Thread: The old new fellow

Greetings Gents. I'm really happy to find this place since I believe in being a gentleman, and only a gentleman is completely at ease among other gentlemen...you usually know what to expect, and that is uncommon in today's world. Quite a few years ago now I thought I would try my hand at straight razor shaving, especially since I always like that feeling on the back of my neck after my barber, Harold, hits me with his hot towel, warm lather, razor, then talc. Being as thrifty as possible, and as unsure as any, I purchased a seemingly cheap straight from one of those Chinese razor places in the mall. The razor feels like the blade out of a safety razor, or my windshield decal scraper, but with a plastic handle and a flimsy back. Frankly, I thought I would probably feel more comfortable trying to learn to shave with my deer skinning knife or perhaps one of my broadheads on the tip of my arrows. So, in a hurry, I put the razor in the medicine cabinet, picked up my old cheapey disposable, and never went back. The other day I asked Harold if he had to learn to shave folks with a straight at Barber school, to which he replied, "hell yeah. If you try to shave with a straight without learning, you will cut the fool out of yourself." That was enough of a challenge to rekindle my interest. I got the bright idea tonight to do some investigating on the internet, and now I'm convinced I can shave with a straight if I give myself time and try to learn a little something from others who've gone this way before me before I try again (especially since last time I never got past just looking at the razor). I figure if I could teach myself to sew (either by hand or with a machine), then I can certainly teach myself to shave. If Harold can do it, then I sure can. Heck, I could cut my own hair to suit me if it just wasn't up on top of my head. My only hesitation now is that old blade. In my research, I read about how a good shave is only as good as the razor, but that a first-timer like me could give it a try with something like I already have without having to mortgage the farm just to try. I figure that if the old thing isn't rusted, perhaps it would be worth another look, but I wanted to see what you fellows thought about that idea first. By the way, the name's Rob. Looking forward to hearing what some of you out there have to say. After all, you can't buy experience off of a truck!

Welcome aboard,,,,, Do some reading in this link & it will give you a good idea on how to start your journey.

Straight Razor Place Library:Books/Beginners Guide - Straight Razor Place Library

Welcome to the forum, this is the right place if you want to learn, and learn properly.

The link Hirlau provided is the best place to start, and since he did that, I'm going try some instruction and entertainment. Here's the video that got me started in straight shaving, turns out he is/was a member here. Still my favorite video of a straight shave....

The Manliest Shave Ever, try not to look at the large kitchen knife on the wall, that distracted me at first:

"Cheap straight from a Chinese razor place in the mall." doesn't sound like a great razor to start with. If you post where your at somebody might be close enough to give you some hands on. Harold would be the first guy I ask though. He could tell you if you have good steel or not and may even help you get it honed properly. Your experience may be stories he would love to hear :<0)

Glad to have you aboard! Be welcome here; look and ask as needs be.
~Richard

Welcome to SRP !

Welcome. You are likely going to need a few things. The search function works quite well for research. There are a lot of reputable vendors and some of the other kind as well on the net. If you look at the vendors here it will give you an idea of the better places to look. A more specific location in your profile could be used by others looking to help. If you check there may be mentors in your area. If there are none close at hand and you have specific questions that you would like one opinion on you can pm a mentor. Welcome to the forum and the learning.

Rob, welcome to SRP! You're gonna love this place. There is so much to absorb like a sponge here. Just go to the Library here & start at the beginning. Get yourself a nice well made straight razor whether new or used but if you buy a used one, make sure you know what to look for in a used straight razor. If new is what you want, I suggest going to the Straight Razor Designs & start with the Ralph Aust razor or pick one out yourself. Straight Razor Designs is partly owned by this forum founder Lynn. If you buy a straight razor & strop set, Lynn will hone the razor so that when you get it, it will for sure be ready to go. Many places offer a shave ready straight razor but when the buyer gets it, it won't shave ready. Some places WILL sell a shave ready straight but you would have to know who does. When you buy the set from SRD, it WILL be shave ready plus you'll get a certificate for another free honing when it is due for it, which will be a long time as long as you learn to strop it right. You can learn to strop in the Library or here:
Razor stropping - Straight Razor Place Library
For now you can practice stropping with an old wide belt if you have one you don't use anymore & a butterknife because if you try to learn on a new strop with a straight razor, you will accidentally cut the leather which is something you don't want to do. Since you are new to this, I suggest you buy Lynn's dvd which shows how to strop, hone, shave, restore & of course he shows his collection which is nice. You can also watch videos on here on how to strop & how to hone. There are some youtube videos on straight razor shaving. There might even be some on here but I haven't looked into the shaving part on here. I have Lynn's dvd & I love it. If you buy the new Razor & strop set, there's an option to buy the dvd there. There is a wealth of information on here & a lot of knowledgable people here that will answer questions you might have. If you really get into it & start buying razors, you will develop RAD, a thing we call "razor acquisition disorder" because a man can never have enough razors. I have several hundred! : )
I have a collection of a lot of older razors, some of which date back to the late 1700's. One of them might possibly be in the 1750's-1760's. It's a fun hobby along with know how to shave with a straight. Do lots of research & have fun doing it!
Steve

Hi and welcome. From the sound of it the razor you purchased might be a shavette not a straight razor. Along with the razor we reccomend you use a quality soap or cream with a brush to make lather. This helps with the shave dramatically. If you start with the library most of this will be covered and im sure will leave you with further questions. If you do have any questions feel free to ask

Originally Posted by eddy79

Hi and welcome. From the sound of it the razor you purchased might be a shavette not a straight razor. Along with the razor we reccomend you use a quality soap or cream with a brush to make lather. This helps with the shave dramatically. If you start with the library most of this will be covered and im sure will leave you with further questions. If you do have any questions feel free to ask

That's good Ed, I forgot to mention the brush & soaps to our new member. Thanks!