over the tap, then wipe my blade on it as I go

Do you do your own laundry then? I don't think that SWMBO would appreciate that too much. How about toilet paper?

[mdunn]

It rinses in the sink...?

[hig789]

Yeah if you aren't going to do laundry I would rinse the towel off when you get done. It seems to become very light when dry and hair and dry shaving cream fly every where. I would wipe it till you get used to shaving so you don't hit it on the tap.

[TnutsShave]

I use a big damp sponge sitting on the edge of the sink.

[Doc226]

I rinse edge down, toe down on the faucet. Go slow and be wary, I have yet to ding any razor-knocks on wood twice.

[inspiringK]

I rinse edge down, toe down on the faucet. Go slow and be wary, I have yet to ding any razor-knocks on wood twice.

I do this too.

So the idea with wiping rather than rinsing is to avoid the chance of dinging the razor? Or, is it to save water? Just trying to figure it out. I can see a barber wiping rather than rinsing since there is no sink near by, but I just assumed rinsing is the preferred option.

[Mike'sWorld]

I rinse edge down, toe down on the faucet. Go slow and be wary, I have yet to ding any razor-knocks on wood twice.

Me also. Just be careful and use minimal water pressure so no water gets into the pivot area. There is less handling of the blade this way versus wiping.

[Raithskar]

I mostly rinse under Tap, but I also wipe to check removal, especially with a fresh hone. I wipe the blade on the heel of my Hand then rinse it off.

Fortunatly I have yet to ding the faucet or basin. He is hoping I don't.

[johnmrson]

Wipe it. I use a bath sponge on the side of the sink. I usually have to buy a new one every 6-8 weeks which costs me the princely sum of $2 each.

[Red-Leg]

I have just started using a straight this week and I have been pinching the blade between thumb and forefinger and wipe it off moving from spine to edge. I have a very small bathroom with a pedestal sink so my counter space is severely limited. I may be able to find room for a small sponge, but for now, my fingers are doing the trick.

[TnutsShave]

I have just started using a straight this week and I have been pinching the blade between thumb and forefinger and wipe it off moving from spine to edge. I have a very small bathroom with a pedestal sink so my counter space is severely limited. I may be able to find room for a small sponge, but for now, my fingers are doing the trick.

You sir, are a brave man...It wouldn't take much to turn that into stitches. YOWZERS.

[turtle]

Wipe it. I use a bath sponge on the side of the sink. I usually have to buy a new one every 6-8 weeks which costs me the princely sum of $2 each.

+1

I place a large sponge in the sink and wipe on the edge of that.

Works great. If I get too much lather on the sponge when I am shaving I just turn the faucet on and it is rinsed off

Keeps the blade and my hands relatively dry and I am not waving the blade around under running water.

[dpmtherrien]

I rinse under the tap. Never any problems with doing this. I use the Feather or Kai straights, which are stainless, along with the blades.

[Skyrider55]

I use to rinse then I tried using a sponge. For some reason it would get little nicks, never seemed to dry out tended to get a little funky. You have to replace it. Seemed a little too much extra attention for me. Went back to rinsing and now I wipe on a dry face cloth at the edge of the sink. I have a pile of inexpensive ones just for this purpose. It seems to fit the bill. I rinse it when I'm done. Hang it to dry, use it a couple times,toss in the laundry, get a fresh one. Works well for me. Like turtle noted it keeps your hands drier, the blades not so slippery and not as much chance to ding on the faucet. I never did ding my edge on the faucet but dinged the spine a few times. (I got lucky)

[Mike'sWorld]

I have just started using a straight this week and I have been pinching the blade between thumb and forefinger and wipe it off moving from spine to edge. I have a very small bathroom with a pedestal sink so my counter space is severely limited. I may be able to find room for a small sponge, but for now, my fingers are doing the trick.

I'm sure it's safe when you do it, but this just makes me cringe reading it.

[fccexpert]

I rinse under running water, but do what ever works for you.

[Alum of Potash]

I wipe on a white barber's towel on the counter (three layers of fabric), using a light stropping motion, then rinse between passes. Wiping on a white towel also gives me an indication of how much stubble I've removed. After shaving, I rinse my barber's towels (I use two, one for wiping and the other for my face, hands, and pulling) in cold water, ring them out, and hang them up to dry. When enough residual soap or beard stubble has built up on the cloths, I hand-wash them with a mild fabric soap.

[Legion]

I'm a rinser.