Thread: Newbie Question

After spending some time getting a double edge down I have been bitten by the straight razor bug. My great uncle is a barber and recently sent me three of his straight razors, his strop, and his hone. The razors are reportedly shave ready as per him, but I do have some lingering questions:
1. Are these supplies all I need in terms of getting and keeping the razor ready to go? (see pics for more details)
2. How often will I need to strop?
3. How often will the razor need honing?
4. Any advice on storage and upkeep/maintenance?

In terms of the pics, the first two razors are different and you can see the different inscriptions on the shank. I also have a dubl duck satinedge that was given to me as well.

Thanks,
Todd

For starters, read the help files. They contain lots of useful info. If he was using his hone professionally and with good results, then I don't see why it shouldn't keep your razors shave-ready.

1) Your supplies are ok, especially assuming you have a good brush/soap(s).
2) You need to strop just before each shave and sometimes even in between passes, but I've never had to do it.
3) The rule of thumb is every 5-15 shaves for a refreshment on the hone. Basically when the quality of the shave deteriorates significantly. It depends on your beard and how delicate the blade is.
4) The strops should be lightly treated with mink oil or strop conditioner. As long as you shave regularly with the razors, you don't need to do anything other than keep them in a dry place. The hone will need to be occasionally scrubbed with a stiff brush and lapped on a piece of 600-grit wet/dry sandpaper (in wet condition ofcourse) on a glass plate or any other flat, SMOOTH surface.

Good luck and welcome aboard Todd.

Edit: It is obvious that those blades have been used a lot and that your uncle knew what he was doing:
a) There is a lot of hone wear evident.
b) The edge is very even, a sign of someone who knows how to hone a blade. Ask him for honing tips and pass some on here, we're here to both teach and learn.

In short:
1) yes (but you'll likely be bitten by one or more acquisition bugs anyway)
2) before each shave (some strop between passes during a shave as well, others strop after too--I do neither).
3)when it starts pulling rather than cutting smoothly
4)keep them dry

Nice equipment and welcome...you'll soon find that this hobby is addicting.

Ed

Thank you for the quick replies.
To clarify, the strop pics are of the same strop. I also have a steady supply of brushes, soaps and creams to last me many-a-year.
How many passes on the strop before starting the shave???
After shaving do you squirt any alcohol on the blade for evaporative purposes or just let it lay out and air dry?

Thanks again!
Todd

There was a replicated experiment done here not too long ago on stropping. The results seem to indicate that 60 passes on the strop is about the optimum to keep the razor sharp the longest time.

When I'm done shaving, I rinse the razor in the hottest water I have (keep it away from the scales), dry thoroughly, and leave it open on a shelf to finish drying throughout the day. I've found that if you have adequate ventillation in your bathroom, nothing else is required.

Ed

The one hone might be good for touch ups, but you might find you want something else after a while or that pastes are a good addition, Other than that (and a good shaving brush) I'd say you're good to go.

I wipe my blade down with rubbing alcohol at least after every shave, sometimes before too.

I want to echo Ilija's plea for technical advice from your uncle. If he can make that one hone work and keep those razors in that condition then he's been doing something right and we'd sure like to know about it.

X

Thank you all for the info. I will try and check out the sticky info as well.
I am really looking forward to giving this a go. I will respond here with any info from my uncle.
Also, the first razor was the razor his mother (a barber too) used, the second was the razor he was given when he first started shaving, and the dubl duck satinedge was what he used at his shop on a daily basis. A nice piece of family history.

Todd