Thread: Complete Newbie is lost

Originally Posted by GuybrushThreewood

I gather from what I've taken in so far reading some posts, I need to hone my razor, even though it's new. I don't plan I buying old razors that need extensive restoration for the interim, so these questions just apply to the razor I have at the moment.

A warm welcome. Just managed a BBS shave with a EUR 5 ePay piece of junk that is up to speed again, courtesy of gugi's Escher and a pair of scales generously donated by gssixgun, as well as endless hours of spoon feeding by the guys from the #srp IRC channel.

Now then, while the Wiki is still a bit of a moving target due to its being new and material being added all the time, you most certainly want to peruse this article at the very minimum: What Every Beginner Should Know - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Originally Posted by GuybrushThreewood

What sort/type of stone do I need to get? Will I need more than one? This is where I'm most clueless as lost of the conversations about hones seem to be about old second hand razors, unless I'm mistaken (which is most likely)

You will not necessarily need a polishing stone at this stage, provided that your razor is indeed shave ready. Which it most likely is not. To answer your question: The Shave Ready Razor - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Originally Posted by GuybrushThreewood

When and how often will I need to hone the razor? I gather when it's blunt, but if I do everything correctly and strop before every use, etc, how often should I be between needing to be honed?

Honing for Dummies - Straight Razor Place Wiki should have answers to most of your questions.

Originally Posted by GuybrushThreewood

So I've gathered I should be stopping before every shave. Do I do the Hanging Hair Test after stropping to see if I've stropped correctly or for long enough?

The hanging hair test (explained in more detail here: Sharpness tests explained - Straight Razor Place Wiki) can be misleading.

Common consensus seems to be that a razor that passes the HHT is by all means shave ready. The reverse, however, need not necessarily be true.The ultimate test is the shave test, also explained in that article.

Originally Posted by GuybrushThreewood

The strop I have I'm fairly certain if leather both sides, do I need a canvas or linen side? When and how often do you use the canvas or linen side if you have one?

Opinions vary wildly. Personally, I have applied Dovo black paste to the canvas side of my strop, and it helps maintain a sharp edge. You may find the information found in this article helpful, too: Razor stropping - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Originally Posted by GuybrushThreewood

Do I strop after shaving too?

Not necessarily, but at least it is a good way to dry the blade.

Originally Posted by GuybrushThreewood

Finally the guy at the store mentioned something about needing pastes or oils or something for the strop although he didn't have any in at the time. What are pastes or oils? What do they do, and do I need them?

Take a look at this: Finishing Pastes - Straight Razor Place Wiki While the guy at the store is not necessarily wrong, he is not necessarily right, either.