Thread: New Guy

Welcome aboard. Are u going to look into honing, now. That's the other side to straight shaving. Periodic maintenance will come due, every so often. Specially when new to straights.

Those that don't hone, have two or more razors at ready, so they can send it out to someone, to hone it.

Thanks for the warm welcome gents.
@outback regards Honing, yeah, I have looked into this and again done some research. WOW this is one hell of a Rabbit Hole to go down!?! And sadly due to work and home life commitments I don't really have the time to learn this fine art!?! Plus the added expense of stones! This does grieve me somewhat, as I feel it is an essential part of SR shaving!!! For the guys that undertake this skill I fully admire their skill and dedication to producing the finest/ultimate edge.
Yes because of my lack of Honing ability I have obtained a 2nd SR a nice Dubl Duck Goldedge Square Point 11/16 in great condition! Again sadly due to home life commitments ( I have a WIFE who has a BIG HORSE and we also have a Dog! These ALL come before me!!! My choice!) I don't have the finances to start a SR collection!?! But I have promised myself one SR as and when I find it and that is to be a WADE and BUTCHER Square Point minimum 6/8 max 8/8 with Black scales in great condition!?! Not sure at present which model but something that is Special and possible rare!?!

There is no screaming rush as this no doubt will be expensive and a one off purchase!?!

.......Ignore 3rd photo, added by mistake and don't know how to REMOVE it!?!.....


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Welcome Andy. Glad you decided to join us. You sound like a very methodical guy and that will serve you well with straight shaving. The rule of thumb is 100 shaves is what it takes to get really proficient; over the hump so to speak. If you're enjoying it and getting good shaves already then you're ahead of the curve.
Sorry to hear about your spill on the bike. There are many other riders here. I don't currently own a bike but also live with an injury from a spill years ago. It's minor and I hope yours are too. There are motorcycle threads here you might enjoy.
That's a nice set up you have. I think you will be happy with that for a lifetime and if you are lucky a son or other family member may be privileged as I and many others are to have an heirloom. I have a razor from my father that I am pretty sure belonged to my grandfather and I cherish it deeply.
As far as honing, you don't have to invest a king's ransom to get started. Many of us have but that is largely from HAD: Hone Acquisition Disorder. I will warn you though to beware. It is quite insidious and can infect you too. My suggestion would be to get a good flax linen or hemp fiber strop and some plain canvas pasted with chromium oxide on one side and possibly ferric oxide (red jewelers rouge) on the other (plenty of threads about that here). This will keep you going for quite a while. You can also get one or two good finishers since what you have is already shave ready. My suggestion would be a thuringian or a coticule. Both of these can be slurried to take you back further in the progression, then thin the slurry out with plain water to get to a good clean finish. You can stay keen and shave ready indefinitely with those few items.
Again, glad to have you with us here and look forward to hearing about your progress.

Welcome Andy.
Glad to have ya in the group. Having two or even 3 razors is the best way to start when you don't hone yet. The rule of thumb is to use one razor. Only one. Then when it needs honed or the edge just needs a little touch up you send it out then pick up and start shaving with razor number two. Use it only. Until it needs work. Even if the first razor comes back. Then use number three. This keeps you shaving with one razor at a time and you will get to know and understand each blade fully. You will be able to tell how your stropping ability is coming along this way too. Switching around blades all the time is OK also but its harder to get to know each razor this way when your new to SR shaving. After 2 or 3 years you will no longer be a newbie. LOL

And I'd recommend trying some better suds. TOB's is OK, but there are so much better soaps on the market now. We recently had a member pass away that spend years testing soaps. You can find it here if you search. Just look up Obies soap. A brush is a personal thing. if it works for you your fine. Some guys like boar. Other Badger. And then some enjoy the synthetics. Its all about what feels good on your face and does the job well for you. They all will act differently. And you have a nice strop. Just don't try to strop fast. Speed comes with time. No need to act like a barber you might have seen on TV.

So stick around, ask questions and we are more than happy to help. We have a huge library that can help you a bunch too.

Some day in the future you may end up with a razor or strop or hone or brush or scuttle or ... Collection. Or like a lot of us you will have a collection of everything and wonder where it all came from...

For a long time shavers got by with a good barber hone, a pasted strop and a decent leather strop. They might go for a year without having the razor honed. You don’t have to invest a lot of money in hones, but you can and a lot of us have quite a collection. Take your time and do as gasman suggests.

Welcome to the club.

Tell the ol lady to cut back on the Horses needs...so you can get a set of stones....lol

Welcome to SRP Andy! Look forward to shooting the bull with you more! Very nice razors you
Have my friend!

Nice cabinet. Very nice in fact.

Concerning soap, 3 words: Mitchell's Wool Fat. Made in England so it should be easy to find for you. Sadly I understand that it is no longer a tallow based soap but I have some of the new formula and honestly I can't tell the difference. A big plus for me is the scent is negligible. I don't like to go around smelling like I just came from a French bordello.

Thanks I will take the soap suggestions under advisement, I think bignosekelly recommended Martin De Candre, and it may well be the mutts nuts but at a very high price that one I struggle to be able to justify that amount and two!?! Now Shuuuush keep this to yourselves guys, but I think I may have a razor on the horizon i need to start saving for!?!

Originally Posted by Muttley

Thanks I will take the soap suggestions under advisement, I think bignosekelly recommended Martin De Candre, and it may well be the mutts nuts but at a very high price that one I struggle to be able to justify that amount and two!?! Now Shuuuush keep this to yourselves guys, but I think I may have a razor on the horizon i need to start saving for!?!

The initial outlay would be considered expensive but as one tub will last a few years of daily use you really can't afford not to get some ( you can quote this to your wife and blame me )

PM me your address and I'll send you a chunk of MDC to try