Thread: Hi, a noob in need of help!

Hi everybody!

I'm very new to this site and to straight razors!
This year for christmas my beautiful girlfriend bought me a wonderful straight razor.
Without any doubts I jump right into it and loved it.
With a few videos I learned how to propely shave myself why this deadly weapon.
BUT lately i've had a few problems that need's help.
After a few months the blade started to feel weak and it started to pull more often my facial hair.
So i decided to buy a honing stone!
I went to '' Le centre du razoir'' and ask for help.
The owner told me that a 1k stone would do perfectly the job.
I know nothing about honing so I went for it.
Saddly after honing my razor for the first time, it gave me more irritation than before...

Why?
Is it my honing technic or my stone?

Ps sorry for the bad english i'm french.


Hope you dandy lads can help!


Cheers!
Simon

Well, I know this is going to be an over simplified answer, as there is a lot more to it than I have time to explain right now, but you're going to need hones to a least 8000 grit to get a nice smooth shave. The higher the better so if you get a 12 or 16000 grit stone and a strop to finish off with you will do better.

I would also recommend you find out about strops and stropping after each shave. It sounds to me like you have dived into the deep end before you have learned to swim. No offence meant by the way.


Mick

P.S send your razor off to an expert to get honed properly for now. There might be a member in your area who can help with this.

Originally Posted by MickR

...
P.S send your razor off to an expert to get honed properly for now. There might be a member in your area who can help with this.

need to add that after you touched it with the 1k that is too rough it needs some complete honing procedure, passing through 3-4 k.

As already stated, you definately need to go finer than 1k to get a smooth irritation free shave. Check in the classifieds under member services for someone to hone that blade for you, or let us know where you're from to maybe find someone in your area to help you along.

Originally Posted by Sterm

need to add that after you touched it with the 1k that is too rough it needs some complete honing procedure, passing through 3-4 k.

Sorry for the confusion. I thought that would be taken for granted, but you are correct, I was in a bit of a rush in my initial reply.


Mick

Hmmm. I'm sure 'Le centre du razoir' staff are very knowledgeable, but I'd beg to differ about the 1k thing (generally, though it has been recently said one can shave off a 1k hone, which I don't doubt, if you know what you are doing). Le centre du razoir appears to sell only four razors but a whole plethora of kitchen appliances. Could it be they are not experts in the area?

Get yourself a Norton 4/8 (keep the 1k, you'll need it to set a bevel) and a nice finer grit hone (like a Shapton 16k). Then send the razor to someone for honing. I'm guessing you are from Canada, I reckon there'd be some guys who are in your same general area who could help out with the honing.

Then watch honing videos, check out the JANorton thread, ask a whole heap of questions (we like questions; we thrive on them) and jump tight in to honing with the right tools and the right information

Carl

Well there's your problem! This place le centre du rasoir is much like this place Welcome to Shaver Shop and have no idea what they're talking about. Well! Never fear! You've finally made it to the right place!


Mick

Hello Simon,
As youve described how your razor started to dull after a few months, i believe it was time for a touch up i.e. A pasted strop or a touch up hone rather than the honing procedure all over again. But dont pull yourself down for it, the advices given by all the gentlemen above is very good and i would go ahead and take it for the gold it is. Send out your razor to be honed by a professional and keep touchup equipment at hand. You wont need the whole honing procedure from scratch unless you have somehow managed to destroy the edge, which is unlikely.
Hope you find your edge as it was or better.
Hal.

Welcome to the SRP , Simon ! You have found the right place , to learn about the straight razor . You have much to learn , and we will be happy to help you . Hopefully , one of our members that speaks French will contact you . You may want to contact Bruno , he lives in Belgium , and has been using straight razors for a long time .

I suggest sending it to a someone to hone for you and trying to find someone in your area to teach you how to hone them. It's a much different technique than a knife or axe. I also suggest picking up the Norton 4/8k hone for touch ups after the blade has been replenished my an experienced hone-master. both lynn and Manah do great work, Lynn in the US and Manah in Isreal. There are plenty of other talented folks here but those are the two that I have the most experience with their work.