Thread: Getting Started

Hello everyone! My name is Tyler. I joined this forum about a year ago because i was intrested in straight shaving. The only problem was, i still had not developed enough facial hair to shave with a SR. I come to you now a year later, still intrested in the world of SR's. I have now grown sufficent hair on my face to where i have to shave almost every day. I am almost 17 so i am still very young. My question to you is, Where to start? I am currently un-employed so i only make money by doing yard work and helping around the house. I have a tight budget, but would still love to start somewhere. I already know about how to shave and what to use. I have researched alot already. I am going to my local antique store soon to get a few things. If not for use, then at least collection. I am trying to get my hands on a badger hair brush. The only thing is, If i buy one from the antique store, can i use it? How do i go about cleaning or restoring the brush so it is sanitary and ok for use? Also i might get a SR or a DE. There are some pretty good ones at the store for $20. The blades are very nice. But I need to know how i can go about restoring it and all. I need a nice beginer strope too. Im not so sure about honing though. how do i learn? Basicly I need your help to get me going! Thank you all in advance!

Hi there,

Looks like you will find Buying a beginner's set on a budget - Straight Razor Place Wiki useful. It's part of Straight Razor Place Wiki:Books/Beginners Guide - Straight Razor Place Wiki which you might also find helpful.

Rather than get a used antique brush, I would go for a cheap supermarket brush. If you want to learn how to hone razors from antique stores, you will have go get more than one hone (if we are talking synthetic hones), and that can get expensive easily. Unless you want to make it a hobby, I'd suggest to save the money for more useful things like shaving creams.

Welcome aboard Tyler! I highly recommend you extend your budget a little and purchase a razor from the classifieds. You will be getting a good razor at a great price. Also, check to make sure the razor is "shave ready" (it will be marked as so in the ad). The reason for this recommendation is that you don't have to sink quite so much money (good hones are not cheap) into your first attempt. Also, you can develop your shaving skills first without the addition of learning how to hone as well. Trying to do so will likely put you in a quandry when your shave doesn't come out so well. Is it your shaving technique? Or is it that you didn't properly hone your razor? The other alternative is to buy your inexpensive razor then send it out to one of our honemeisters to do the right job. However, that's an additional cost (and well worth it). Add things a little at a time...

Tyler,

I sent you a PM about a brush solution.

Drew

welcome to srp

as far as brush from antique store goes, it depends. if it looks good i'd say it's very likely to work very well too. for cleaning it you can use shampoo.
as far as straight razors remember that whatever you get in an antique shop will need to be honed (about 99.3% chance) and you may not be able to spot serious issues with it because you don't know what these are. but it's fun if you don't mind loosing whatever you pay for it.
DE razors are easier to buy as they are just holders for the blades, so there really aren't much functional issues that you can't notice.

+1 BeBerlin - the wiki has some good ideas for inexpensive strops, brushes, etc.

As for the razor, definitely go with a shave ready razor off the classifieds or from a reputable dealer. Hones can be expensive and they're going to have their own learning curve. Focus on learning to shave with a straight razor for now. Honing isn't a daily chore. If you get a shave ready razor and don't ding it on the sink, you should be good to go for a few months.

Ok guys, thanks for the advice so far! I went to my local Antique store yesterday, and picked up an old single edge safety razor. Its an Ever-Ready. They had a SR for a resonable price but i think i'll get one from the classifieds. So for my safety razor, i got some blades from walmart. A few questions though. How do i get the razor shave ready? And will the walmart blades work as well as really old blades made by gillette for the razor? Do i need to clean anything before use? As far as a brush goes I found a set at walmart with soap, a bowl, and a boar hair brush. will this work ok to start me out? And finally what would be a cheap and easy way of getting a strope? Thanks!

I don't like the walmart blades myself. I loved the Shark blades I got on amazon though, $17 for 100. If you want to clean the safety razor, you can boil it if it is all metal. That works great for all the old gillettes. The set from Walmart is great for starting, I used that brush and soap for my first few months.

I'm bit confused what exactly did you get

Originally Posted by Kyro98

picked up an old single edge safety razor. Its an Ever-Ready.
....
How do i get the razor shave ready? And will the walmart blades work as well as really old blades made by gillette for the razor?

I think most razor blades nowadays are double-edge ones. Feather makes single edge blades and they fit their razors, not sure if they work with anything else. Breaking a double edge blade in half may or may not work in a DE razor.

Which razor do you want to make shave-ready? The holder for blades that I think you got likely needs just to be cleaned up - boiling water, scrubbing bubbles, toothbrush that kind of thing. The actual blades that do the cutting dont' need anything except taking them out of the packaging and placing them in the holder(razor).

Originally Posted by Kyro98

And finally what would be a cheap and easy way of getting a strope?

Buying one of the illinois models, or for a no-canvas version the $20 that ruprazor sells.