Thread: Just started

Hello. I decided the other week to try my hand at using a straight razor. So I got on to ebay and just bought a razor and a strop without doing that much research in to the subject because I am a idiot. I ended up getting a Kriegar razor and a Zeepk strop. I just read on here that both are crap. I could tell that the strop was the second I got it out of the package. So my question is should I just pitch that stuff and buy new stuff or is there hope for me? Thanks a lot for your time.

The fact that you are on this forum , is proof you are NOT an idiot . You now have a razor and strop that you can use to practice your honing and stropping tecnique on , without having to worry about ruining a good razor and strop .

Do not buy a practice hone though! Most recommend you start with a 4K/8K Norton.

Noob to newb to meisters,

The recommendation to start one's honing adventure on something other than a "good" razor puzzles me. If one begins attempts at sharpening something as deleicate as a razor, but does so on a piece of scrap, does the new honer learn anything of value? If the piece of scrap cannot be honed to a usable edge, the honer will never know if his technique is good, bad, or ugly (thank you Clint). Would'nt it be better to start on a good, servicable blade which, for whatever reason, does not have great value?

new too, Bruce, over...

Originally Posted by Bruce

Noob to newb to meisters,

The recommendation to start one's honing adventure on something other than a "good" razor puzzles me. If one begins attempts at sharpening something as deleicate as a razor, but does so on a piece of scrap, does the new honer learn anything of value? If the piece of scrap cannot be honed to a usable edge, the honer will never know if his technique is good, bad, or ugly (thank you Clint). Would'nt it be better to start on a good, servicable blade which, for whatever reason, does not have great value?

new too, Bruce, over...

To your point about not knowing if you are doing a good job or not, a recommendation from most people here would say get a good priced razor from a senior member here. Then you will have a decent razor already sharpened and ready to go. From that then you will be able to reference that for sharpness while you are trying to hone the other razor.

So don't throw out this equipment, it is still usable in some cases.

For a good inexpensive razor that won't break the bank or your heart if you screw it up while practicing your honing technique, try this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/straight-razor-S...QQcmdZViewItem

Many members here swear by them as I do too.
Easy to hone for a Noob and a damn good shave.
Do a search here on Wapienica razors for more info and opinions.

Welcome to the forum!

Thanks a lot for your guys in put. Once I get some more money I will invest in a honing stone.

Originally Posted by Bruce

Noob to newb to meisters,

The recommendation to start one's honing adventure on something other than a "good" razor puzzles me. If one begins attempts at sharpening something as deleicate as a razor, but does so on a piece of scrap, does the new honer learn anything of value? If the piece of scrap cannot be honed to a usable edge, the honer will never know if his technique is good, bad, or ugly (thank you Clint). Would'nt it be better to start on a good, servicable blade which, for whatever reason, does not have great value?

new too, Bruce, over...

I totaly agree!

Yannis

The simple answer is that you will not be able to shave with a Zeepk razor. The metal is too poor to take an edge.

Originally Posted by Bruce

Noob to newb to meisters,

The recommendation to start one's honing adventure on something other than a "good" razor puzzles me. If one begins attempts at sharpening something as deleicate as a razor, but does so on a piece of scrap, does the new honer learn anything of value? If the piece of scrap cannot be honed to a usable edge, the honer will never know if his technique is good, bad, or ugly (thank you Clint). Would'nt it be better to start on a good, servicable blade which, for whatever reason, does not have great value?

new too, Bruce, over...

What I mean is , you can practice the motions of honing and stropping , ie: keeping the spine on the hone/strop , lifting the edge of the razor before the end of the stroke , etc. Therefore , if a beginner would inadvertently lift the spine of the razor off the hone or the (junk) strop , it would be a "let's try this again" moment instead of a "oh sh#t !" moment . Not only that , it would be fun to see how sharp you can get that (junk) razor .