Thread: First "real" straight razor shave

Thanks to my beautiful wife who bought me a "sight-unseen" razor from Larry at the WhippedDog, I am now the proud owner of a new (to me) 5/8 strip of Sheffield steel and ready to try it in the morning. I have heard many of you say on here that a shavette is not the same, so I'll comment tomorrow on just what kind of a transition I experienced going from the Parker SR1 to a real razor. I would love to know the history of this razor, as it has plenty of character, but an obviously well-honed edge. I will not strop it until after my first shave, so I can get a feel for what Larry did first. I got the poor-man strop kit, which is very basic - only leather and no canvas or linen - so I'll just stick with the smooth side of the leather for now and hit with about 40 strokes after my shave tomorrow. I am putting a few pics here in case any of you want to try to identify the lineage of this beauty. The only markings are, on the blade: "Extra Hollow Ground", and on the shank "Warranted" and below that "Made in Sheffield". Scales appear to be horn. Cheers!

Good luck in the morning.

You'll do just fine, go slow and make the 1st time WTG only. Save the fancy moves for later.

Can't wait to read your shave report. Go slow, and have a relaxing go of it.

Congrats I have made purchases from Larry and he is a great person to do business with.

Shave went great! Used Proraso red, my boar brush, good thick mug lather, and just held the razor same as how I am accustomed to holding the SR1. I really liked how the blade was longer and extended from the heel to tip. This made the mustache area easier and it allowed me to cover the large areas with fewer strokes. Only one tiny weeper on the lip and very little irritation anywhere! Did 3 passes and got BBS everywhere except one spot on my neck where the grain runs funny. Only trouble I had was stropping. I tried laying the strop on the counter because I didn't want to allow it to bend. It felt awkward trying to keep the spine flat on the leather. This will take some practice.

Originally Posted by bladeon

Shave went great! Used Proraso red, my boar brush, good thick mug lather, and just held the razor same as how I am accustomed to holding the SR1. I really liked how the blade was longer and extended from the heel to tip. This made the mustache area easier and it allowed me to cover the large areas with fewer strokes. Only one tiny weeper on the lip and very little irritation anywhere! Did 3 passes and got BBS everywhere except one spot on my neck where the grain runs funny. Only trouble I had was stropping. I tried laying the strop on the counter because I didn't want to allow it to bend. It felt awkward trying to keep the spine flat on the leather. This will take some practice.

I would hang it if it is a hanging strop, pull it tight and have a practice with something else like a butter knife, if you can try the strop at a few different heights to see what you like, door handles, towel rails etc all provide options for experementation.

I used door handles until I bought a large Mastro Livi loom strop from SRD. I don't have a collarbone in my left shoulder from a motorcycle accident yrs ago so when I tried to pull it taut, I seemed to slack up at times. I'm right handed. The loom strop worked out very well for me. I like the 25" working area on it!

Originally Posted by engine46

I used door handles until I bought a large Mastro Livi loom strop from SRD. I don't have a collarbone in my left shoulder from a motorcycle accident yrs ago so when I tried to pull it taut, I seemed to slack up at times. I'm right handed. The loom strop worked out very well for me. I like the 25" working area on it!

I used all sorts until i worked out the height i liked, now i have a nice strong eye plate (i think it's called) fixed to the bathroom wall - hidden behind the towels when not in use.

Great idea! I bet that works well & besides that it stays hidden.