Thread: Straight razor help

Hi lads, I am thinking about trying a straight razor but I am worried about keeping it sharp. Does it take a lot of time? Do you have to have special skills? Are there any really good guides for stropping and honing your razor on the Web?

I think you should use a replacable-blade straight razor. I use a Feather RG and I can say with conviction that it's the most effective and comfortable shave I've ever had. There are three different blades that can be used, depending on skill level and beard type.

I've been inquiring about conventional razors but for now, the steep learning curve of honing/stropping can wait until I master the Feather. Try ClassicShaving.com and click on Feather Razor.

-Rob

If just starting with a straight the biggest issue is starting with a sharp razor, not just keeping it sharp. Out of the box, very few razors will actually shave you. Get a shave ready vintage razor from one of the guys here, a new one from me pre-honed or from Classic Shaving and buy the optional honing upgrade. This way you will know what sharp is.

You can keep a sharp razor going for a long time on a pasted strop. Keeping it sharp this way will build your confidence for the next step, honing on a stone. There are quite a few here that use a pasted strop evey month or so to keep the razotr going then once a yeear send it to one of the "honemeisters' to really sharpen it again.

The Feather sounds like a good choice too and I myself am tempted to try that route just to see how it goes. A bargain method is the Dovo shavette with Fromm blades. For $30 you get a VERY sharp, although very light weight razor to practice the ST8 experience with before going to real straights, and strops and hones.

Tony Miller

Stropping and paste sounds like a good option for me, but is it easy for a beginner to learn? How many minutes do you have to spend on stropping for each shave?

Kal,
With a regular straight razor you strop on plain leather, either a hanging strop (like a belt) or the smooth side of a paddle strop right before every shave. Typically I do 25 round trip passes, up and back on the linen side and 25 more on the leather. On a paddle, maybe 25-40 on the leather as you have less surface area.

The pasted surfaces actually remove metal and you only want to use them when the razor starts to pull on your beard, maybe once every month, maybe every two months. One a new, out of the box, quality razor I take 15 passes on 3 micron paste, 25 on 1.0 micron and 30 on 0.5 micron. ( I am a fanatic and also then do 40 on 0.25 micron). Then I ust use the plain leather daily and this will keep my razor going for another month or two easily if I use it often. Total time to do a new razor, 20 minutes.

There are lots of ways to get started and one for every budget. You need to decide how serious you are about this first and choose a method that fits. If you go the Shavette route and move up to a "real" razor you can still use the starter as a travel razor and not need to worry about stropping then.

I am sure there will be lots more advice offered. No right or wrong answer. Read them over, ask a few more questions and go for it!

Best,
Tony

Kal, the term pasted strop should be explained. We use abrasive pastes which are rubbed on a piece of leather that has been glued to a piece of wood that is in the shape similar to a wooden paddle, hence the name "paddle strop". This in essence becomes an ultra fine sharpening stone (hone). The hand motion used is the same used on a traditional hanging strop.
In the help files on this site there are some video's and avi file's showing the proper stropping motion. Check them out.
To see some paddle strops and hanging strops go to Tony Millers website
www.thewellshavedgentleman.com. He has some of the best equipment available and at the best price.

I do have to agree with Tony on his advice to buy a pre-honed, shave ready razor at first and a paddle strop, abrasive pastes and a hanging strop.

The steepest learning curve is to learn how to hone a razor on a piece of hard stone. It is also rather expensive and not necessary. A number of us will hone a razor for a nominal fee. If you have the abrasive pasted paddle strop you may not need our services for some time, perhaps a long time.

Also, please do not buy a razor off ebay until you know what not to buy.
In thew General forum there is a thread about questionable quality razors. Please read it. If you do end up considering an Ebay razor give one of us a shout and we will give you a frank opinion about the razor. Send me a PM if you wish.


Hope this helps,

Kal,

Lots of good advice here. I didn't start with a Feather type straight razor , so I have on opinion on them, although I know a lot of folks do start that way. Check in the user gallery under Gear For Sale for a shave ready straight. Also, Tony Miller is the guy to buy your strop(s) from. I started with a 4 sided paddle strop and then added a hanging strop. Search around the website here and you will find wealth of information, and a lot of very helpful guys.

RT

Originally Posted by Kal

Hi lads, I am thinking about trying a straight razor but I am worried about keeping it sharp. Does it take a lot of time? Do you have to have special skills? Are there any really good guides for stropping and honing your razor on the Web?

No, it doesn't take much time once you know what your doing. Buying a razor off Ebay and honing it takes me about 4 hours but I'm the slowest guy in here I think. I can hone using a sloppy technique and be quicker, then focus at the end, but rarely do. I break the honing up in 2-3 sessions of an hour or two. After that its about 30 seconds of honing once a week and about a minute per month on the Norton 4/8. I've bought three razors that were already honed, a very nice time saver even for someone with a little skill.

Yes, you need skills. It took me about a year to learn to hone, and most of that was just realizing that you have to be patient with the process. You have to learn how to strop just as much as hone, and both together make a shaving blade. Most guys get it in about 2 months I think.

Your best resource is right here, specifically the search function and the barbers manuals. There are hundreds more.

My advice would be not to buy a Feather, they are difficult to use for a beginner.

I would prefer you purchase an already honed razor from someone else and pay to have it honed occasionally, use a two sided strop with one side pasted .5 to keep it sharp, purchase a med/fine hone from Tilly for your adventure into honing. You can get a great starter kit from Tony. Just to try straight shaving you need a honed razor and a strop.

Is the hand motion for stropping easy to learn? How much experience and feel does it take to dominate this technique?

Takes about 5 minutes to learn, about 30 years to dominate it. But its a lot of fun the whole time.