Thread: Imperial Razor 20507 find!

Ok who peed in your Captain Crunch?If this is how this board works,I'll go elswhere.

Many apologies Edwardd. I really didn't mean anything by it. It's hard to put a fun tone in typed words. Which parts are you not enjoying spending money on exactly? SR shaving is pretty affordable overall. The extra prep gets you a better shave, and several people use/have used Arkansas stones, and have used old belts to strop. I'm assuming if you're just shaving one small part of your neck, that it's not enough to really matter whether the razor is optimally sharpened. I noticed when I shaved my goatee off, that my perception of what was sharp and not sharp changed dramatically, when using the razor on my chin whiskers.
I hope this is more in line with your expectations. Please don't judge SRP by my previous comments. There are alot of great guys here, who probably have better advice than me too.

Originally Posted by regularjoe

I'm assuming if you're just shaving one small part of your neck, that it's not enough to really matter whether the razor is optimally sharpened.

No it's my entire throat from one ear to the other and all the way down to the base of the neck.

Well, sorry to hear about your troubles. I'd suggest spending some extended time reading information posted previously by other members. There's a little Google search icon below your notifications. You can type in things like "Arkansas versus barber hone", or "will an old belt work?", "Why beard prep?" and it'll send you to previous posts from other guys that asked the same question, and what the general concensus was. I haven't tried it with those to make sure. It's just a suggestion. The routines people use are what works for them, but if you find something else works for you, and it's cheaper, that's great. I use an India oilstone for part of my sharpening regimin. There's not too many people advocating that. But it was free. I hope you enjoy it here.

Justin

Ed, welcome to SRP.

Seems like you jumped in the pool and the water wasn't what you were expecting. SRP's really a great place with loads of info and good gents who are here to help each other out.

So far as your experience goes: Perfectly doable shave routine. Would it work for most people? Probably not. Is it the best you could attain? I'd personally doubt it. Did it work? Sure seems like it did!

Hard ark's are used with razors. They may not be the most popular, but they're definitely servicable.
Belts are strips of leather, and if yours is clean, smooth, and relatively soft then there's really no difference between that and a strop.
Canned gel is made for shaving, it definitely works, though it may not be the "best" for straight shaving, and is certainly not the cheapest option for the same quality (and better) lather.

Really, so far as money is concerned a straight razor setup to last a lifetime (except for soap) costs about as much as four months of cartridge shaving cost me--that's two razors, a strop, brush, and barber's hone. I spend about $9/yr on soap. The only thing cheaper would be to just grow a beard. (I currently have a beard, but shave my neck daily)

So far as prep goes, there are two schools of thought--heat and soften, cool and contract. Sounds like you went toward the latter, which is fine and what I tend toward.

So all that said, you may have gone contrary to recommendations for first timers, but you definitely were on the same playing field. Good luck with your journey!

Peace,
Jim

If moneys an issue or you don't want to invest in something you don't know if you like yet, there's lots of ways to save money. I made my linen strop from an old pair of jeans by the instructions in the library on SRP. And a paddle strop from a leather guitar strap and a piece of wood. To top it off my shaving soap in a bar of goats milk soap in a regular mug with a little baby oil or cream. Everything there i already had, just thought it was junk. All works great.

Maybe later i'll upgrade, but in the old days very few people had the stuff most of the guys here on SRP has.

Wish you the best.

Thanks for all the input people,it means alot to me.My father and grandfather passed before they could teach me how this all worked.So on docs orders I'm kinda on my own trying to learn how to shave at 43 years old.Tax money is coming so maybe I can buy some things to upgrade.I'm thinking a paddle strop in place of my belt, a brush and soap and maybe a new razor and hone.Not much available in our valley,so is the web site on the header of the forum good for ordering from?