Thread: Hello all. New to strait razors but want to learn

This is all very new to me. I am bald (as in shave my head) and want to do so with strait razors. I have been wanting to do this for a while and guess now is the time. I have a razor I purchased, and quite the collection of razor Hones, just do not know how and when use them or how to find out the grit. Also love to be able to identify some stone types I have as well.. Looking forward to learning and chatting with you all!

Mike from RI (USA)

Hi and welcome.

Check out the library section for some general advice, also the beginner section is very good. The best advice I can offer though is ask the good people of this forum, so n many knowledge and helpful people, you'll always get more info than you could need

Welcome to SRP Mike. Lot of head shavers here. Post pix of your hones and somebody may know what you have. Lot of info on using them here too.

Hi Mike & welcome to SRP. You are going to love it here. There are a lot of good people on here who ill be more than happy to answer any questions you may have. There is also a wealth of information on here in the Library. Some pics would be nice of your stones. I don't know if we can determine the grit but if there is a certain brand we might be able to determine if it is for a razor or a knife. There are some hones that are specifically for straight razors. Did you purchase a straight razor? If so, what kind & post a pic of it. Should you decide to buy a new straight razor, Straight Razor Designs has some good prices & Lynn, the founder & owner of this forum is also part owner of SRD. If you buy a straight from him, he will make sure he hones it before it leaves there because many people will say shave ready when it really isn't. You will also get a certificate for a free honing for when it needs one after a few months of using. You will need to learn how to strop a razor. That is the most important thing to know when owning a straight razor. You want to know how to use it right because one wrong stroke can dull your razor. You will also learn how to hone in the Library as well but you will need the right hones for the job. For now though if you have a used one, make sure the razor does not have too much spine wear r even on the edge. You also don't want one with frown on it r you will lose some metal that way but it will possibly be fine once it is honed right. You will want to send it to a professional honemeister like Lynn or gssixgun. You will also need a shaving brush, a shaving mug & some shaving soap. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask & one of us members or several will reply, Good luck & have fun!

Hi and welcome. Biggest question is your razor shave ready. If not send it to a pro. Honing looks easy and is once you learn and that will take a bit. Second question is do you have a strop. If not that is something else to sort before you start as you need to strop every shave. The library really is the best place to start and once you have a read sure most of the basics will be covered for you. Any questions feel free to ask

Welcome to SRP
I would suggest you look at the razor clubs ( Razor Clubs ) for ideas on what you like the look of. Maybe make some friends and ask them for advice. 1 on 1 help is less confusing and you can have as many of those as you can handle responding to. Maybe look for members in your area as you will be needing someone to show you how to use all those hones :<0)

I think it may be a good idea to start with a pro honed blade and start honing after you have learned about shaving.

Hi and welcome to SRP - this is the right place.
Saw your post on your amazing Hone collection - what made you start collecting hones?

Good luck and Smooth Shaving...

Hello,and welcome to the forum!! +1 on all the above post!!