Thread: noob straight razor user

OK I just got my first straight razor. It's by no means sharp enough to shave my face but my question is to get it sharp enough to shave with am I supposed to strop the crap out of it or use some sort of sharpening stone? I've looked at different sites they all say different things and aren't real clear but a buddy told me to come here and ask so here I am . Thank you in advance.

The best thing for you to do is send it to someone that KNOWS how to hone. Look in the classifieds here for some of the best. If you start out with a less than perfect edge you will be handicapping your learning curve.

Oh and a pic and story would help :<0)

Welcome to SRP !

Hey, welcome to the forums!
You'll find that vast amounts of information around this topic and others can be found with the search feature.
What kind of razor do you have and where did you get it from?
Was it listed as shave ready?
From the sounds of it it will need to be honed. Here is a link to the honing section of the forum if you're interested in learning more.

You'll want to have someone skilled and experienced hone it up for you, especially just starting out. There are a number of very skilled honers here on the forum. You can locate some honing services in the classifieds section under member services here.

its a "tomahawk" my mom got it for me as a birthday present because i wanted to try out a straight razor so it was probably out of a catalog she had and probably didnt cost more than 20 bucks

This link will shed some unfortunate light on the situation for you. You may not be able to make that thing shave even with expert help. I'd recommend you see if it could be returned and put that money towards a shave ready vintage straight razor, which you could get for around double that. (around $40-50) The cost difference would be well worth it.

Well then I am afraid you may still need to buy a razor to shave with.

It's on the list :<0( Brands of Straight Razors to avoid - Straight Razor Place Wiki


Mom wouldn't know these things as most guys wouldn't either. Great try though!

The same thing happened to me when I started in straight razors. I bought a razor that looked really good and was really cheap; less than $20. Never could even shave arm hair.

If you browse the Straight Razor Place Wiki, you will find places to get razors that are not too expensive, such as the Classifieds here and whippeddog.com. This will help you as this will allow you to get a professionally honed razor. You need at least a razor and strop to straight razor shave, and a decent brush and some shave soap help enhance the experience. Feel free to ask questions around here. Plenty of information just lying around!

Welcome to Straight Razor Place and the wonderful world of straight shaving.

Brandon

Hello and welcome to SRP

Repeat after me,......"I will save a lot of money by not having to purchase those expensive disposable blades."

one more time ......,......"I will save a lot of money by not having to purchase those expensive disposable blades."

,......"I will save a lot of money by not having to purchase those expensive disposable blades."

Just remember these words and you will be fine

Hey and welcome to the forum. You already have the bad news but there is a silver lining. You can use you Tomahawk to practice stropping with to help reduce the risk of cutting your strop and/or ruining the edge of your first shave ready razor.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

Hey and welcome to the forum. You already have the bad news but there is a silver lining. You can use you Tomahawk to practice stropping with to help reduce the risk of cutting your strop and/or ruining the edge of your first shave ready razor.

Bob

Good idea, only first dull it completely by dragging the edge over glass, metal or (preferably) a whetstone until it feels soft and dull on your finger! A kitchen knife sharp edge will still bite your strop.