My accidental discovery of straight razors

I just had my first go at straight razor shaving yesterday... but I'll come to that later.

Up till a week or 2 ago, I've been a disposable user. I'd been looking for the cheapest way to shave without injury.

Some months ago, I was on holiday and forgot to take shaving foam - so I tried using some hand soap... and it worked. When I got back I bought a $2 stick of shaving soap (can't get cheaper than that) and have been using it since - just wetting my face, rubbing it on and using my fingers to make it slippery. Seemed an improvement on foam - money and shave wise.

Very recently, I started wondering if there was a better way to use the soap so I started to google 'shaving' and this is where I quickly entered the Wet shaving world (though I guess I was already in it without knowing).

Next step - $2 shaving brush from supermarket - still cheap and works fine (though I'm now thinking about a more pricey brush as a treat - and save this for travelling).

Now I've discovered how to lather - but still using the twin blade disposable with lubricating strip (which I tended to use well after they get dull).

A week ago - after more reading on shaving sites (the Art of manliness pushed me over the edge) - I bought a $25 Safety razor at the local shopping centre (the only kind they had) - Weishi DE.

Honestly - I can't understand why anyone switched to disposables. After an initial outlay, the razors are much cheaper and offer a way better shave. The power of advertising I guess.

Less than a week into DE shaving, I'm already thinking about straight blades - I remembered that there were 1 or 2 of my grandfather's old straights somewhere in my dad's garage - so I found one: Cadman and son's Bengali (Made for Melbourne), probably in the 1950s (when my grandfather arrived here).

Straight razor discovery - I attempted honing on my straight blade (there's a tiny nick in the middle) using a combination oil stone (sorry if that's alarming anyone :medvl:). I made a rough strop with veg. tan strap I had.

Yesterday, the first shave... I got ambitious and did the whole face. Overall I think the technique was ok - got stuck trying to work out how to shave under the nose. However - the blade wasn't sharp enough and I ended up with a hot face for the day.

My experience - interesting. Different having a longer blade to shave with, some things are easier, others more challenging. I also like how you need to put thought into how you approach the shave.

From here? Later in the day I discovered that the "King of knives" have a sharpening service and they also do straight blade razors for $20. I'll find out soon if this was a good move, when I get the blade back. I'm also going to part with $100 and buy a "Black Beauty" strop from the local shave shop (the only kind they have). That'll be next week (I'm going away for a few days).

Shave 2 - I'll report back next week!

Thanks for taking the time on my big post!:)

Welcome countryman!

Indeed it was one pivotal moment in life that led me here also and I'm quite sure most members, regardless of origin, would speak of the same kind of story. You can learn so much here it is not funny and the talent that abounds within the walls of this forum regularly blows my mind.
You will see. Enjoy the journey and cheers:beer2:

Welcome to SRP. This has become my new cyberhome online. This is a great place to come after you get home kick of your shoes. Sip a beer(or something harder) read a few things, maybe buy a few things from fellow SRP members (good work, good people) and overall see alot of cool stuff.

I never truely understood how to sharpen things until I came here. Learning straight razor shaving and sharpening has allowed me to improve and understand other things. Just today actually my friend's girl friend handed me a kitchen knife and asked me to fix it. The things I learned here allowed me to put a very impressive and far more useful edge on that knife than she'd previously been used to hacking away with...she can actually SLICE now.:D

Welcome to SRP. I'm gald your first experience wasn't a total disaster Straight shaving has quickly become the best shaves I've ever had. Take time to read the wiki for beginners and if you are getting a new strop I would suggest practicing with a butter knife before putting a freshly sharpened blade to it. One wrong flip of the razor and bam one bid gash. If there are any questions/problems you come across as you learn to shave all over just ask there is always someone who either knows the answer or where to find it. Again welcome and good luck.

Welcome to SRP! I agree with the others that this forum is amazing with everything it offers from commerce to friendships. I'm sure you'll come to enjoy exploring the forum and further enriching your experiences here.

I hope the razor comes back in fine shape so you can really enjoy it. Oddly enough even on the shaves where I end up bleeding a good deal, I enjoy every shave. Then again I haven't shaved with a razor that wasn't honed correctly yet. *knock on wood*

FTG - 'Welcome' from another Aussie str8 user. I've only been using a str8 for a little over two months now, but I haven't looked back. It just gets easier and more enjoyable as time goes on.

I've seen the Black Beauty strop in a shop here also, and must say I was tempted. The Dovo strop I got with my blade is a little too narrow for my liking. I like the idea of a wider strop.

Hope all goes well.

Nice journey, and it was just the beginning! Welcome to the world of SRP!

(trumpets blaring, timpani pounding, low strings and pipe organ droning on low C#... oh wait here it is!)

YouTube - 2001 A Space Odyssey Opening

Sounds like a good intro to me, apart from the straight razor shave, but at least that can be easily improved.

If your strop is smooth, I would be tempted to keep using it.

Welcome,
this is a good place for all the information about straight shaving you will probably need, plus a pretty entertaining bunch of blokes and blokettes to yarn with. Nice to see a scattering of blokes across Aus picking up this rewarding art. Good on ya !!


cheers

Gordon

G'day & welcome. Sounds like a bit of a rough start with the oilstone.
Knife sharpening services are usually a bad idea for razors. Hopefully they don't take it to their grinder
I do the razors for my local Shaver Shop so if you get stuck PM me.
Still have my original Black Beauty from 25 years ago. Good strop.

I hear a lot of stories on this site about knife shops sharpening straight razors incorrecty. If you don't get a good shave after getting it back, you should check out the various "honemeisters" on this site that will hone your razor for a nominal fee.

Welcome to the site!

-Chief

I've decided to make a strop. (Hey - the start of this adventure was to save money! Plus it's satisfying using something you've made).

The one I quickly made was a very basic strap around 1 1/2 inches wide.

I've since found that I had some better leather lying around, so I'm using that - 2 & 3/4 inches wide and 5mm thick (1/8 inch???). It seems to be smooth enough - and I might practice stropping with a butter knife while I wait for my razor to return. (Hopefully this will also help prep the strop).

I'll put up a post with pics in the workshop forum as I get it done.

Thanks for the messages!:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by onimaru55

G'day & welcome. Sounds like a bit of a rough start with the oilstone.
Knife sharpening services are usually a bad idea for razors. Hopefully they don't take it to their grinder
I do the razors for my local Shaver Shop so if you get stuck PM me.
Still have my original Black Beauty from 25 years ago. Good strop.

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Thanks for the offer. I'll let you know how they go. (My local Shaver shop pointed me towards the King of Knives and "Cut throat" sharpening was one of the sharpening services offered - here's hoping!)

Welcome aboard and to the right way to shave... :rock:

As others have said, this is just the beginning.

X

I also started because I was looking for a cheaper alternative. It didn't stay cheap for long, before I new it there were razors, soaps, shaving creams, and after shave lotions that I just had to try. I finally got my self out of that phase, and now two years later I'm starting to see an actual dent in my supplies.

I just made my first strop :) - here's the link:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...tml#post411637

The 2nd shave - tools
Used Body Shop shaving cream, which seems good.

Used my home-made strop (almost wide enough to fit whole blade). (see another post)

Razor - Cadman and Sons Bengall - made for Melbourne, Australia.

Well - probably lots of different factors to go wrong!!

I'm not sure if blade is sharp enough yet - seemed ok on back of my hand (with lather applied) both before and after stropping. Couldn't do the Hanging Hair test.

The 2nd Shave -the shave!
Still went a bit ambitious and did whole face (but only wtg this time - I finished with the DE).

Used both hands which was interesting - tried to work out best angles for different places.

Cheeks went ok - a couple of passes.
1st pass with short strokes, light pressure.
2nd pass, longer smoother strokes and more pressure (the blade feels light compared to DE).

Above lips - slight pressure seemed to improve smoothness and cut.

Razor burn?? - Bottom of lip area (either side) - but this has always been challenging place with disposables and DE.

Nicks - 1 scratch on side of chin. (and couple of blood spots on other side)

From here- plan to experiment over weekend, mainly on cheeks. If still an issue will follow up with local honing offer (see above).

Thanks for reading,
Michael.