New guy posting...

Greetings to all. Found the SRP the other day while cruising the net for SR stuff. I have been wanting to learn how to shave with a SR for a long time, but the price for a dependable razor was always too steep. Perhaps I was looking in all the wrong places. I am not a big fan of buying anything second hand, so I convinced myself that it was time to shell out some bucks to get a Thiers-Issard blade, and a strop. Have not yet received the item in the mail, but am anxious to start right away. I dont know if we have any other Marines on the board, but I am in Iraq right now and if there are any tips for how to protect the blade while deployed I can take some notes. I have shaved with a boar brush and some Surrey Shave Soap (Green& white box...) for a while and loved it. I suppose it was only a natural progression for me to find my way into a SR. Anyhow... If there is anything in particular that a guy should be aware of before trying to teach himself how to shave with a SR, I am all ears.

-Thomas

Hi Thomas, thank you for serving and welcome to SRP ! Here is one resource for about all you will need to know to get started. Most everything is in the SRP Wiki but don't hesitate to ask questions. There are tutorial videos here and this post by SRP founder Lynn Abrams is an excellent way to begin straight razor shaving.

I always strop my razor ten or twenty round trips on leather following the shave to remove any micro gunk that may be in the edge from the whiskers and skin. I wipe the razor with a tissue and then with a rust preventative and store in a dry enviorment. :gl:

Thomas, given that you're in Iraq, I assume you have the "dry environment" part covered. The downside of buying a new razor is only that it won't be ready to use right off the bat. It is almost certainly going to need to be honed unless you bought it from one of the few sellers who offer a pre-honing service. The TI's declare that they are shave ready but most on this forum have not found that to be the case. I have never bought a new one but their have been many discussions about this issue. The most recent one is here. Don't make that guy's mistake and agonize over a dull razor.

Welcome Thomas!

just make sure the razor is shaveready and you have a good strop at hand..
Take it easy and get used to the razor before you try to shave your whole face with it.. it will take some time to get used to shaving with a straight and it does require quite some patience..

Well dont forget to have some fun while shaving...

Maarten

Welcome to SRP! +1 on getting your razor honed if it does not come prehoned. Having a prehoned razor will give you a benchmark of what sharp should be. A new razor will be sharp but not sharp enough to shave with comfortably. There is a lot to learn so take your time and enjoy your new razor.:gl:

I wouldn't get overly concerned about "second hand" razors. Some of the most coveted blades are among them. Have a look through the classifieds. Besides, our members have reputations to protect so you won't be getting junk. Kenrup (a member here) sells really nice starter sets for attractive prices. Check through the Vendors Corner forum on this site to find some really great values. As already mentioned, whatever you buy ensure it is shave ready. In the classifieds the ads will state whether or not a razor is shave ready or not. Some vendors do provide honing with the razor price and others do not, but offer that service for an additional cost.

Besides the razor you will need the following as a minimum:

1. Strop (hanging the best, but a paddle will work)
2. Shave soap/cream (personal choice)
3. Brush (from less than $15 to obscene prices)

You will also need a pasting strop or barbers hone in a short bit too... :gl:

Welcome to SRP, Thomas!

- Scott

Okay, so what exactly is everyone saying:thinking:? Arey'all telling me that I just wasted money by buying a premium blade? Is a Thiers-Issard blade a LOW QUALITY BLADE? Going by what everyone here just said, then that is exactly the case. What I am really asking is-- Am I going to be REQUIRED to send this blade away to get honed by a private bladesmith BEFORE I start to shave, or is this going to be "just good enough" to use? I appreciate the warm welcoming but judging from what I have just heard, this information y'all just unloaded on me is not at all encouraging for a first timer.

So, to avoid confusion, let's tackle these point by point.

1) Is Theirs-Issard (TI) a low quality blade? NO, not at all, they are great blades! The issue is honing; many razors do not come with as fine an edge as needed. More on the wiki for more info.

2) You may or may not need to send it out. You'll have to wait and see. My TI was fully shave-ready, and with a few strops, passed the HHT. Personal milage may vary.

Remember, SR shaving can be expensive to start out, but will be cheaper in the long run.

Karl

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dward

I wouldn't get overly concerned about "second hand" razors. Some of the most coveted blades are among them. Have a look through the classifieds. Besides, our members have reputations to protect so you won't be getting junk. Kenrup (a member here) sells really nice starter sets for attractive prices. Check through the Vendors Corner forum on this site to find some really great values. As already mentioned, whatever you buy ensure it is shave ready. In the classifieds the ads will state whether or not a razor is shave ready or not. Some vendors do provide honing with the razor price and others do not, but offer that service for an additional cost.

Besides the razor you will need the following as a minimum:

1. Strop (hanging the best, but a paddle will work)
2. Shave soap/cream (personal choice)
3. Brush (from less than $15 to obscene prices)

You will also need a pasting strop or barbers hone in a short bit too... :gl:

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Why type this all out again, when I can just quote dward. :o Just make sure the razor is "shave ready" before use.

No, you didn't get a low quality blade. But given the reports on TI quality control I personally would pay more for a second hand one, so that I know the blade is not warped, and the scales are fit properly. Of course in your case 'new' is a must, so your options were fairly limited to start with. You did very well, there are a number of rather inferior quality 'new' razors that would've been just a waste of money. The one you got should be good.

You don't have to send it for honing, but chances are it will not be sharp enough. In my mind there's no doubt that the little extra cost and time is more than worth the assurance that the edge is as good as it can be.

Trust me all this information is important, even if you don't find it too encouraging. It's better to be discouraged by us from shaving with a subpar edge, than be discouraged by the shave itself. Starting the right way is very important, especially since most people experience a fairly steep learning curve.

I should say "Thanks" for giving it to me straight so I can have an idea of what to expect. Will let y'all know how things work out for me. Supposing that I send out a blade to get honed by a private bladesmith, what kind of turn-around time can I expect?

I think it depends on how busy the person is. Most of these guys have regular jobs and do this as a hobby, others like Lynn I think have just huge volume even though it looks like he hones 10 razors simultaneously (one with each finger) :)
You can contact them and find out what's the expectation, but I believe all of them try to get the razors done within a week. Then you can add the post office time and have a fairly reasonable estimate.

Look in the classifieds under member services.

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Originally Posted by TomBulls

I should say "Thanks" for giving it to me straight so I can have an idea of what to expect. Will let y'all know how things work out for me. Supposing that I send out a blade to get honed by a private bladesmith, what kind of turn-around time can I expect?

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If you would get a shave ready razor from the classifieds it shouldn't take over 1 week maybe two and you would be shaving. Shave prep is very important with a straight so have that down before starting with the straight.

bj

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TomBulls

What I am really asking is-- Am I going to be REQUIRED to send this blade away to get honed by a private bladesmith BEFORE I start to shave, or is this going to be "just good enough" to use?

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No, you are not REQUIRED to do anything. However, if your blade is not truly shave ready your face will let you know in no uncertain terms that you probably made a mistake by not doing so. The advice and recommendations given here are from knowledge gained by experience. You can purchase your own hones and perform the honing yourself, but now you have 2 skill sets to learn, shaving and honing. We strongly recommend sending your razor out for honing so you can focus on learning your skills with the razor, not trying to figure out if your razor edge is the problem or your technique.

Look through the classifieds under member services and write to that person. They will give you a time frame for their honing service. I have sent mine out for honing and have generally received them back within 2 weeks. In the grand scheme of shaving, those 2 weeks were a prudent investment. One big piece of advice is not to give it to your local knife sharpener to save time. Unless that person hones his/her own straight razors they will not know what type of edge to put on your razor and will likely botch the job. :gl:

Got it! The razor came in the mail yesterday. My 5/8 hollow ground Thiers-Issard blade. I am a little bit leary of using the pre-shave oil, shave cream, and post-shave balm that came complimentary with my order because it made my skin SO SOFT. For the first time in years it hurt to shave with my two-blade sensor excell. I am thinking of how to warm up my face to the idea of SR shaving. The only thing which immediately comes to mind is to shave with the two-blade (one pass with the grain) in the evenings, and then again with the SR to learn the technique and then shaving again in the morning if necessary. Does this sound like a decent approach?

-Thomas

Welcome Tom, and thank you for your sevice.

The advice most often given is to start by shaving the sideburn area and maybe the cheeks to start with. If you're concerned about your skin adjustment, just go with the grain to start. When you get more comfortable with the feel of the blade, expand to other areas of your face. The flatter the area, the easier it is to shave. Obviously, complete your shave with the twin blade while you learn. You may want to watch the various videos on youtube (I think Lynn's is on there too). They can help you develop technique.

We've had a few members stationed in Iraq, I don't know who is there now. I'm curious - I don't know where you are there or what the situation is like, but "less developed" or traditional societies always seem to have skilled barbers. Maybe there are some there who know how to hone a straight?

If you do send send out to a service, be sure it's one of the honemeisters here. Don't use someone who's "good at sharpening knives". Straights are different. You don't want someone damaging your nice new razor. :gl:

Jordan

1st- Thanks for serving. My good friend just got home safe, and I wish you the same!

2 Things not yet covered.- Stretching and Sharpness Testing

Stretching- read in the Wiki for full info- but your shave will be WAY more comfortable if you keep your skin taught at all times. This usually involves some combination of pulling with your off hand and weird facial expressions.

Sharpness testing- try your new blade on some arm or leg hair- just pass it through. It should cut the hair with little effort ABOVE the skin. I'm not talking magic here, but it'll catch upright hairs if it's shave ready and you'll find a bunch left on the blade. If your blade just pushes all the hair over- don't even try to shave with it, just send it out.

Good luck!

Semper Fi Thomas!

The TI is a good shaver so no worries there. Test the razors sharpness on arm hair as stated above. If it passes then give it a shot. If not send it out to get properly honed, it will be worth the time. As for storing it - after you shave dry it with a towel and then tissue paper. You can use a little oil (mineral not CL&P :D) on the blade to keep moisture from getting to it.

Learning to straight shave takes practice. Everything from pre-shave face prep to post shave storage is important to straight shaving. Keep at it and all will be well.

Most importantly, keep your a$$ down and stay safe!

Tom (former Cpl with 1/5 )

No worries, mate! I am definitely NOT using CLP on my TI blade. I have an aerosol can of Remington Shaver Saver. Sterilizes the blade, and also protects against rust and other contaminants. Cleans off easily before use under hot water and a soft cloth.

Semper Fi!
-Tom:tu