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Hi everyone, I recently purchased my first straight razor (antique) and cannot get it sharp so I am looking to start over. I listened to my stepfather and apparently he has no idea what he is talking about. Anyone have advice on finding a blade, strop, and stone for a decent price?
thanks
Justin
If you haven't done so yet, check out the Beginner's Guide on the wiki. You ought to get a lot of good info to start.
After that, it may be easiest to check out this thread. Most of the advice applies.
Good luck and welcome to SRP!
Do you live in the US?Quote:
Originally Posted by jrauen01
If so, I could probably sharpen the razor you bought. If you could take some pictures of it that would be helpful in determining if it's a quality razor worth sharpening.
Let me know, and I'd be glad to help out if I can.
thanks for the link. How important is a honing stone? And which grit is best? I really want to succeed with straight edge but seem to be having a rough start!
thanks Rob, yes, I live in Mn. But I think my blade is a lost cause! I tried to test the sharpness by cutting my arm but could not draw blood no matter how hard I tried. I would rather start fresh. When I do something, I want to do it right!
Justin
You can find people to sharpen razors for you here. Several people have their services listed in the Classifieds.Quote:
Originally Posted by jrauen01
It's probably best to pick up another razor from ebay that is a good razor (many can be had for under $20) and practice honing with THAT razor so you don't dull the edge of your sharp razor.
If you just want to "touch up" your sharp edge, you can get a barber hone (also from ebay) or another finishing stone (C12k, Escher, Jnat, etc.) if you prefer.
If you get a razor sharpened, you can easily maintain that edge for a good while with a pasted strop and a leather strop.
If you plan on restoring old razors, that's gonna require more hones, and a decent investment of time.
The Wiki also has a great deal of information about honing, and a great source of information on the subject. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.
The blade might just be really dull. I have a full set of hones, and could probably get it sharp for you if it's a good quality razor (i.e. made by a quality razor company).Quote:
Originally Posted by jrauen01
Like I said, pictures or just saying what is stamped on the tang might suffice.
Its a wade and butcher razor. On one side it says Manufactured by wade and butcher sheffield. I cannot read the other side but it looks something like "blank" and Ole's "blank" steel
thank you for all the help. I have no intention at this point of working with antique razors. I just would like to be able to shave cleanly with a nice straight edge. I will probably start looking on ebay. Any advice on brands?
Wade and Butcher is a good quality vintage razor...If you send it to a honemeister, such as Rob, he should be able to get an edge on it that is sharp.
As was suggested previously, go to the SRP wiki, before buying any str8 razor. It will tell you what brands of razors are good and which ones to stay away from.
If all else fails, go to Ruprazor, the SRP classifieds, Straight Razor Designs or Vintage Blades. You can find a professionally sharpened razor in any of those places.
IMHO going to ebay may not be the best choice for somebody who is just getting into str8 razor shaving.
Take care...
ok someone mentioned ebay
dont do it. But when you do its a few things to remember
new and cheap stay away(exept only gold dollar)
old ones: good pictures of just the blade is a must, any dark lines,exessive rust,blue/yellow steel is not a good bet,
good rep seller
after getting all this you have a fair chance of getting something that can be brought back to life
I think i should just try to find a complete set on this site or a similar one. I want to do this right! Do these exist? Rob, do you think a vintage blade like mine is salvageable?
Welcome to SRP!
Rob has made a very generous offer. The Wade & butcher razor you have should not be a problem to get an edge on, as long as it is in good condition.
You can also check out this thread http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...beginners.html
Good Luck :gl:
Lu
I agree! rob seems like a very stand up guy.
And thank you for the link. It appears to be very helpful!
The beginers wiki has the perfect info and instructions for honing and stropping. It covers everything you would ever want to know. You will probably want to take Rob up on his offer so you can have the perfect blade rather than trying to cut up your face learning how to shave and sharpen at the same time. SRD.com has a honing service as well.
I would bet that sometime this Spring, although nothing is yet in the works, we'll have another Minnesota get together. We've been meeting at Mike Blue's (an esteemed member) shop/forge in Cannon Falls. Keep on the lookout for such talk. You'd enjoy meeting other guys and learning about honing and all things razor related.
Chris L
How often do you guys head to Cannon? One of my best friends lives out there and it is a very small town
I will definitely take Rob up on his offer but I do not know if my blade is even worth it. It is very, very dull
I'd send him a picture and he'll tell u if its worth it. Most blades can be restored.
We've met a few times within the last year or so. Consensus is that we'd like to meet several times per year. The last meeting was last Fall sometime. Maybe April? There's a section in the forum if you look around that's dedicated to posts about specific meets. It may be in the announcements section?Quote:
Originally Posted by jrauen01
If you send me a PM just saying "hey" and an email address and I'll save it and put you on a contact list when we start to form the next meet.
There have been about 10-15 of us each time and we all have a blast and learn a lot.
Chris L
I hope to be there next time. Hopefully the hazing isn't too bad for the newbies....
Not as long as you bring some sort of vittles to share.:)Quote:
Originally Posted by jrauen01
Chris L
As long as there is a White Castle in Cannon, I think you guys will be in luck! Exactly how many bathrooms does this guy have?
Jk
Back to your shaving with a straight razor.
If you want to start with a new set, yes there are number of vendors where you can get that. straightrazordesigns, classicshaving, vintageblades should all be good.
Do not buy a new razor set on ebay. In 99% of the cases even if it's a good quality it will have a bad edge.
The hones that you need to sharpen a razor depend on how bad the edge is. And in all likelihood you cannot evaluate it, so get something that is honed, shave-tested and ready to go.
what would you recommend? I am really eager to get a nice blade and get started
Hello there I'm Camelia
new here just signed up and
glad to be here looking forward
to meet you all and have a
nice friendship.
That's a very interesting topic.
But this field is still new to me.
It will be grateful if you give me some
more information about it.
Thanks in advance.
jrauen01 - If it all it needs is to be sharpened, that's not a lost cause! All blades need to be sharpened. Many restorers "butter knife" straight razors (which sounds like where yours is at, edge-wise) while they're in restoration to make it less dangerous to work on, and then put the edge back on when they're done restoring.
Doesn't matter how dull it is, as long as the razor isn't cracked, horribly rusted and pitted, or otherwise just extremely damaged, putting a great edge on it shouldn't be a problem at all.
Even with a brand new razor, you still have to hone it occasionally, and you can still blunt the edge quickly through mistreatment, just like with vintage.
Rob made a very good offer, hopefully he can get it back into shape. It sounds like it could be a really good razor. :)