Hello new member from KC MO.

[Johnqrazor]

Hello everyone! I've been doing research and reading a lot about straight razor shaving. I have a razor that I can't seem to find any information about. I will attach some images which hopefully help. Has Old Francisco on one side, and Bar Sup co on the other. I've sharpened the blade and am awaiting my strop to strop it before attempting to use this blade. I don't have a large budget and hopefully some local members might have some advice on where to get some cheap but good quality blades. Any information about this blade would be great as well. Thanks!

[nun2sharp]

Welcome! PM sent!

[Alembic]

Hi, welcome to SRP.

The main concern - have with your razor is the amount of spine wear it has.
Might be difficult to get a good bevel on.

[Johnqrazor]

Spine is the top broad area of the blade right? Which picture best illustrates the wear on the spine?

[MODINE]

Welcome aboard JohnQ, The top right two photos show the spine wear. I'm sure Kelly has clued you in. Check out the Wiki guides on terminology.
MIke

[Johnqrazor]

I guess I just don't understand or see the damage your writing about,and how this effects the blades ability to hold an edge. I've looked over the terms however this isn't a matter of knowing terminology it's really a matter of understanding where and what your referring to when I am looking at the pictures and the blade. The spine to my understanding is the broad top of the blade. So I gather we are looking at the top slight curvature edge on the front and back of the blade. What am I missing about the damage or possible location of where I am looking?

[Alembic]

I guess I just don't understand or see the damage your writing about,and how this effects the blades ability to hold an edge. I've looked over the terms however this isn't a matter of knowing terminology it's really a matter of understanding where and what your referring to when I am looking at the pictures and the blade. The spine to my understanding is the broad top of the blade. So I gather we are looking at the top slight curvature edge on the front and back of the blade. What am I missing about the damage or possible location of where I am looking?

Ok. Look at the broad flat areas on either side of the spine. These are very well worn, indicating to us that the razor has been honed many times.

If you look down the blade from the toe end, you can see that a triangle is formed between the sides of the spine and the very edge of the blade. This is important geometry for setting the bevel of the razor, which is the first stage of honing (barring any edge damage).

The flatter the spine, the more difficult to set the bevel. You can add layers of tape to the spine to increase the angle formed by the spine and edge. It takes more skill.

Speaking of which, what has been your honing experience? Honing a razor to shave ready is a developed skill and takes a bit to learn.

[dward]

Look in the classifieds. You will find some truly nice razors at great prices. Don't worry about getting junk. Our members have reputations to protect. All of the members there will work with you.

Besides the razor you are going to need the following at a minimum:

1. Strop
2. Cream/soap
3. Brush

At some point in the next few months you are also going to need a pasted strop and/or a barber's hone to freshen your edge. If you can swing a little over a $100 you can also look at getting a very nice new starter set from one of our fine vendors (SRD and Kenrup come to mind). Unless you are quite knowledgable I would stay away from eBay or other such sites (this includes strops). The "bargain" you pick up there may end up costing you quite a lot of $ in the long run. No matter where you get your razor, ensure that it is "shave ready", not sharpened by the manufacturer. Not the same meanings. Don't let your friend who knows how to sharpen your hunting or kitchen knives touch the blade, unless that friend also shaves with straight razors. Knives and razors require different edges. Read the Wiki to see what not to buy...

[Johnqrazor]

Thanks for the advice. I've read all the wiki threads before joining. This is my first razor. No experience with honing before. I actually have the the beveled edge on the razor. I took it to Ambros brothers who confirmed the edge is good. I've sharpened other knives before and watched videos and read pdfs on the subject of straight razor sharpening. I have all the supplies already, such as soap, brush, strop (to be delivered this week), razor honing fluid and stone. The blade is quite sharp and I am just awaiting the strop to bring the edge to the point before using. I spent far less than 100 acquiring all of these items at no sacrifice to quality. That being said these are beginner items I have acquired. I've checked the classifieds here for razors. I will probably look at getting something better around the start of the year. This is the first I've heard of the spine effecting the beveled edge. How exactly does this effect the blades ability to be beveled? I am just trying to understand. Also there is no telling who the manufacturer is?