Thread: New blade coming

Originally Posted by rcardon

K, I think this was not meant for this thread.

uhm, no, my post was actually to your situation.

you've already spend whatever money you've spent for your DA and you think if somebody just gives you a hone you'll buy another $15 razor, will hone both and will be set for life.

so, first of all wait for your razor to arrive. try to shave with it. if it doesn't quite work strop it on newspaper for few thousand passes and see if it makes any difference (my money is that it won't do a thing). next step would be to spend $4 and buy a small pack of chromium oxide from ChrisL (it's a lifetime supply if you do it right), put some on a newspaper and strop several thousand pases (check at 10, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000 if it makes any difference).

if you can't get your razor sharp that way, it's very unlikely you'll be able to get it with a cheap barber's hone either.

of, course the razor at your local shop may be already well honed, but from my experience so far that's about a 1:500 chance.

Sorry for not posting this in the original post, but the DA will be SR, it's from a member here.
The one from the antique shop seems to be in good condition, no dings, or rust spots. It seemed fairly sharp, but not SR.
I hope this helps to clear the confusion about my reluctance to spend extra money.
Just to clarify, I was not asking for a hand out, just suggestions, leaving it open for people to make offers, one of which I have already had, you guys all know Utopian's standard offer, which I do appreciate.

if the razor is already honed well you can maintain it sharp indefinitely with just a strop or failing that a newspaper or chromium oxide.
the caveat is that you have to know what you're doing (both shaving and stropping), but a hone doesn't change that at all.

Originally Posted by gugi

if the razor is already honed well you can maintain it sharp indefinitely with just a strop or failing that a newspaper or chromium oxide.
the caveat is that you have to know what you're doing (both shaving and stropping), but a hone doesn't change that at all.

I'm a visual learner, and I have watched several videos on how to properly strop a razor. I have also read through the guide in the wiki. At this point, I have all of the theoretical knowledge I can get, it is time to make it practical.

I do, honestly, appreciate all of your advice, and will use it. Thanks again.

As someone who is very new to this myself, i wanted to stress the importance to you of actually KNOWING what SR is. When i first started over a month ago, i got a a blade from sham (Hi_BUD) that came very very sharp. But before that i picked up a Krieger from the local flea market to practice stropping with. The Krieger seemed very sharp to me, and like it could provide a decent shave...UNTIL i got shams blade in the mail. The Krieger was sharp...but a different "kind" of sharp.

Dont get in too far over your head, use a cheap strop and a barbers hone to keep your razor in good condition. Save up and buy a decent setup for honing. Itll pay off in the long run

Originally Posted by shorynot

The Krieger was sharp...but a different "kind" of sharp.

yes, the infamous letter-oppener kind !

+1 on what alot of other said. Get it honed by a honemeister. The term razor sharp is there for a reason. Save up other money to buy a nice set or see what the other ladies and gents on the forum are willing to part with. There's a nice setup of Nortons if you visit Water Stone Kit. I'm about ready to get a set of these, only a few more $'s.

Originally Posted by gugi

yes, the infamous letter-oppener kind !

Yes!!! That kind!