Hello!

**captenicon** · 02-03-2009, 07:10 PM

Hello everyone!

I am new to straight razor shaving but have been lurking around this forum for the past few weeks. I bought Simons (simmons?) Hardware KeenKutter 739 on ebay and should have it hopefully by the end of the week. I also bought a strop and am hoping to start shaving the right way soon. I just wanted to introduce myself. Thanks to all for a great site!

-Pete

**Rajagra** · 02-03-2009, 07:14 PM

Hello and welcome! Nice looking razor you have there.

**sflores** · 02-03-2009, 07:29 PM

Hey there Pete. Welcome and enjoy.

**Slartibartfast** · 02-03-2009, 07:30 PM

Originally Posted by captenicon

Hello everyone!

I am new to straight razor shaving but have been lurking around this forum for the past few weeks. I bought Simons (simmons?) Hardware KeenKutter 739 on ebay and should have it hopefully by the end of the week. I also bought a strop and am hoping to start shaving the right way soon. I just wanted to introduce myself. Thanks to all for a great site!

-Pete

Is the razor "Shave Ready"?

This is important to you not having a bad experience

**Seraphim** · 02-03-2009, 07:34 PM

Yeah, you need to hone up an Ebay razor before using it. Stropping won't get it ready to shave by itself.

**nun2sharp** · 02-03-2009, 07:37 PM

Send it out and get it honed, then enjoy that beauty!

**dward** · 02-03-2009, 08:36 PM

A hearty welcome to SRP. Don't be afraid to ask questions because there is a wealth of experience and help available to you. As already mentioned, a strop won't sharpen it for you. Unless the ebay ad said that the razor was shave ready, you will need to have it honed. The best way for that to happen is to send it out to one of our honemeisters. It will take from 1-3 weeks depending on their workloads. You can find them in the classifieds.

In addition to the strop and razor you will also need shaving soap/cream (personal choice) and a shaving brush (from less than $10 to obscene prices). At some point you will also need a hone, but not for several months provided you properly maintain your razor (keeping it clean and dry between shaves, and proper stropping). You should also get a copy of Lynn's CD. It's a veritable fountain of information about most aspects of the straight razor, including shaving.

I know the CD runs around $20 plus shipping, and the honing will run you $20-$25, but consider those as investments. And your razor will be with you a very long time. Like everything else good in life, doing it on the cheap isn't really saving you any money. Since that razor is going to be against your facial skin it should do its job cleanly and efficiently. Any other way and your face will pay a very painful price. If you plan to buy your own hones it will likely cost you a few hundred dollars for a proper set of hones. $25 dollars sounds pretty cheap compared to that. Plus you won't want to worry about trying to learn how to shave with a straight razor and learn honing skills at the same time.

**mlangstr** · 02-03-2009, 09:02 PM

Welcome to the straight path!

Looks like you bought yourself a nice razor.. as mentioned before its good to send it out to get honed and you can start your adventure. The start of this path can be a bit bumpy but when you get the hang of it it will be smoooooooth..

just read all you can and take it easy!

Maarten

**captenicon** · 02-03-2009, 09:16 PM

Thank you all for the help so far and the info. The razor is not shave ready. I do have experience with honing knives, but I understand that razors are NOT knives. Haha. I've found a few different hones on ebay as well that "appear" to be in decent condition. I may invest in those.

As for the shaving soap/creme, I understand that there are many different ones to use. My pockets are not very deep right now, so I think I'll have to use aerosal shaving creme for the meantime and buy the right soap and creme later. I won't shave until I have honed the razor to where it needs to be. I surely need to invest in a brush and bowl.

Correct me if they already exist, for me personally, I learn best when I am shown how to do things, but can learn very well when reading articles. If it is not too much trouble, perhaps some fellow experienced members can post videos (if they can) showing their routine of preparing the soap/creme and shaving. I know this would help me a lot if not others too. Thank you all for your time. This is going to be a great start to something new.

**Moggs** · 02-03-2009, 09:45 PM

Hi Cap and welcome!

They do exist - look at the Wiki and a search through the shaving forum will reveal many embedded vids and YouTube links. Lynn's DVD is highly recommended.

Good kit is a precursor to good results by the way. Oh, and patience and research have been useful tutors for me!

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