New Belgian on the block

hey there,
I registered at Badger&Blade yesterday, and they advised me to check out this forum too...
I'm 29, I've been wetshaving ever since I started shaving. Didn't bother with the electric razor.

I'm mainly into it because of the 'ritual' it is, I find it very relaxing.

On my past holiday in Tuscany(Italy) I stumbled across a straight razor at a knifestand at a market. I had never seen one here in Belgium (probably because I don't know where to look), so I bought one.
It's a Robert Klaas 5/8 one... and since this puchase I've been looking on some more info, specific on straight-shaving.

hoping to learn a lot more overhere...
cheers!
-steven-

http://www.badgerandblade.com/vb/ima...c/progress.gif

so with my razor in hand... I was happy, but then i discovered it's not yet good to go, that it wasn't shave-ready...
So know the first step?
Would I just need a strop for now to get me going, or does it also need honing to begin with?
The razor is brand new, and sharp, but I just want to be sure of an optimal first try...
thanks!

Hi chief, and welcome to the forum!

You will need to have it honed to make it shave-ready, and you're also correct in assuming you'll need a strop.

Browse through the Hones and Strops sections for guidance. Many newbs start by sending their straight to someone who offers honing services. There are other members here based in Europe who can do this for you, perhaps for a small fee. Bruno lives in Belgium, and LX_emergency lives in the Netherlands. They may chime in here.

A strop is essential before every shave so I suggest you research into buying one whilst your razor is out for honing.

You're going to have a great time learning!

Cheers
M.

Welcome Steven, :)

I totally agree with Mark and I have to say that Bruno is a helpful guy and a truly gentleman. (thanks again for your service Bruno :bow )

For buying strop I would recommend this place.

Good luck,
Viktor

Leuven eh? My favorite shopping city. :)

There is a knifeshop very close to the grote markt.
You know that big statue of the hot air balloon at the grote markt?
with your back to the markt, walk away from the balloon until you hit the T junction. it is only a 100 meters or so, and you pass by a couple of pubs and a music shop at your right hand side.
At the T junction, it is the first or second house to your left. The shopkeeper is named Sui, as is his shop.

He is a bit strange, but he sells lots of knives, and other things with sharp edges, including straights. Might be worth to check it out.

Anyway, if you want I can sharpen your razor for you. Send me a PM if you are interested.

A shop in Leuven, damn, right under my nose, and I go and buy a knife in Italy :rolleyes:

the square you're referring to is the Ladeuzenplein I presume, with the big old University Library... Will check that shop asap, and I'll PM you for the honing, thanks!!

Chief,

Here are some addresses and telephone numbers to get you going. I have visited the shop in Antwerpen and can vouch for the fact that they really know what they are doing. The others, however, are much closer to you and you might want to try them first.


Coutellerie du Roi
Noorddoorgang 27
1000 Brussel

tel: 02 217 54 94


Coutellerie Jamart A.
Gasthuisstraat 7
1000 Brussel

tel: 02 512 49 62


De Koordenwinkel
Mechelse Plein 7
2000 Antwerpen

tel: 03 233 24 42

I have been to the shop in antwerpen as well, and I am less than satisfied.

Their coticules are a mix of good and bad stones. If you know what you are doing and you can choose between different stones you can buy a good one. If you don't know what to look for, then you can end up with a poor performer.
They also don't lap their stones, and they don't tell you that you need to do that.

They give a course on razor sharpening, which I've attended as a newbie.
I learned a lot of things that turned out to be bogus afterwards.

They are convinced that any razor from either Dovo or TI is shaveready out of the box.

I don't say you should not go there, but I just wanted to say that they are not the be-all end-all when it comes to knowledge about razors, shaving and honing.

New Belgian on the block? Dang, I thought someone was auctioning off some coticules! :roflmao Welcome to the forums! :tu

I was already planning of visiting Maison Jamart "au grand rasoir" in Brussels to look for a strop... but maybe I'll wait just a little longer...and get educated.

Nice and Welcome. One of our Southern Neighbours. Hope everything works out well for you. I'd take Bruno up on his offer of honing. Better yet...I'd say meet up with him if you get the chance. Meeting and talking in person does a lot more good than e-messaging all over the place.

I'd offer my services as well but Bruno's a lot closer and you might not trust one of the "kaaskoppen" (cheeseheads).

Good luck on it all.

already settled!! :tu

Yup. Next wednesday is the day. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LX_Emergency

I'd offer my services as well but Bruno's a lot closer and you might not trust one of the "kaaskoppen" (cheeseheads).

Good luck on it all.

---

I always fondly remember my Dutch experiences to involve Pannekoekenkoppen instead! (OK, OK, I made the word up. But damn those pancakes were good!:tu )

Yeah, we've got some good pannenkoeken houses (restaurants) around here. Which reminds me to go out sometime next week and eat at one. I haven't been out for those in AGES.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LX_Emergency

Yeah, we've got some good pannenkoeken houses (restaurants) around here. Which reminds me to go out sometime next week and eat at one. I haven't been out for those in AGES.

---

Hmmmmm.... Paaaan caaaakes....
Yes they are good, though to be fair: Belgian pancakes aren't bad either, though it is rare to find a pancake house here.
We are generally more partial to wafels (waffles), possibly with slagroom (whipped cream) and ijs (icecream).

My favorite pancakes are either with powdered sugar and then rolled up into a sausage, or with icecream and whipped cream.
My favorite waffles are luikse wafels, which are fairly heavy, and contain large grains of sugar. Straight out of the iron and piping hot they are divine.

Ok I think we are going :OT .
If we want to discuss the merits of dutch pancakes and belgian waffles further, maybe we should move to the OT section of this forum.

Welcome, Chief

Very generous offer, Bruno! I mean to meet and teach, even with your new baby
(but please stop discussing nice foods I can't get here)

Cheers
Ivo

What? are you guys trying to break me? I'm going to have to take a trip to Belgium now!:gth(My wallet is empty as it is.)

Welcome to the forum Chief!

So last night Chief showed up at my place with a brand new Solingen 6/8 round point razor, still covered in its factory oil.

First I explained the honing process (norton then coticule) and then honed his razor. That took a bit of time because the factory edge was very bad, and it was very hard steel. There also was a very slight warp in the blade which was not problematic, but slowed things down a bit.

Then I used the testshave to demonstrate lathering, stropping and the actual shaving technique that I use.

Chief didn't have a strop yet so I sold him my #1 honeybrown heirloom strop at a discount :eek:. I only used it a couple of times. I always kept using my practise strop and I did feel bad about leaving such a high quality strop unused. This way someone will appreciate it.

I also advised him to buy a small coticule from howard to regularly touch up his razor. We all know that beginners mistakes can easily dull a blade, and if you wait until it is really dull, making it sharp again is much harder, whereas 10 laps every couple of shaves should keep a decent edge on the blade even if you make mistakes in the beginning.

Anyway, the whole thing went really well, though my 2 year old daughter kept on asking questions during the honing process, interrupting my explanation every 2nd sentence :)

thanx again Bruno, it was a learnful experience! :bow
And if you're newly born grows up to be anything like her older sister (funny kid!), you're bound to have a nice chitchatting duo under your roof in a couple of years!

Welcome Chief,

You were taught by a great man there. Keep up the reports on how the shaving is going, as well as any other questions you have.

Kyle, I secretly thought it was about a coticule as well.

Sooo...
I took a shot at it this afternoon, had the house to myself, put "the best of Django Reinhardt" in the cd player (great shaving music IMO) and went for it.

first took a hot shower,
Stropped the razor
made lather
and lift off!

I had a difficult start, I wanted to commence on my sideburns (of the triangular kind)but it wasn't easy at first, but eventually it worked out.
The neck parts were fairly easy I found, except ofcourse the hand-switching part.
The mustache: I have one of those thin pencil-mustaches and even though my razor isn't a square point, it's great for trimming it ultra-slim :y

I stopped while I was winning, after one WTG pass, with no cuts at all. Not BBS, but give me time... because I'm hooked! :)

When rinsing my face I also noticed my face was a lot less greasier (don't know how else to describe it), it felt cleaner. Also my skin was getting a little sensitive near the end, probably from getting used to this new way of shaving/life.

BTW, the lather-making went very smooth. Had some hot water on the soap (GF Trumpers Coconut) while showering. Poured that off and loaded the brush. Then making the lather in a (too) small bowl, but it was good quality. Note to self: "bigger bowl next time"

Congratulations on your first shave.
Your skin feels less oily because with a straight razor you remove the oil and the top layer of dead skin cells from your skin.

You will quickly discover that your face feels much nicer when you don't use cartridges or canned soap anymore.

So for now: experiment, take your time, be careful and enjoy.