Thread: Newbie questions

Greetings,

I came across the straight razor community through an RSS feed on DIY life.

Are straight razors making a comeback? - DIY Life

That article caught my interest so here I am. In the chance that you guys are wondering why there was a sudden surge in new users (if, perhaps there was) that might be why.

I'm a Mach 3 user (yes, the one with a AAA battery - I'm sure that's a bad word around here) looking to be reformed. I'm sick of throwing away money on cartridges, which you have to do or else those blades start to sting.

I read through the linked how-to guide called The-Straight-Razor-Shave.pdf by Christopher Moss and that got me pointed in the right direction, however I have some questions that remain unanswered. Would any of you be kind enough to answer them for me?

1. I'm considering getting the Dovo "Classic Black", 5/8" Carbon Steel Straight Razor from Vintage Blades. It seems like a good bargain starter razor. Any other recommendations?

2. I'm considering getting the pre-honed service along with that razor, via Mr. Abrams who seems to be highly regarded for this service. Considering that, will I need to use a strop before shaving the first time?

3. That how-to guide wasn't clear on how often to use a strop. How often? I'm presuming every time before you shave, since that's the cliche that comes to mind when I think about barber shops, but I'm not certain.

4. I got some shaving brushes from my grandpa when he passed a few years ago. How can I determine their quality and if they're still usable?

5. I'm considering using Col Conk Amber Shave Soap the first time since it's popular. Good choice to start off? I figure that since it's marketed towards sensitive skin, that would make my first shave better.

Thanks in advance and feel free to refer me to other threads.

-mod

1. If the razor looks good to you, go for it. 5/8 is a good size to start with, and for many, a size to stick with. As long as the razor is adequately honed by someone who knows what they are doing, the razor will be fine for you to use for learning how to shave. If it turns out you don't like it, you will be able to re-coup most of your expenses by selling it through this forum.

2. Yes, if you get the razor honed by "Mr. Abrams," you should have a good shaving experience. I believe that when Lynn sends out his razors, he notes that you do not need to strop it the first time you use it. For a beginner, the advantage of this is that your brand new professionally honed razor could be easily trashed by your non-professional first attempt at stropping. Thus you want to experience how the razor performs straight out of Lynn's hands and then compare it subsequently to how it performs after you have stropped it. In direct answer to your question, I would say yes you should have a strop right away because you will need it for your second shave after your cuts heal.

3. Definitely every time right before you shave. Some also strop right after shaving but personally I think thats a waste of time. Others will disagree. Some strop to dry the blade. Some say stropping after shaving will prevent the edge from having a chance to recover--supposedly it takes ~48 hours for the edge to re-align. (That might be one of the excuses some of us use for having more than one razor!)

4. Use them. That will determine if they are usable. If don't like them, buy a new brush when your finances allow.

5. Never used it but it can't hurt to try it. I'm a huge fan of Tabac for quality lather but if you check this forum you can find lots of opinions, reviews, and recommendations for your consideration.

If you look around in this forum you should be able to learn everything you need to know. If you can't find the answer, just ask.


Welcome aboard and congrats on potentially dumping the disposable razor!

Welcome to the club!

1. Dovos are fine razors. I started with that model 2 years ago and it's still in my rotation.

2. I highly recommend getting it honed beforehand. I'll address stropping in #3, but for your first shave, it might be best NOT to strop, just to eliminate the chance of damaging the nice edge Lynn will have put on the razor. This will give you a chance to see how a really sharp razor feels.

3. You should strop your razor on plain leather (no pastes or other abrasives) before every shave, about 30-50 passes is the norm (up and back). Many strops have a linen side which you could use first, i.e. 20 passes on linen, 20 on leather. I don't bother with the linen anymore, but many people feel it "warms up" the razor for the leather.

4. Do you know what type of hair they are? Most likely they are badger hair, which would be ideal if the brush is in good condition. See if you can find any marks on the handle (Best Badger, Pure Badger, Silvertip). That will let you know the quality of hair. It is possible that they are boar hair, which will still work fine, just requires a little more work to lather up and a slightly different feel. I started with a boar brush.

5. That soap should be fine. Read up on the forums and you'll find recommendations on how to build a good lather.

Once you get everything, remember that beard prep makes a huge difference in the quality of your shave. Keep us posted on how things go.

~Jim

On the brush, the key factors are ability to hold water/lather and the ability to whip up a lather. For the first criterion, a brush with a good "bushiness" means lots of internal volume for holding water and lather. The bristles should be "poofy". For the second criterion, the hairs should be soft and supple (at least with a good soaking in hot water). Hairs that are brittle and have little or no flex to them will not work so well. You want each bristle to be like a little whip whipping little air bubbles into the lather. What you don't want is the entire brush being like a stick stirring the soap and water around.

Update:

I received the goodies yesterday. The razor is plain and simple as I expected it to be. Before handling a straight razor, I was a little concerned about how loose the blade itself would be but it seems pretty snug in the aspect of staying where you move it, if that makes sense. I didn't take long to get fairly comfortable holding it, even with my non-dominant hand. About the soap, it's not too strong and has a unique smell.

I'm definitely going to need help getting a good lather. My later seemed too thin. I gather this means I'm using too much water. Can someone give me tips for working with this kind of glycerin-based soap? Please be as specific as possible and start at the very beginning.

About the shave itself, putting a blade that sharp to my face for the first time was a little intimidating so I took it very slow. My cheeks seemed the easiest, neck a little harder, and chin/jawline was the toughest. I cut myself a few times around my chin but nothing major. After spending about 30 minutes on this, my skin was getting a little sore so I only did one pass in the sense of everywhere going with the grain. (I read you should do a 2nd pass along side the grain; then against it the 3rd time if your skin can handle it.) The end result was a fairly close shave - about what I was getting out of my disposable - but not what I'm ultimately seeking. I presume I'll need to do a 2nd pass to get better results.

Another reason I stopped after the first pass (again, just with the grain) is that I chipped/knicked my brand new razor. It hit the bottom of the faucet when I was rinsing it. As soon as I heard the knock I knew what had happened and felt pretty embarrassed, since it was my first time using one and I was trying to be careful to not do that. Anyway, the knick can be seen with my naked eye, and on one side of the blade, I can feel it. What are my options? Could it be fixed by honing? Or do I need a new razor?

So, all-in-all, I can't say I had a great first experience. But I understand it will take time and I'm going to keep at it. What motivates me the most about straight razor shaving is getting a closer shave than ever before, especially on my neck.

Thanks for your time.

I'm sorry about the ding on the razor, modul8r! That sucks. But it sounds like you had a pretty positive first shave otherwise.

First the razor: unless you really hit the blade hard, a small nick or chip can be honed out. There are plenty of people here who would be willing to help you out with that. Check the classifieds.

For future shaves, you may want to wipe the blade off on a towel in between passes instead of rinsing it every time. I wipe the lather off on the palm of my hand. This way the razor never gets near the sink or faucet, except for the final rinse at the end of the shave. But, do what works for you, just be careful.

The 2nd and 3rd passes will come with time. If you focus on a good prep and proper technique with the grain, it will get easier. I would say once you can do WTG passes without a lot of irritation, try across the grain.

Keep us posted on how things go!

A bit belated welcome.

You did very well for a first shave. They only get better afterwards. Don't try to get close one pass shave. It's beard reduction, not elimination. You probably want to stick with one pass for few more shaves, then do across the grain. Again closeness will come as your technique improves. No point of getting close shave if half of your skin is missing too

As far as the chip on the blade, yes it's got to be honed out and I'd be surprised if it's too big to not be necessary. You may want to post a picture. It happens to almost everyone sooner or later. I do rinse my razors as I shave but I can also just wipe them if I want to.

Thanks for the replies.

I forgot to mention that I hadn't shaved for a few days, when I did my first straight razor shave. I was wondering if that made it a little difficult. In other words, with a straight razor, does it make a difference (make it easier) if I shave every day? I'm used to shaving every few days and with my disposable it doesn't seen any tougher. Of course, I'm hoping that by becoming more comfortable with a straight razor, that will motivate me to shave every day. Anyway, in summary I'm wondering if I should have first shaved, say, the day before with my disposable to make the straight razor shave (practice for a newbie) easier.

There's a knife sharpening place not far from my house that I'll check out tomorrow. I presume they are familiar with honing straight razors.

I'll keep you guys updated.

Cheers,

-mod

Hey, bad luck on dinging the razor; I did exactly the same a while back! Now i don't rinse the razor at all while shaving, I wipe it on some loo roll and place it ever so carefully on a towel on the shelf beside me!

Shaving off a few days' stubble? In my experience so far, the straight is far better at that than a disposable ever was. It's impossible for a straight to get clogged with hair the way a disposable does. In fact last week I went for an entire week without shaving (very unusual for me! moving house, renovating house, no time, razors packed in boxes etc!) and apart from lathering being more difficult the shave was just as comfortable and close as when I'm normally shaving every day. (And it was a great feeling to be smooth again!!)

As for the "knife sharpening place", I'd be very careful! There's no reason at all to think that the people there will be familiar with sharpening straight razors, which requires a different technique from knives, not to mention a good deal of practice. If they're not familiar but just "have a go" using their usual techniques, then they WILL f**k up your blade! Your best bet is to get someone from the forum to hone it for you. (Not me though, I'm just a rank amateur with the hones!!!)

Well done on the first shave tho!

Cheers,
Ian.

Noooooooo!!! Please don't assume that a knife sharpening place is familiar with how to sharpen a straight!
Send it off to one of the honemeisters from the forum or optimally find a honemeister that lives near you.