Thread: My First Straight Razor Shave...

was this morning and now I'm hooked. I managed to do a pretty good job aside from accidentally poking my left ear lobe with the point of the blade. I have to say, it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. AND no razor burn or red bumps on my neck which really surprised me.

Anyway, I have a question... what is the purpose of the bevel that is ground on the underside of the shank near the heel of so many straight razors I see?

Thanks!

Not sure! It might be there for newbies in case their first shave goes well they can still ask a question . . .

I'm new at this too, and have also had only pleasant experiences, perhaps because it's new, dangerous, and I'm on high-alert!
However, just one look at that killer edge commands absolute respect, and I can't imagine it will diminish. It has its own kind of authority.
I don't know about the bevel, but it's a good 'in' for discussion!
Welcome!

I assume it's there to prevent having a sharp edge that could bind in or gouge the scales when the razor is closed, but that's just a guess.

I have always been interested in knives, sharpening them, and knife making. I think I'm going to try my hand at refurbishing/customizing an old vintage razor. I'm especially fond of the big thick Wade & Butchers with the barber's notch. I'm going to try and pick one up on ebay.

adamboy, where did you get your first razor? what kind is it? I had my good first experience at straight shaving the other day. my problem is it's just not sharp enough to go against the grain (i'm still learning how to hone) but I was just curious if you had your first razor honed by a honemeister or if you did it yourself.

I started out just looking for a strop a couple weeks ago. My dad had one in his wood shop that he used on his pocket knife and other tools. He always had a razor sharp knife in his pocket and was known for that.

Anyway, he taught me how to sharpen knives and I wanted to get a strop. I landed on ClassicShaving's website and started reading some of their articles on straight razor shaving. The next thing I knew, I not only had a strop in my shopping cart, but also a mug and soap, a brush, and a $240 Hart Steel straight razor. I imagine most members in this forum wouldn't recommend it as a first razor, but it really appealed to me. I like the looks of it, the fact that it was hand-made in the USA, and that the type of steel and Rockwell hardness was listed in the description.

When the items arrived, I imagine it was sharp enough to shave out of the box as it was well oiled and well protected in the packaging, but I also recently purchased a few Shapton glass stones and couldn't resist hitting it a few licks on the 16,000 grit stone (after watching the World of Straight Razor Shaving DVD i also got with the razor). I already have a pretty good feel for sharpening and figured I wouldn't mess up too bad with that fine a grit. I stropped on my new Dovo extra wide and commenced to shave.

I can't really say if the edge was the best it could be, but it did the job well. I shaved with it again this morning and got good results (and this time managed to avoid my ear lobe).

Bevel-setting in theory and practice - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Check out this link to the Wiki site on the Bevel. Reading this should answer your question.

Good Luck,

Pabster