Thread: Newbit says hello

Hi, having only been DE shaving a few weeks and hanging out on Badger & Blade, I got curious about straights and picked up a few, two for $13 at one antique shop (Genco "Fluid Steel" 5/8, and Wester Bros. "Anchor Brand" 5/8) (can be seen here) and having found a junk shop that has, literally, dozens of straights in good condition held in velvet wraps, I came away with an Oskar Kemper (Ohligs-Solingen) 6/8 for $20 (can be seen here) (I'm sure I'll be back there for more). A B&B member, who I believe is also a member here, kindly offered to hone them for me. His assessment was that they came out great and shave well. I've watched Lynn's DVD and now have exactly three shaves under my belt.

Strangely enough, I had no nervousness about holding such a weapon to my throat for the first time. Maybe there's some genetic memory at play--my great-grandfather came over from Italy and was a barber in Waterbury, Connecticut during the first couple decades of the 1900s. I wish I had his razors. No major bloodletting on my first three outings. I managed to get my cheeks rather smooth. My neck is an issue no matter how I shave; I managed to shave them at least as well with the straight as with a DE. (I have a goatee, so upper lip and chin are a non-issue.) For now I might keep my straight-razor shaving for the weekends, as I don't want the pressure of getting my four-year-old to daycare and me getting to work pushing me to shave faster.

I know better to start asking questions without searching, but I do have one that I'm guessing might not be a common issue that I'd like to get opinions on. I will need a strop. I know of Well Shaved Gentleman and Handamerican and their excellent reputations, but I also like to keep some of my purchasing local. Would you expect most leatherworkers to know about types of leather that are preferred for strops? I can't imagine the making part to be anything but straightforward. The reason I ask is because there's a leatherworker nearby that I like to patronize if I can; it's not much, but I figure if no one buys from local craftspeople, there won't be any (and I hope she's still in business; I haven't been by her shop in a while). She made me a custom guitar strap several years ago, and it wasn't any more expensive than an off-the-rack strap. Is this something that's really better gotten from a dedicated stropmaker, or could I go to her and say I need a strop and it has to be made from [Russian horsehide or whatever is considered good these days]?

Welcome aboard!

I'm not sure what goes into making a strop and it leatherworker's ability to make one for you might depend on if you want linen on the reverse side or not (She might not have it).

Get your idea of what it is you want down on paper (2 1/2 in. or 3 in. width, so many inches long, type of hanging hardware, type of leather, etc), and take it to her. See what she is is able to do for you. It can't hurt to ask.

Welcome aboard. Genco and Wester Bros. have an excellent reputation. One of my top 3 shavers is a Genco Grant. Those two will need a bit of a cleanup and the Wester has a bit of ugly hone wear but should still make a decent shaver. As for the Kemper blade... It looks great and I don't see why it shouldn't make a good shaver even though the name doesn't sound familiar.
In a way I consider Tony a "local" because I see myself as a member of this online community. That's why I had no problems with making purchases from him and with planning on ordering another strop (relatively soon) even if someone in Toronto started producing them as well. Well that would mean I'd have to buy another strop to support geographically local and new talent

Bob, I'm glad to see that you finally made it over here and are having fun with your new razors. I think that it is very nice that you are trying to help out your local craftspeople; however, in this case I think that you would might be better off just buying one from Tony Miller. He has a lot of experience making quality strops with various leathers and his prices are extremely reasonable for the quality and craftsmanship. Furthermore, he is a "local" craftsperson to this forum. In the mean time that utilitarian Wipienica strop should be good enough to do the job.

Yeah, I have a feeling Tony Miller's strops are the direction I'll be heading in, but I had to ask. (OTOH, I don't see the cheaper beginner strop on the site right now, and I want to get all my nicking out of the way before I buy a more expensive strop.) Yes, the Wipienica is doing the job for now, thanks!

Originally Posted by heavydutysg135

Bob, I'm glad to see that you finally made it over here and are having fun with your new razors. I think that it is very nice that you are trying to help out your local craftspeople; however, in this case I think that you would might be better off just buying one from Tony Miller. He has a lot of experience making quality strops with various leathers and his prices are extremely reasonable for the quality and craftsmanship. Furthermore, he is a "local" craftsperson to this forum. In the mean time that utilitarian Wipienica strop should be good enough to do the job.

Personally I never really had trouble with nicking my strop, but I started out going very slow until I really developed my technique. I think that most of the people who nick their good strops in the beginning do so because they try to strop faster than their experience dictates. The good thing about ordering from Tony is that he offers you the option of purchasing a practice/travel strop for only $5 if you buy on of his better strops. This should allow you to develop your technique before moving on to the better strop, and it can also be rolled up and used for travel.