Idea for broke n00bs.

So, I'm very broke. And a n00b who would like to get into the world of straight shaving. LilithParker was kind enough to offer me a straight, for which I am eternally grateful.

However, the last thing I want to do is wreck this perfectly nice straight by being a dumbass. And since I didn't even have the money to get one, I obviously don't have the money to buy one solely for the purpose of destroying.

So, I had an idea.

What if I made a fake razor? Something that I could just practice the motions with, so I'm less likely to screw it up when I'm using the real thing?

So that's what I did. I made a straight razor out of cardboard from a pizza box, and a piece of piercing jewelry (since I have lots of them laying around, ha ha).

Obviously it doesn't feel like a straight in your hand. But maybe it would be a good practice tool for broke n00bs like myself, for stuff like stroping technique, shaving angles, and figuring out the "tricky spots" before you've planted the blade in your artery.

What you will need:
1. Some cardboard, or other semi-stiff material.
2. Scissors.
3. A screw driver or a hole punch.
4. Something to bind the 2 pieces together with so that they rotate (you can use an earing, a 3-ring-binder pin, etc).

Instructions here, pictures below.

First, trace your pieces. I just sort of guess-timated. I know the razor ss 9/16 and about 2.5 inches long. I didn't measure. Just a rough drawing. Also, I made the tang wider than it normally would be so that the cardboard wouldn't bend as much at the hinge.

Cut out your pieces, trying not to bend the cardboard (a razor is ideal for this - I didn't have one, ironically enough). Then, get out your screw driver and poke the holes that will be your hinging point. A bit of the "tang" should be hanging over so you can practice proper gripping technique.

Use your axis to attach the 2 pieces. I used a piercing jewelry. A regular stud post earring would work fine too.

And voila! You have a nifty little practice razor! You can also stiffen it up by putting a layer of tape or some such over it.

Thing this is useful for:
Practicing stropping
Practicing grip
Practicing pressure while shaving
Finding tricky spots

Things this is NOT useful for:
Honing
Actual shaving.

But I hope you would be able to figure that out.

And now, the pictures!

Very nice! I was able to use a straight I got off of ebay for about $5 (cheap enough for even a college kid like me), but I also made a mock up in wood to practice stropping with since I figured I was less likely to ruin my strop with it than with a real razor.

Drew

Bless you dear.
Having a very nice experience with a young lady from Oz back in '69 when I was in Australia from that denounced and unpatriotic war in Viet Nam (she actually cooked a fine dinner for me which was much appreciated after eating c4 warmed or cold C rats from Blue Star Foods in Council Bluffs ,Ia that were packed in 1944), and perhaps more. Fond memories....
But I digress, many have used butter or regular kitchen knives. But you, young lady (piercing items excluded because I totally don't understand) have shown the innovation that we appreciate.
Now let me caution you that you cannot really learn stropping on a cardboard razor. Real steel is required, and it is so very easy to screw up. Many, including yours truly, have managed to ****(yes, that was the F word) up a professional edge by poor stropping.
While I don't frequent the Ladies pages much, I do recognize Lilith (damn that's a sexy name, one reason I stay out of there as I'm a known heterosexual) as one of the original female straight razor users.
So, good luck, Merry Christmas (even though it is summer in the Southern Hemisphere), and with very fond memories of the land down under.

Thanks Hawkeye5. I do realize that getting the feel of effective stropping down requires a real razor, but I was thinking if I already had the direction changing technique and the steady hand down, I'd make a lot fewer screw-ups with the real thing.

DPflaumer mentions what is probably an even better idea, which is using wood, but for those of us who are on a level of broke-ness that even that seems like a bad way of spending money, perhaps this will provide some sort of alternative.

And, actually, I'm American. :) I just travel a lot. My username is not simply for effect. But it is a pretty place.

It's weird for it to be warm on Christmas though!

Necessity is the mother of invention once again. Neat idea. You could practice going through the motions of manipulating the razor on your face with that pizza box razor. For practicing stropping I might try a butter knife on a waist belt.

I'm most sure you could, which is why I shared, but I don't grow a lot of hair there. ;)

Perhaps so. I was just wondering if the hinge might alter the technique in a way that a straight, solid object wouldn't translate to. Maybe not, as I've never honestly held a properly intact straight razor, just old, very beat up antique ones that clearly had more than a few issues going on.

But with what little I've managed to fiddle with it so far, I'm already glad I have. I've figured out I probably need to get comfortable with at least 2 or 3 different grips for my left leg alone, ha ha. So glad I didn't wait until I had a sharp object to my skin to figure that out...

The hinge shouldn't be a big deal, after all, Japanese straights are one piece and the stropping motion is essentially the same. Just make sure you are practicing the motions properly :D

thats pretty cool..........when i first started i just went for it luckily i havnt killed my strop yet and only let the spike point bite me once... so far.. the only thing i can think of that has not been mentioned or i missed is get used to using both hands

Ha ha, thanks! I think it's kinda nifty myself.

I'm hoping I can jump right in without any major mistakes, but since I simply don't have the money to replace it, or even get it properly honed, should I happen to destroy it, I'd rather get a running start.

Besides, I'm going for BBS right out the gate. :)

just watch some of the stroping videos and TAKE YOUR TIME stroping.. i still hate stroping because it takes me so long..but i havnt wrecked the blade into the leather yet either. well im sure the razor that is being gifted your way will be shave ready for sure and long as you strop it good it should last quite some time before it needs to be touched up on a hone again...dont get to excited running out the gate take your time so the blade doesnt bite you. i was a little shakey the first time i put the steel to my face

I'm going for it but I don't necessarily know that I'll achieve it, ha ha.

One of the nice things about the area I'm shaving is that, from everything I've read, legs only require one ATG pass. So that gives me a bit of hope. It's such a simple body part to shave.

I'll wait on trying underarms and all that, but I don't expect it to be nearly so easy.