Just Received My First Straight Razor

Hello there everybody! Let me start by saying that this forum and the people here have been extremely helpful to me! I finally received my first straight razor in the mail today. I am posting pictures up to see what you think. If you have seen my first post on this forum I was actually worried after i had already purchased this razor as i wasn't sure if it was coming from a reputable place. Granted I should have looked at the list of razors and places not to be that is on this forum, but I didn't even know this place existed before I had ordered it. Please take a look at these pictures and let me know what you think. Pardon my feet in some of the pictures please. I was having trouble getting my phone to focus in my barracks room as the lighting is the greatest. Also, I will be waiting until this weekend to try my first shave as being in the military I am in a rush to get ready for work after the morning PT. So I am definitely open to your advice. I plan on following the steps to the your first shave thread on here. So saturday will only be my cheeks.Attachment 127549Attachment 127548Attachment 127550Attachment 127551Attachment 127552

Hi, firstly the feet in the photo is hilarious! Do you have a strop? I guess your first shave will tell you if you need a hone or to get it honed. Good idea to wait until the weekend before your shave, you will need to put aside a good hour. Take it slowly, only a bit at a time, light, short strokes. Nice looking razor BTW.

Dovo have a good reputation, best of luck, and watch out for those toes.

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Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

Hi, firstly the feet in the photo is hilarious! Do you have a strop? I guess your first shave will tell you if you need a hone or to get it honed. Good idea to wait until the weekend before your shave, you will need to put aside a good hour. Take it slowly, only a bit at a time, light, short strokes. Nice looking razor BTW.

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SOTD right there.

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Originally Posted by Grazor

SOTD right there.

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No, no, not till he uses it...We'll look forward to the SOTD post on Saturday, Private DAHE4!

I do have a strop, the razor came with a strop, leather travel case for the razor, soap, bowl, and boar brush. I am thinking about trying the shave soap and the boar brush with my normal shave tomorrow morning. That way I can get a little practice in on making a good lather. I am definitely going to take my time this saturday when I try to shave with it. I am honestly scared of it, but at the same time I am excited! I may be weird but oh well. lol

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Originally Posted by DAHE4

I do have a strop, the razor came with a strop, leather travel case for the razor, soap, bowl, and boar brush. I am thinking about trying the shave soap and the boar brush with my normal shave tomorrow morning. That way I can get a little practice in on making a good lather. I am definitely going to take my time this saturday when I try to shave with it. I am honestly scared of it, but at the same time I am excited! I may be weird but oh well. lol

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Yeah, I was shit scared when I got my Burrell two years ago. I thought there is NO way that's going near my face! That first shave with a straight is so cool, you'll feel like you've skinned yourself afterwards, your skin will feel so raw. It feels so cool to shave with a straight the first time; you feel so gung ho.

Great idea about practising with the lather. You want an 'oomphy' lather that's not dry at all, and not TOO frothy. You want cushion and glide. Pre-shave cream like Proraso can really help a beginner. What sort of soap did you get?

Carl

BTW, I note on your other thread you have a Norton 4/8. Just wondering if you have a plan if you feel the razor isn't sharp enough on the first shave? Also, do you plan to strop before the shave? If so, how many strokes? I'd like to offer you a plan if you don't have a plan...FWIW...

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Originally Posted by DAHE4

I do have a strop, the razor came with a strop, leather travel case for the razor, soap, bowl, and boar brush. I am thinking about trying the shave soap and the boar brush with my normal shave tomorrow morning. That way I can get a little practice in on making a good lather. I am definitely going to take my time this saturday when I try to shave with it. I am honestly scared of it, but at the same time I am excited! I may be weird but oh well. lol

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Good idea trying the soap and brush first. Stropping takes a bit of practice, so maybe try the razor without stropping it. Depending where it came from, it should be good to go out of the box.

It came with Van Der Hagen soap. I know it is a cheaper one, but it came with the razor and is something to start out with. I don't have a plan set in stone for the shave on saturday. I am still trying to figure out this strop. It is a smaller one, with a black leather side and a light brown leather side. Im not sure what side I am even supposed to use. Should I strop it before I shave for the first time? Any advice you have carlmaloschneider is greatly appreciated. I am completely new to this and have just been reading posts on this forum to figure stuff out. So, I am greatly appreciative of any and all help! I saw a video of honeing that I will have to find again. I believe it was gssixguns that made the video. He was doing circular motions on a norton 4/8 and I figured I would try that if the razor turns out not to be shave ready. I am trying to keep sending it out to get honed as a last resort, as the mail system out here is extremely slow and I will be changing duty stations in the next 2 months.

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Originally Posted by DAHE4

It came with Van Der Hagen soap. I know it is a cheaper one, but it came with the razor and is something to start out with. I don't have a plan set in stone for the shave on saturday. I am still trying to figure out this strop. It is a smaller one, with a black leather side and a light brown leather side. Im not sure what side I am even supposed to use. Should I strop it before I shave for the first time? Any advice you have carlmaloschneider is greatly appreciated. I am completely new to this and have just been reading posts on this forum to figure stuff out. So, I am greatly appreciative of any and all help! I saw a video of honeing that I will have to find again. I believe it was gssixguns that made the video. He was doing circular motions on a norton 4/8 and I figured I would try that if the razor turns out not to be shave ready. I am trying to keep sending it out to get honed as a last resort, as the mail system out here is extremely slow and I will be changing duty stations in the next 2 months.

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Call me Carl, please. I wish I'd never used my full name here! People don't know what to call me!!

Anyway, here is what I reckon. See if you can get some cream before Sat. If you can afford it. Maybe some Body Shop Macca Root, O Melhor, Truefitt and Hill, C O Bigalow something like that. Cream is great for a beginner, it removes a variable somewhat.

Grab a kitchen knife or anything else to simulate a razor before the shave. Stand at a mirror and work out how you're going to hold the razor.

Obviously you've watched some shaving videos first (if not, do so). Plan to swap hands (R H for R side, L H for L side) but that is NOT imperative. You're only going to do your right side (or left side if you're left handed) on the first shave anyway. Relax, you've got plenty of days to build up to it. Rome wasn't built in a day.

DO NOT strop the razor before the shave. Don't touch the edge. Prepare well for the shave, shower, hot towels, good lather. Let the lather sit for a few minutes. You could even wash it off and lather again. Then, short, soft strokes with the razor. Don't try and do long strokes. CONCENTRATE, just like you're at the range shooting targets at 300 meters.

LOW angle, double the width of the spine. STOP after you've done a cheek. Then use your normal razor to finish off. I know you want to do the whole thing with the straight, but we want you to live and fight another day.

THEN you can either not strop at all (at this point in time) or maybe do 20 or so SLOW strokes on the strop. KEEP THE RAZOR FLAT. In fact, I'd rather you put the spine in contact more so than the edge, you can wreck the edge pretty quickly by holding the razor incorrectly. You can use a razor for a week or so (depending on your hair, etc) without stropping, but can dull the edge with one bad stropping session. I normally strop 30/70 linen/leather each shave with 10/10 after, but at this stage you can do more harm than good stropping.

I can't tell you what side to use first, the colour of the leather to me means nothing. Try and post a pic of the strop showing each side.

If the razor tugs on the hair rather than cutting. Stop. Shave with your normal razor and ask us what to do. At that stage we may suggest a light stropping or even 10 laps on the 8k hone, but don't rush it, I really suggest you ask questions here first. That's a nice razor you have, your very first one, you don't want to ruin it (or your face:))

Good luck.

BTW, Australians don't normally say this, but thanks for your service...

Carl

Thank you, that really means a lot to me. Especially since you aren't from the U.S. I will see if I can get my hands on some of the cream that everybody is talking about on here. The selection of hygiene products on base is not that great, and being in Japan it is very difficult to find stuff unless you know exactly what you are looking for. Many people speak english out here, but it is very limited. I have learned some basic Japanese, but I still have a hard time figuring out what someone is saying. I am posting a couple pictures of the strop that came with it. The black side has some type of fabric on the back of it, but other than that it is all leather. Also, I just noticed that the kit came with a bottle of fromm strop dressing. I don't remember that being part of it, but it is there! I'm not sure what to do with it either. I have been watching multiple shave videos, and have been paying particular attention to how they hold the razor while shaving. That being said, I am glad you mentioned to keep the angle at double the width of the spine as that made the whole angle thing much simpler. Now, if on Saturday I get my left cheek done (I'm left handed for writing) without any nicks or cuts would it be advisable to try my right cheek? I am somewhat ambidextrous, but favor my left hand for tasks such as writing. Thank you again Carl for the help. It is very much appreciated.

BTW, you can call me Alex.

ok, just realized the pictures didn't come up. here they are.Attachment 127557Attachment 127558Attachment 127559

hope your gettin along ok with the new razor nice btw.be careful not to drop that thing wen ur hands r wet.

OK., Alex, first thing, you guys are important to us Down Under, esp since the NK thing. We're just a small little tiny place as far as defence goes. Don't get me wrong, we are well trained (I served for 10 years and was a Recruit Instructor) but we're small.

Secondly, I'd use the black side as leather and the white as 'canvas'. So, for me, 30 white/70 black. Just my opinion, though. Why don't you email the supplier and ask?

Good on you for learning another language. My young son (15) is talking to some guy from Belgium lately as part of his X box scenario. He (my son) wants to learn German. I wish I learnt it. My dad (who's German) spoke a few languages, as he was born in a German village in Yugoslavia and had a French mother, and all I can speak is English!!

No probs if you can't get a cream, it's just that I always found it easier to make a lather from cream than from soap, and still do! I always face lather with a soap and bowl lather with a cream. Hope it goes well on Saturday, let us know!

Japan is a cool place, I went there years ago when I did 4 and a half months on HMAS Westralia, the biggest ship in the Australian Navy at the time. Got to 'drive' the thing every day. I found the Japanese very polite, almost painfully polite...and NEAT, very neat! Greatest moment was karaoke with the sailors from the ship, the Mayor of Nagasaki and the Chief of the Japanese defence force. Great times.

Here is a video of me at the time...That's me in the beginning, many, many years ago. At the end of that demo we attacked the sailors with condoms full of water....

HMAS Westralia Army RAA Bofors RBS70 - YouTube

Ok, so just to clarify. When I strop it after my shave your recommend to use the white side first as the canvas and then the black side second?

On the language subject, it really pays in multiple ways to be bi-lingual or multi-lingual. I just wish I would have started trying to learn another language a long time ago. I have been here (Japan) for 2 years now and have just now gotten to the point where I can maintain a very basic conversation. And even then I have to ask them to speak slower.

Thanks for the video, it was interesting. It reminds me of the drills we do on assembling our 50 cals. It is always fun though. I do know what you mean about the Japanese being painfully polite though. Don't get me wrong, I believe in having good manners and being polite. It's just that the Japanese culture is almost awkward to be around at times. Especially when you messed up and don't realize it until after the fact. It has happened to me once or twice, but nothing major.

I know a few fellow Marines that have been to Australia and had a chance to train and interact with the Australians, and they have had nothing but good to say about them. I have never had the chance to go to Australia yet, but am always looking for that day they need to send somebody with the MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit). I have gotten to interact with the ROK Marines (Republic of Korea) and some of the Japanese defense, and that has always been fun.
Attached is a picture of the Last time I went to Korea. I'm on the far left. This was taken almost 2 years ago and I have since been promoted. We had one of the ROK Marines taking the picture and I got in it a little late. lol Attachment 127560 Thanks again Carl. You are really helping me out.

Yeah, I'm GUESSING the white and then the black, though, again, I'd email the supplier and ask. At your stage, if you do only a few strokes (10 - 20) it won't matter all that much. You can even strop on folded newspaper. My son uses the leather belt he wears on his trousers every day...Are you sure both sides are leather? Does one seem to be a finer grain? If so, use the finer grained leather last. In the beginning, fewer strokes on the strop are better.

Yeah, I find you can annoy Japanese people really easily, esp if you are a loud person like I am!

Glad to be of assistance!

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Originally Posted by Grazor

SOTD right there.

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I >really< don't want to see this guy's toes in Cut of the Day!

Hi Alex, welcome to SRP. You're in good hands with Carl. Best wishes to you.

I hope you don't shave barefooted!!

Military here as well(Coast Guard), Carl is leading you on point. If nothing else just using a brush to lather will be night and day compared to can o crap. Your shaves will last longer and be much smoother as I converted over to a brush about 7+ years ago and just very recently started with the straight razors and double edge razors, I'll never go back. Just a suggestion for what its worth, if your rushed in the mornings after pt you can always utilize a double edge razor, if you cant find one locally(usually at a antique store or flea market for under $5 so I've found)let me know and Ill shoot one your way. This way you can still enjoy the MAJOR benifits of one blade on your skin compared to multiple. Good luck.
Respectfully,
Christian

Just a couple thoughts here. First of all, welcome!! You are among like minded friends here, a huge, International, friendly and sometimes dysfunctional family; that are always ready to answer questions. Don't hesitate to ask things as they love to share their experience and advice. Next, thank you so much for your service!! It's you guys and gals that watch the door for me, day and night, so I can sleep safe at night!! Also, my best wishes and prayers to your 21 brothers who were in that "hard landing" yesterday in Korea, I see they were based in Okinawa, so they may be people you know, good to hear they are all OK.

As far as shaving advice, I'm still fairly new at this, but you are in good hands here. If I can add anything, it's not to rush anything. Whether it be stropping or actually shaving, never get in a hurry; that's when things go South. Take advantage of the videos that are available, gssixgun and Lynn and others have videos that can be very helpful. And, they don't bite!! Don't hesitate to send them a PM if you have a question. Also, as Eagle mentioned above, a DE razor is handy to have, I have one for those days when I'm running late or for the times when I can't quite seem to get a problem area right, as a touch up tool. Till you get the angles right and prefect your shave, they are damn nice to have around.

So, again, WELCOME ABOARD!!!

Don V

Glad you got the decent razor, I was worried it would be that (what ever ) one. :) On the honing, just in case, here's a honing video by Lynn using the Norton 4/8k on a Dovo.

Not to be pessimistic, but if you didn't get one, you might check the PX for a styptic pencil. Comes in mighty handy if you get a cut or nick.

Sounds like your in good hands. Enjoy!!

Howard :)

Straight Razor Honing-Norton 4K/8K Circle Method - YouTube

Edit: I still recommend using one layer of electrical tape on the spine of the razor, especially when learning to hone. It keeps you from getting uneven hone wear on the spine which can really cause some problems that are challenging to fix. You can always decide later on if you want to keep taping or not. You'll see taping in gssixgun's vids. :gl: