Printable View
New to straight razor shaving. Have my grandfather's old Superior straight razor and purchased a new Dovo and vintage ERN from Germany. Also a nice strop. Ask me and let me know if I got a decent deal.
Decent badger brush and synthetic too.
Sandalwood soap from England, you know the name, mixing it up with Blades Grim, Proraso, Himalaya and others.
Anyways, I'm a newbie to the straight razor experience.
I'm looking forward to it.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Static77
Welcome to the forum! Be sure to check out the Library for excellent advice regarding shaving angles, stropping, etc. There is so much to learn with straight shaving, so be sure to stay patient and enjoy the journey. "Shave the lather" is a great way to picture the amount of pressure used; let the razor do the work. Stropping technique reigns supreme when it comes to keeping your blades shaving longer in between honings.
Have fun! :)
Welcome to SRP!
Read the Beginner's section in the Library on the front page. It will answer a lot of questions.
We are here to help, so feel free to ask us anything.
Update your profile to show your location, there may be a member nearby that can help you learn in person.
And enjoy the shave!
Welcome to the site. Check the library and ask all the questions you want. Take it slowly. Don't worry about a full face shave first time. Get comfortable doing both cheeks then progress to the rest of face. Have patience. It takes time but it's worth it.
Great info given. I will just say welcome to SRP. Take your time. It will take a while before you get a comfortable shave on a regular basis so d9nt get discouraged. Be sure your razors have been properly honed. Not a factory edge. It makes all the difference in the world. Being new to straights, you need to know your edge is right. Then all issues come down to yourself, not the razor.
Welcome. Expect your soap requirements to change a bit towards the slick side. You will appreciate the Himalaya.
Welcome, Here be friends!
~Richard
Welcome from SE Washington State USA
As has been said, read the library.
Unless you are in the Witness Protection Program or have someone hunting for you adding your location including the town and state/province/country might be of some help.
There are members all over the USA/Canada and the rest of the world. You never know when hands on help is just a short distance away. And Hands On is the best way of learning. :tu
Thanks for considering and again, Welcome.
Welcome!
But please don't give us any Static.....:rofl2:
Hello Static, Welcome to SRP. I shaved with the same Gillette FatBoy and Slim for over 50 years, which I purchased new for $1.50 each in 1962, until I discovered this forum and straights five years ago. You have an exciting adventure ahead of you. There is much knowledge on this forum, and a great group of guys who are passionate about straight razor shaving and are willing to share their wit and wisdom with you.
Hi and welcome aboard.
Welcome, Static77.
Mike
Welcome Aboard Static! The search feature in the upper right has led me to much of the specific information I have sought. *also* if you are searching with google and you click an SRP link that doesn't work, check that the address reads "palace" and not "place". There was a name change in the past, but the link will usually still work if you manually add in the extra "a" in the address.
Enjoy, and don't forget to grab your members only jacket in the locker room.
-Mickey
Welcome! If you've been using a Gillette safety razor for 40 years then you're well on your way to learning the art of using a straight razor. They both require time, patience, and a delicate touch to master, and can be equally dangerous. Good luck!
Hello Static 77 and welcome to SRP.
Enjoy your time here on the forum and have fun.
Pete <:-}
Enjoy it! You’ll love it! Always lots of advice here for ya!
Welcome to the forum!
I'm going to be completely original and ask if you want to double your money on that Fatboy and Slim.Quote:
Originally Posted by evnpar
Thanks Everyone! Nice to be here.
Had a bit of a problem logging back on after my initial post. I hope that intricate password they sent stays with the remember me feature.
I'm waiting for my strops in the mail.
I have everything else to start.
The Dovo was honed by a gentleman named Abrams, I believe. It's on the box which I don't have in front of me.
I'm on the road driving a Motorcoach and just dropped a group at the ferry to Martha's Vineyard. I'm in a hotel a lot during the vacation season and use my Slim and SS mainly on the road.
I have a couple Fat Boys at home, 2 more Slims and a bunch of SS's.
Looking at all the information here is great! Hopefully will get to my first straight razor shave this weekend.
Thanks for all the encouraging words!
Static77
To change password click on setting in top right corner.
Then on left hand side there is a column. One box is titled settings. Click on "edit my email & password". You can change it to something easier to remember in case you need to log in normally.
Have a Slim, but never tried a Fatboy. Those seem to be much more sought after though and I want one. My Slim certainly seems to do a good job.
I just have a,ways enjoyed straight razor shaving. When I first got internet in 1995 I found a place in Atlanta called Green Pond that sold Men’s grooming stuff. I was excited to find GFT almond soap, and a silver tip brush which I’d never heard of. And although frustrating at the time I liked the challenge of maintaining an edge with nothing but a Swatty Barber Hone and a Strop from 1957. It was several years later I learned about Naniwa and Norton and Shapton etc. Before SRP or SRD I emailed Lynn Abrams who called me and over time spent several hours on the phone helping me learn to hone. I bought a set of Naniwas and eventually I was getting nice comfortable shaves but, the big thrill came when one day I gave a razor a few extra circles on the 5K and 10 or so more X laps on the 5K and after finishing on the 12 K I stropped on hard felt sprayed With Chromium Oxide, And 50 strokes on my English Bridle Leather strop. When I shave tested it was so damn smooth I had to make sure the edge was actually on my face! Boy, I was REALLY hooked then. LOL. Now, I’m retired and have plenty of time and look forward to my morning shave. This morning I Shaved with a Case & Sons SS razor, L’Occitane soap, and my 4125/6 monster Thater brush. Great shave. If you don’t already have a really nice Badger brush I advise you to get one. I absolutely love the Thater 4125 brushes.
Welcome aboard sir.
Sounds like you got your hands on a nice deal.
The best advise I can give you (and I always say the same) is to never get discouraged. Some users here got their BBS in their first try... I had mine after 5 years of a love-hate relationship with my straight razor, so do not dare to get discouraged if your first shave is lesser than the ones you have with your gramps razor, and enjoy them both! Your gramps razor is an excellent one, don't you dare to store it till the end of times :) haha
Again, welcome aboard and do not hesitate to ask whenever you need to!
If you go to the reply you are replying to and hit reply with quote it will put it up top of your reply so we know who and what you are replying to
Thank you!Quote:
Originally Posted by eddy79
I was a Professional Radio Engineer back in the day. I can generate some of that!Quote:
Originally Posted by 32t
Got it! Thanks! I have a Fat Boy in my birth year and quarter. It feels totally different than the slim. Feels heavier, shorter and of course, fatter. I love them both. I carry a slim and a 40s Super Speed in my road bag along with a synthetic brush but my Fatty has been my daily shaver . I mix them up with my Merkurs.Quote:
Originally Posted by JP5
I'm hoping all the info you just shared makes more sense to me sooner than later!Quote:
Originally Posted by Legman
The interesting thing is Lynn Abrams is the name on my Dovo box as the gentleman who honed the razor. It's a Dovo en Vogue. It looks like a piece of art.
I took the Tabac out which I've never used. Also ordered some DR Harris soap. Received my Certifyd 2000, Juchten extra feiner and Monarch 968 strops. Reading, watching videos and gaining knowledge, or at least a starting point.
Still haven't straight shaved yet. But the weight of my razors are cutting through paper with the weight alone.
Time will tell.
Tabac and D.R. Harris are really nice soaps. I love the scent of Tabac. I wonder if their aftershave smells the same as the soap?Quote:
Originally Posted by Static77
Yikes! Please don't cut paper with your razor. :aargh: Try to shave hair off your arm first if you must.Quote:
Originally Posted by Static77
Mike
Got it! But why? Is it that much damage? It's how I've always tested my knives! Kinda.Quote:
Originally Posted by mglindo
But now that you say it, makes sense.
As a former meat cutter---Trust Me! Knives and Straight Razors are as different as Night and Day!Quote:
Originally Posted by Static77
How many knives do you start to set the bevel with the edge on a 1K hone? NONE! Most common knives wouldn't even accept a final edge from a 1K hone!
Oh you could get away with cutting paper with a straight razor on the 1K level but it would diminish what you've worked so hard for. The Thumb Nail Test is hard on the edge also--so you have go back and rework the edge.
This is one of the biggest problems I've seen in my 8 years of using straights and that guys assume that since they can sharpen a knife that honing a razor is the same--And It Ain't!
Think of it this way. A razor is designed to cut/shave facial hair only and a knife, other things. A knife is usually sharpened at an angle of 17-25 degrees. Therefore a total around 30+ degrees. A straight razors bevel is approximately 7 degrees each side for a total of almost 15 degrees. Very fragile. This is just a rough explanation and I'm sure others can probably explain better than I. Anyway, a straight razor is NOT a knife.:ziplip:Quote:
Originally Posted by Static77
Mike
Yes cutting paper will degrade the razors edge. I would strop that razor really well before use.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Static77
By the way, I hope the razor you were cutting paper with was not that Dovo that Lynn Abrams just honed. If it was, you may not enjoy that shave very much. Possibly dulled that edge and may need re-honeing.
If you did, don't fret, you are not the first that done it and you probably won't be the last either. Just send it out and get it honed. Or, try it out first. :popcorn:
Mike
I think that a straight razor is a knife....
But a very specialized one.
You don't hone a penknife the same as a machete. You don't expect them to do the same jobs.
Don't treat your razor as you would any of the others or vice versa.
Hello and welcome on the forum.
To add something about paper, remember you can use a newspaper to strop your straight in cas you are on a trip and forgot your leather stuff at home.
Thanks to all for the info!
It's not like I was cutting up a phone book, just a small slice on notebook paper. I won't be doing that again. A little hair off the arm, if I read that correctly, to learn the feel.