Thread: howdy from Northern Virginia

Hi all. Noob here from just a little south of DC. I've had a lifelong fascination with sharp things (I've even dabbled in amateur bladesmithing), and learning to shave with a.straight razor has been on my bucket list for a while. I started shaving with a DE safety razor a couple months ago, and I knew that'd lead to straights sooner or later. Turns out it was sooner, not later.

A while back my father-in-law gave me a handful of old SRs -- some his, some his father's. A couple weeks ago I dug them out and inspected them, and it turned out that that batch included a Wostenholm and a German marked "Engelswerk Solingen-Foche," (which Internet wisdom suggests is a CW or FW Engels) both in pretty much NIB condition. So I honed them to 0.1 micron on diamond lapping film and a granite surface plate, stropped on a homemade veg-tan paddle strop (nothing fancy about the leather), and am now five shaves into the learning curve.

Now, a question for you old hands. My shaves so far have been OK but not great, which I expected. (I do a couple passes with a straight, then finish with a DE.) I have a lot to learn, and shave #5 was quite a bit better than #1, so I'm on the right track. (Praise be to YouTube!) But I'm a little paranoid that my honing and stropping may not be quite up to par, and that could be holding me back a bit. Honestly, I suspect I'm probably OK. I've sharpened a lot of blades in my time, and these razors have the sharpest edges I've ever produced. I can float one along over the surface of a leg and treetop the hairs, no problem. Still, I'm paranoid. So I was thinking of sending one razor out to a honemeister, to get myself a reference standard for comparison. I'd like a couple recommendations for folks who could give me a perfect edge to show me what to aim for.

That's probably a longer intro than most noobs give, so I'll shut up now. Looking forward to your thoughts!

Matt

I have had Glen, gssixgun and Lynn both hone razors for me. No complaints. Both did a great job.

Welcome to SRP, Matt

Welcome to the Forum. I am currently assigned to an agency in DC, work in Arlington, and live in Alexandria. There’s a lot of good information on the site, you just sometimes have to wade through a bunch of stuff to get to it. A lot of people here take this shaving…a little too seriously. I mean, it’s just shaving with a razor, something people have done for hundreds of years at least. Some people just blow it way out of proportion and talk about every little aspect of it with a kind of religious reverence.

“Woke up this morning. I knew I couldn’t face the day without a proper shave, so I faced east, prayed to Shiva the Many Handed One, and then entered my shave den to begin the ritual. I started by gently applying Edwin Jaeger Ultra # 6 pre-lotion to my face as I prepared my hot towels. After 5 minutes, I removed the pre-lotion with a clean soft linen towel I bought at Pier one imports using an angular motion with minimal pressure. I then used a semi coarse badger hair brush to apply the first coating of hot lather to my face from a brown ceramic mug I bought at a flea market (Ole’ Jeremy I call it) and used Art of Shaving Lavender soap. I then massaged it in with my fingertips in a counterclockwise motion and let it sit for 20 minutes. I then removed it with a hot towel I bought at Bed Bath and Beyond, and repeated the process again. Now prepared, I took out my Dovo Solingen 5/8 razor and completed my first shave with the grain. I washed my face with lukewarm water and then rubbed an ice cube over my face. I keep these in a bowl for just such a purpose. I then reapplied hot lather, this time using a Lama hair brush my wife bought for me in Peru. This time against the grain. I finished with a lukewarm water splash and then rubbed in aftershave from Mennen. Great shave, only 1 cut and it only took 57 minutes.”

You will see posts like this and you will think these people are crazy. But don’t be turned off. My best advice I can give is to make sure your razors are sharpened. I had mine professionally honed and it makes a world of difference. People here in the vendor section offer these services. I read where you were sharpening them yourself. I know from lots of reading that sharpening a shaving razor is a lot different than sharpening a knife or a battleaxe, so I would get a razor hone and try to find someone who knows how to teach you so you don’t permanently screw up your blade. Other than that, welcome to the forum!

Thanks, Darth. I know exactly the phenomenon you're talking about. (The fact that I'm a new member doesn't mean I haven't been reading SRP for a while. ) I do have a tendency to get caught up in new things and let them take on lives of their own, but I hope to avoid that happening in this case. My goal just is to get an outstanding shave, without irritation, ingrown hairs, etc., to enjoy the process, and hopefully get competent enough at it that it doesn't have to be limited to weekends only. I don't want to make things more complicated than they have to be. (But to those with the time, money and inclination to buy 20 razors, a dozen hones and three strops, and experiment endlessly in search of the perfect shave, I say go for it.)

I'm pretty sure I haven't screwed my blades up, but I'm definitely aware that I probably have room to learn when it comes to honing. That's why I'd like to check out pro's work: to get a sense of how far I may have to go.