Thread: Hello From Raleigh, NC

Welcome to SRP. Take MattCB's advice and enjoy the ride. Should be easy to find a mentor in your area. At least you live in a good area for finding wet shaving supplies without going the mail order route. Good luck.

I live in Durham and started a straight razor group a couple of years ago. We have members from Cary, Chapel Hill, Winston-Salem and Asheville. If you need any help or want to join us in a meetup to learn more about shaving and honing, give me a PM.

Robert

Thanks Robert. PM on the way.
Dusty, where are the places you are alluding to for wet shaving supplies.
Jerry

There is a store called Opulence of Southern Pines, used to be in the Cary area but now in Raleigh. They are supposed to have a good selection of wet shaving items. Any locals here can correct me if I am wrong. Also several stores such as Loccitain(sp?) That carry their own brands. Again, ask around some of the locals, they may likely have better info than I can give for that area.

Hi and welcome. If you are worried about your stropping there are many ways that's you might be able to avoid some variables at the moment. If you have a hanging strop then you could lay it on a flat surface and use to avoid tension issues then you only need worry about the flip and going light. Practice with something blunt like a butter knife will help with muscle memory and to perfect the flip. A really long (100 linen and 100 leather) might help your current razors also. Maybe check out the stroptober thread at the beginning of the stropping forum also for some tips. Good luck and any other questions feel free to ask.

Welcome Jerrybass,
I am a member o the Raleigh area group Lindyhop mentoned. I'm happy to help as well. PM sent.

Originally Posted by DustySuds

There is a store called Opulence of Southern Pines, used to be in the Cary area but now in Raleigh. They are supposed to have a good selection of wet shaving items. Any locals here can correct me if I am wrong. Also several stores such as Loccitain(sp?) That carry their own brands. Again, ask around some of the locals, they may likely have better info than I can give for that area.

Yes, it has moved downtown to Cameron Village. Some of their items are marked up too high. However, tubes of Proraso go for about the same price. Even Castle Forbes is only about $5.00 more, so not that big of a difference. You see the disparity in the hardware, such as the razors, strops and brushes.

You can also get some shaving supplies at Southern Season in Chapel Hill and the vintage/new store next door. I still find the best deals online: shoeboxshaveshop, smallflower, westcoastshaving, thesuperiorshave, straightrazordesigns....

Hi Jerry & welcome to SRP. Well, the Gold Dollar's are hit & miss. Some good, some bad. You also might have done as you said but to see if you rolled the edges, see if your fingernail catches on the blade from both sides. You'll be able to see. You might want to check out those metopes near you & you will learn more from other members there.
You will love it here & there is plenty to learn as there is a wealth of information on here! Here is the first bit of information for you to know:
Straight Razor Place - Beginners Tips: December 2014
Frequently Asked Questions - Straight Razor Place Library
You will want to buy you a nice straight razor to begin with whether used or new. Beware of used ones not that they are bad but know what to look for like a lot of hone wear on the spine & edge or chips in the blade. Stay away from razors with rust on the cutting edge as that will only result in it chipping more metal off as it is honed. Here is also a list of straights to stay away from:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwik...azors_to_Avoid
Here is a list of good brands of razors you will want to own plus there are more than just these out there which you will find out from other members here:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwik...t_Razor_Brands
If buying a new razor, I suggest you buy one from Straight Razor Designs - Gifts for Men | Straight Razors or SRD. The owner & founder of this forum is Lynn & he is also part owner of SRD. When you buy a straight razor from him, he will personally hone that razor before you get it plus you will get a certificate for another free honing for when that razor needs it which should be a few months. There will be vendors who will sell you a straight razor that is supposed to be shave ready but really won't be. You will most importantly need to know how to strop & you can learn in the Library or here:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwik...azor_stropping
You will need to strop your razor before & after you shave. If you buy one from Lynn, chances are you won’t have to strop it before you use it the first time.
You will also need a shaving brush, a shaving mug & some shaving soap. Later it will also do you good to get a second straight razor so that when you send the first one out to be honed, you will have a backup to shave with.
Here is a link to the Library where you will find stropping in there & everything else you will need to know including how to hone:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwik..._Place_Library
Also here is Lynns bevel setting video & some of gssixguns honing video's:
https://www.youtube.com/user/gssixgun/videos
Bevel setting on a Chosera 1K taught by Lynn Abrams
Here is another good link to know:
Welcome to the Workshop: How do I / Where do I / What do I / answers are here
Should you have any questions, there are a lot of knowledgable members on here that will be more than happy to help you out. If you want to find someone in your area, you can look here:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwik...php/Local_Help
And if you can't find anyone near you, just ask and someone that lives in your are & hopefully they will let you know how to meet up & you can get some one on one mentoring. There is a lot to do on here, just search everywhere on the forum & in the Library. You will spend hours on here & have fun doing it, so there you go, have at it!
Good luck & have fun!
Steve

Welcome to SRP!