Intro From Los Angeles

Hello All,
I decided to finally begin down the straight razor road. I'm 28 years old and for years, I have been interested in using a straight razor .

Last night I finally took the plunge and ordered from Will @ classic shaving.com -
I have always enjoyed the ritual of shaving but got sick of expensive blades and crazy waterproof electric razors. I work in the entertainment industry and work insane hours - it seems that as our world continues to speed up, we sometimes lose some of the finer points of our culture. One of my favorite memories of my father before he passed was being 15 or 16, and learning how to shave - the only thing I would change from that memory would be swapping out the Norelco for a straight razor ;-) I don't have kids yet, but when I do I would love to be able to teach my son or a nephew how to shave with a straight razor.

I ordered a white micarta SS 5/8 dovo razor set with brush and stand. I also ordered a dovo strop as well, and some shave soap. As well as the DVD of course. I hope I got a decent razor because I based it purely on looks...and I'm a fan of micarta in general. My wife is petrified, but I told her that I would do my best and try to avoid too much damage ;-)

I splurged a little bit, but it was within the range I wanted to spend. I'm looking forward to the day when I can justify (and afford) a fine custom razor. Hopefully my knowledge will grow as well so when I do own that custom, I can truly appreciate its beauty.

I believe the razor is being sent out to Lynn so I have a good reference point to start from. Is it necessary to purchase stones now or could I wait a few months and just use the strop for the time being? If needed now would one of those norton starter kits be good enough?

Just wanted to introduce myself, I'm glad I found this forum and look forward to learning as much as possible from you folks. Sorry for the long intro and any spelling/grammar mistakes

Welcome aboard!

Welcome to SRP.

fine setup - i was worried since i didn't see the sharpening mentioned, but you did that. micarta's are stainless, and that should hold up for at least few months before you need to touch it up. your wife is right to be weary - if you end up this route you
will most certainly find that one razor just isn't enough :)

i do not think you overspent or anything - the usuall recomendation for people is to start with a $30-$40 shave-ready razor (found only here in B/S/T - i'm joking of course but it's the most reliable sources for these), so that if you decide it is not for you you have not spent too much. the only point is that you do not need to spend a lot to try it. however if it is within your means and you are suffuciently motivated, there is nothing wrong to start with a custom made razor :)

I know nothing of the soap classic sells - look around the boards and see, you may need to pick up a different one (99c williams is very good, if you look at the vendor's corner you'll find the longest running thread on this board - Colleen's soaps are favorite of many here).

Anyways, feel free to ask any questions - people here are extremely helpful.

Enjoy

Welcome!

It looks like you are off to a great start! Patience and asking lots of questions here will serve to give you an amazing shaving experience! +1 on holding off on stones for now, but your approach is good - get a reference blade from Lynn so you know what it should be as ar as sharp.

Again, welcome!!!!

:tu

Greg

Thanks for the welcome!! I feel like I'm at home with this forum and I haven't even got my razor yet!

Welcome. That is a nice set-up. I think you can wait a bit to order a stone. To learn to hone you'll need a razor or two as well. Treat that as a separate subject for now. If you find you like shaving with a straight don't put off learning to hone for too long though.

Consider a little barber hone off ebay. They work pretty well most of the time if you have a razor pre-honed. They can be a good learning tool and they can keep an already honed razor sharp for, well, atleast a decade or two. . .

Welcome from me too

This place is a wealth of knowledge, so make the most of it and don’t be afraid to ask.

I am just teaching my son how to shave the proper way, I can assure you its an absolute pleasure

Welcome aboard you've come to the best place to learn how to use & maintain your straight razor.Its the advice & support here thats helped me to polish my learning curve( i'm mainly self taught so lots of trail & error). Well done on getting Lynns DVD its just like having An expert barber in your house to answer all your Questions & give you the right advice. But watch out for thr RAD as it will strike when you least expect it.Paul

Hello hs21,

I appears to me that you have done everything right. A razor honed by Lynn is the right way to start. I, who sharpens things like chisels, plane irons, and knives, thought: pffftt, I can sharpen razors too, no problem. Nope, not so fast there tenderfoot. As all the others say, "it's nice to have a reference point" for that time when we do get there, we will know where we're at.:confused: Or to where we have arrived.:confused: Or, "hmm that feels something like Lynn's edge:hmmm: At any rate, I've waded into hone buying and the application of steel to stone. I finally got a couple razors sharpened so that they shave comfortably, but not yet as closely as the one's Lynn has honed.

My very early attempts at shaving were with a straight edge as I watched my grandfather shave with that style of razor and thought that looked like the proper way to shave. And after many years with a beard, I've returned to straight razors for shaving as it still seems the proper way to do it. I still have that first straight edge but it is not nearly as sharp as it seemed all those years ago. Either I have a really good imagination (probably), a poor memory (doubless), or fine edges on steel evaporate:shrug: It's my next candidate to try to hone.

good luck, good shaving, and it's good to have you with us, Bruce

--oh, and the soaps from Classic are the best I've tried so far; I think you'll like them.

Thanks for the warm welcomes! I'm glad my setup is decent. In terms of soaps, I purchased Taylor of Old Bond Street Shaving Soap in Wooden Bowl - Sandal wood. I also have some almond oil I purchased from e-shave a while back, would this be safe to use with a Straight razor? I'll do a search as well.

I'm a fan of Penhaligon's fragrances, but have never used their soaps. I'm very interested in trying out Colleen's soaps especially since they come so highly recommended.

I'm glad I can put off picking up an hone for a while, picking one up off a ebay sound like a good idea as well - maybe I should pick up a cheap old razor to practice the technique of honing.

I just received everything minus the razor - I'm putting the DVD in as we speak!!!!

Hey there & welcome --

I'm also in the LA area (Sierra Madre), also relatively new to this obsession [did I say that out loud!?], and I also started out as you did: new Dovo from Classic Shaving, also honed by Lynn, etc.

I've been at this for a couple of months, and am just at the point where I have some small command of the process. This way lies madness: acquisition of several other razors, some new soaps 'n' lotions, the contemplation of a Norton stone (and other hones?), and so on into the distance...

My wife also is horrified: she likes the look of the razors, and the feel of my face--but she's unable to watch while I shave. (She'll also take my credit card away after this last bill, but so it goes...)

Cheers,

R

Thanks Sweeny T - the foothills are beautiful - if I didn't have to work in Hollywood, I probably wouldn't live here ;)

Everybody, that was a very informative video! My wife arrived to catch the tail end of Lynn's shaving demo - she couldn't bear to watch, I can't wait to receive my razor!!

I may use a safety tonight just so I could get used to a pre-shave routine, working up a lather and so on.

Something is missing....
http://homepage.mac.com/houman/Razor/noRazor.jpg

Bruce,

It's good to know that honing is even difficult for someone who has experience sharpening other tools - I have only straightened blades on kitchen knives:)

I'm glad you recommend classic soaps, I purchased Taylor's sandalwood and it smells awesome!

I just realized that my sister had picked up a few razors from a friend years back, I'm going to go and pick them up from my mom's tomorrow. I don't remember much about them other than the blades were pretty wrecked. I'll post pictures in another thread to see if anyone here knows what they are.

I think between this and collecting records, I can prettty much say I was born 50 years too late!

Oh well - next lifetime

:tu Way to go hs21 I'm brand new to straight razor shaving and also to this forum. I have to tell you that when I recieved my straight razor and strop I was really scared because after months of thinking about it, the moment of truth came and it was time to strop and shave, now let me tell you I did a horrible job stropping, but my first shave that I was so afraid of was a very positive experience, I did not cut or nick myself, and although it was not a great shave the sound of the whiskers actually being shaved was amazing, I finished it up with a de and have now shaved with my straight 3x and still have not cut or nicked myself and I think within a week I will no longer need to finish with a de, it will be straights only from now on. I should also mention that I found Lynn's video very helpful and watched it several times, and yes my wife was very scared as well and I will probably tell her this week that I'm already using a straight. well make sure to let us know how the first shave goes and best of luck.

:OT I too share the record-collecting gene, alas. (And I have LPs, CDs & 78s; no 8-track, though...) This is just one aspect of my selective Luddite temperament. I'm also into fountain pens, pocket watches, old briar pipes and progressive politics, seemingly the most outdated obsession of all. :w

Cheers,

Roger


[QUOTE=hs21;147463]

I think between this and collecting records, I can prettty much say I was born 50 years too late!

hs,

Welcome to SRP from another Angeleno; I'm in Calabasas.

This is a great place for learning and for simply hanging out; as I'm sure you are finding. The set-up you have is great, and the TOBS Sandalwood soap is one of my favorites, enjoy!

Be careful, the RAD bug comes out of nowhere and bites. One day you may wake up and have 10 razors and wonder how they all got there. :shrug: Don't worry it happens to most here in one form or another.

My wife too was concerned when I started with a straight, but now she tolerates my new obsession/hobby.

You are off to a good start, keep at it. :D

Thanks Jeff,

I think the addiction has already formed and I haven't even received my first razor yet!
I find myself watching razors on eBay, but I have to remind myself that the holidays are coming up and Xmas usually takes a huge cut out of my pockets with travel and gifts...

I told myself that I had to wait at least 2 months from the day I received my 1st razor, before I buy my second one - no matter what the cost is (unless it really speaks to me ;).
This way I can become comfortable with my razor and really try to have a few good conversations with it:-)
Thanks for the welcome.

Hey Roger,
What is this politics thing you speak of :shrug: ? Just kidding, I often feel the same when having conversations with people, apparently it's very trendy to be uninformed in our city.

Best,
H

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hs21

Sorry for the long intro and any spelling/grammar mistakes

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Spelling/grammar mistakes? Oh, Puuulllleeeese.....
I'll bet that in grade school you were nicknamed "Bookworm" by your classmates and polished off every book in the classroom library by Easter!

Been there, done that...;) Got the T-shirt too. :roflmao

Quote:

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Spelling/grammar mistakes? Oh, Puuulllleeeese.....
I'll bet that in grade school you were nicknamed "Bookworm" by your classmates and polished off every book in the classroom library by Easter!

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That's very kind of you - In this age of spell checking and computers, I feel that I had a better grasp of the language especially in regards to spelling, when I was 16 than I do now! I figure in about 10 more years - I'll forget how to add as well !!

So if anyone wants to make big money and triple-charge me for a razor.... 10 years from now would be the time to do it:D . Or wait 5 years and sell me a razor through our friends up north in Canada (obligatory weak dollar:cry: reference)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gugi

...the usuall recomendation for people is to start with a $30-$40 shave-ready razor (found only here in B/S/T - i'm joking of course but it's the most reliable sources for these)...

Anyways, feel free to ask any questions - people here are extremely helpful.

Enjoy

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And where might one find more information on said "$30-$40 shave-ready razors"? I've looked in the B/S/T forum, and didn't see anything similar there. I'm thinking I am going to want to go this route until I get my honing skills up to snuff.

well, there haven't been many recently (save for the koeller fox, which would normally for more anyways). they usually come from joshearl and heavydutysg, may be they just haven't had the time recently to hone some of these razors. pm them and see if they may have anything in the pipeline - they may be willing to give it a priority. of course since i don't hone myself it's entirely a speculation on my part whether they would be able to do this.
this is not a business for anybody, rather it's a hobby, so the projects people like to work on at any given time is just a matter of preference at that point. in the last few months since i started there has been a fair number of inexpensive (but very good) razors that people have worked on, but have decided not to keep long term and they've ended up on B/S/T. Recently it's been mostly the opposite - more rare/newer/custom/expensive razors, but if you keep checking there will be some of the other kind. hard to give you a timeframe, but that's just how things work here. for example in few weeks i may put up for sale my least used razor and it'll be at or below what i paid for it (30-something i think).

Sweet!! Thanks for the info. I'm sure I'll be here for quite some time now that I've found the place!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gugi

well, there haven't been many recently (save for the koeller fox, which would normally for more anyways). they usually come from joshearl and heavydutysg, may be they just haven't had the time recently to hone some of these razors. pm them and see if they may have anything in the pipeline - they may be willing to give it a priority. of course since i don't hone myself it's entirely a speculation on my part whether they would be able to do this.
this is not a business for anybody, rather it's a hobby, so the projects people like to work on at any given time is just a matter of preference at that point. in the last few months since i started there has been a fair number of inexpensive (but very good) razors that people have worked on, but have decided not to keep long term and they've ended up on B/S/T. Recently it's been mostly the opposite - more rare/newer/custom/expensive razors, but if you keep checking there will be some of the other kind. hard to give you a timeframe, but that's just how things work here. for example in few weeks i may put up for sale my least used razor and it'll be at or below what i paid for it (30-something i think).

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I have many (about 8) shave ready razors that are going to be listed for sale very soon so keep your eyes out. I just need to get my hands on a digital camera and make some time to list them.

I have a lot of shave ready razors too. But I'm not about to take the time to take pictures of a razor just to sell the thing for $20. There should be a law against taking a digital picture of a razor from the 1800s and putting it on the internet in 2000. Either that or every computer should attach directly to the camera without having to look for the darn cable connection for a week. :mad:

Hmmmmmmm..........: I would suggest you either charge at least 120.00 or have a laptop set up with a webcam and then stand there and point the computer at the razor until somebody buys it. Or you could go the Luddite route and smash your computer and go shave. :w