Thread: My first straight razor shave (since learning as a kid)

Well, after about 20 years of shaving with disposable razors, I decided to give straight razors a go again. I had learned when I was 12 how to shave with them, but I barely had anything to shave at that point. So even though I basically knew what to do, I still feel like I was a first timer.

I'm actually really surprised (and happy) to say that it went really well. I shaved all except my goatee and I basically had no problems at all. Holding the razor at certain angles was a bit awkward feeling, but I stuck to what I was taught and it worked pretty well. I didn't get any cuts and I don't have razor burn which was a very pleasant surprise. I feel like I am either especially susceptible to razor burn, or I was just getting cut to pieces by low quality disposable razors. Whatever the case, I seem to have avoided razor burn which is a very welcomed change.

I do have a few questions for anyone out there that wants to weigh in with an opinion though. First off, does anyone know approximately how often I should take my razor to the stones for honing? The razor I'm using is a Dovo that my old man used and he gave it to me after having it honed. since I plan to hone myself, I'm curious to get a feel for about how often I will be doing that. My old man didn't seem to remember how often he got his honed, so that was a dead end.

Secondly, I'm looking for some opinions on where to go next with my straight razor shaving. I'm kind of a hobby junkie, and this seems to be my current hobby of interest. I have a straight razor already, as well as sharpening stones and strops. I feel reasonably confident in my sharpening/honing ability, so that isn't something that I feel like I'm looking to pick up. But perhaps it would be fun to learn about some of the soaps, or shaving creams that people use. I also see a forum dedicated to, "brushes, mugs, scuttles, soap containers, hot pots, etc." Or maybe it would be interesting to learn how to shave with different styles of straight razors like a half hollow grind or something like that. I would not be surprised if I at least checked out all of these things and maybe some other stuff at some point. But I was wondering if anyone out there had any suggestions for a direction that they found to be interesting, or worth investment. There is no wrong answer to this question, so fire away with any ideas you have. Do you think it's fun to check out soaps? Brushes? Mugs? Other razors? Something that I'm not thinking of? I thank you all in advance...

P.S. I'm going to be out of town until the new year; so if I don't respond, that is why.

-Hog

Well as far as soaps and things Van Der Hagen is cheap and its just not worth spending and wasting money on others. And be carefull with feeling confident in honing. If you haven't honed a razor before don't try it with your shaver. But if stropped correctly every 3 to 6 months is how often your razor will need to be honed (usualy). Also you will want to let your razor rest 48 hours between shaves. Also if you want to try out your honing skills get yourself a razor in need of honing (that will actually shave) and try honing it untill it actually feels like your dovo when it has been freshly honed. Good luck and happy shaving.

Hi Spacehog,

I'm new to straight razor shaving, and since getting into it I seem to have become a full blown razor junkie I can't stop watching video's on youtube how to hone reading the wiki here for as much info on anything at all to do with straight razors. I especially like checking out the pdfs of really old books / articles on shaving/honing theres some in the wiki. I've ordered some naniwa stones and I plan to start honing my razors myself, I got a couple of people local members that are kind enough to show me what they have learnt. I'm also planning to start making my own custom scales, and theres plenty of articles on here to help you to learn how to do that. I think razor restoration/honing seems to be the most interesting aspect for me so far, something about getting something old and worn and turning it into a shiny pristine tool that looks like it came from a time capsule seems really fulfilling to me. Everyone on this forum is really helpful whenever you have any questions people will share their knowledge and their all very polite too. I don't know if I'd call this a hobby for me it seems like it's become more than a hobby already.

Anyways if you need honing services take a look in the classifieds section you should be able to find someone near your part of the world who offers honing services and maybe they can tell you a bit more about how often you would need honing.

Have a merry xmas and a happy new year and welcome to srp =]

Originally Posted by Spacehog

Well, after about 20 years of shaving with disposable razors, I decided to give straight razors a go again. I had learned when I was 12 how to shave with them, but I barely had anything to shave at that point. So even though I basically knew what to do, I still feel like I was a first timer.

I'm actually really surprised (and happy) to say that it went really well. I shaved all except my goatee and I basically had no problems at all. Holding the razor at certain angles was a bit awkward feeling, but I stuck to what I was taught and it worked pretty well. I didn't get any cuts and I don't have razor burn which was a very pleasant surprise. I feel like I am either especially susceptible to razor burn, or I was just getting cut to pieces by low quality disposable razors. Whatever the case, I seem to have avoided razor burn which is a very welcomed change.

I do have a few questions for anyone out there that wants to weigh in with an opinion though. First off, does anyone know approximately how often I should take my razor to the stones for honing? The razor I'm using is a Dovo that my old man used and he gave it to me after having it honed. since I plan to hone myself, I'm curious to get a feel for about how often I will be doing that. My old man didn't seem to remember how often he got his honed, so that was a dead end.

Secondly, I'm looking for some opinions on where to go next with my straight razor shaving. I'm kind of a hobby junkie, and this seems to be my current hobby of interest. I have a straight razor already, as well as sharpening stones and strops. I feel reasonably confident in my sharpening/honing ability, so that isn't something that I feel like I'm looking to pick up. But perhaps it would be fun to learn about some of the soaps, or shaving creams that people use. I also see a forum dedicated to, "brushes, mugs, scuttles, soap containers, hot pots, etc." Or maybe it would be interesting to learn how to shave with different styles of straight razors like a half hollow grind or something like that. I would not be surprised if I at least checked out all of these things and maybe some other stuff at some point. But I was wondering if anyone out there had any suggestions for a direction that they found to be interesting, or worth investment. There is no wrong answer to this question, so fire away with any ideas you have. Do you think it's fun to check out soaps? Brushes? Mugs? Other razors? Something that I'm not thinking of? I thank you all in advance...

P.S. I'm going to be out of town until the new year; so if I don't respond, that is why.

-Hog

Congrats on the return to Str8 Shaving. I find it easy to tell when the razor needs to be honed since it will simply start to pull on your whiskers and you will get an uncomfortable shave no matter how much you strop. If the bevel is set correctly, at that point they usually need to be refreshed on a higher grit stone. You can also refresh an edge with CroX or other pastes but eventually they will cause the bevel to be reset.
As far as hobby is concerned: You can take it any direction you like. Keep poking around this website and I'm sure you'll find which direction you like to go. You can go from just using razors for shaving to making custom razors/scales/brushes/shave cream/pre-shave, etc..... you will find everything right here in the forums.

Great! Thanks so much for the advice. I read some stuff about honing razors in that forum and asked a few questions. I appreciate the help!

You may want to revisit your thoughts on honing. Honing a straight is totally different than honing a knife or anything else for that matter. Totally different. There are tons of stones to get into and try out and eventually build a nice set. You can start out small with a Norton 4k/8k which is really all you NEEED. But the fun comes when you add to it by getting a 1k beveler, a 12 or 16k finisher and so forth and so on. I do suggest you do a bit of research before you hone. As long as you keep your razor stropped you shouldn't have to hone for a couple of months or whenever you feel the razor start to tug. After stones there are strop treatments and pastes to play with which I am enjoying right now. Then there is always collecting and restoration if you are mechanically inclined. I have about 20 razors I got from ebay that I cleaned up and all are good to great shavers. I got them cheap too, under 20 shipping included for most. You can experiment with lather and uberlather and come up with recipes that work for you. I could go on and on and on. Thats what is great about this hobby there are so many fascits to it.

Thanks ccase39, I am kind of a hobby addict and I am finding that straight razor shaving is a deep well to delve into. I appreciate the concern about getting into honing the razors and I will certainly try to be careful as I move forward with that. Just out of curiosity though, do you think that there is a large difference in the technique used to hone a straight razor vs. a knife? Or is the difference mostly the kind of stones and stuff? I have sharpened many kinds of knives and tools for several years so I guess I am feeling like this should be an easy transition. But if I am mistaken, I would definitely like to remedy my lack of knowledge so that I can do it right. I am definitely going to have a go at honing my own razor though, just because I already enjoy sharpening things. I actually enjoy the challenge of a new kind of blade to sharpen and I hope that I will be able to gain mastery over it eventually. The sharpest knives that I have worked on so far are sushi knives which are quite sharp compared to other kitchen knives. But I believe you when you say that sharpening razors is a different ballgame. I also sharpen things like axes and lawnmower blades which is a very different process than sushi knives, so I know how all sharpening is not equal. But I am assuming that the same principles apply with the bevel and whatnot. Any pointers you have to give me would be much appreciated though. I have found this forum to be very useful and I am very appreciative of people like yourself that have gone out of their way to help me out.

yes there is a big difference in technique and in hones also in the way you hold the razor throughout each motion while on hone

Its not hard, just a little tricky to get used to pressure and contact of the blade to the stone from heal to tip. Unlike a knife which u hone at an angle you lay a straight flat on the stone. Plus there are different methods to play around with and some blades like some methods over others.

Soaps and creams are a very fun area to branch into. I'm still really new myself, but already I can tell soaps and creams are going to be a problem of mine. I can't recommend some Tabac strongly enough. Oh, the glide...

Happy shaving.