New Guy from california

Just got myself my first razor less than a week ago after staring at it online for over a year (Bokers aint cheap:cry:) 4/8" with bone scales :o think im going to enjoy it after i figure it out :):)....ive learned so far that shave oil is the devil himself incarnate that turns a razor into some kind of sticky face magnet :dropjaw: and that i may need a wider strop but all in all i love it, it's something that takes time that's not "california fast" and is worth mastering


P.S. i managed to nick it somehow :banghead: i'm guessing my strop since it wasn't dropped and has been religiously guarded since it arrived. and by nicked i mean a nearly microscopic one that i only noticed because of the 1600 lumen bulb i just put in my bathroom lol. is it possible to strop it out or will it need honing?

If you can see it with th bare eye, I would say hone it JMO. YMMV

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Originally Posted by outback

If you can see it with th bare eye, I would say hone it JMO. YMMV

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By the way.
Hello and welcome to the forum

Thanks for the welcome :) and for the advice i'll have to find someone who knows how to hone.

Welcome. What part of California?

central valley (modesto area) if i remember the drive correctly 8hrs north of you lol

Nice. I know there are some guys up your way as well.

Welcome! Lots of good folks from Cali hereabouts...

Welcome, we have an active group in So Cal, so if you ever get out this way holler before you come and we can meet up for some hands on.

Post some photos of the nick and we can better advise you.

Welcome there is a lot of good info here. Any questions, just ask.

i will try and get a picture of it. as i said it's so tiny i almost didn't find it.

side question anyone here ever use a boker? im new to this whole thing and mine seems "shave ready" but tbh i have no idea if they truly are from factory

Attachment 206314 that little shine almost under the end of the hollow ground stamp. that is the best i can really do with a cell camera

Hi and welcome. Definitely a hone out job. Be careful if you do decide to use it that you don't scratch up your strop or your face. Razors from the factory are pretty hit and miss when it comes to shave ready and more on the miss side.

Yes, if you can see it with the naked eye, it’s a pretty big chip. Get some magnification, on line for $2-15 and check the rest of the edge. Probably has some other issues as well and will need re-honing.

Here is a good thread on Magnification. Boker’s are fine razors, that razor should shave well.

Was the razor “Shave Ready” when you got it?

What are you stropping on?

it wasn't advertised as such but seemed plenty sharp enough when i looked at it. i bought it directly from boker their site is a bit...lacking on information.

im stroping it with a fine leather strop but its very narrow and the whole blade wont fit on it at once unless im using a kind of zig zag method

Yes, probably was not shave ready. New razor usually are not.

What are you stropping on, post a pic?

Attachment 206484 this would be it

as you can see it a wee narrow. i didn't realise this when i ordered it

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Originally Posted by Sixth

as you can see it a wee narrow. i didn't realise this when i ordered it

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Welcome to SRP. So sorry I'm late to the party. There's plenty to learn here & many knowledgable members here so ask away when you need to.
Here's some stropping information:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...row-strop.html

Oh & if you don't have a lot of experience in honing, I would send it out to a pro for honing.
Good luck my friend!

Welcome. I had a nick like that, and I noticed it because it put a deep scratch in my strop. I guess better the strop than my face, but my advice is to definitely hone it, which seems to be the consensus here. Good luck!
:chapeau

Nothing wrong with a 2 inch strop Seth... In fact one of my favorite strops is a 2 inch vintage Cordovan Shell strop, which I use quite regularly. It's very easy to develop a good X pattern using it and should be perfect for your small 4/8 Boker.

Attachment 206493

hmm interesting. i will have to master the x pattern then hopefully i dont kill my strop in the process lol

That sucks they sent a new one out in that condition. Their Quality Control isn't up to par!

Never seen a vintage 3 inch strop. Should learn the x pattern anyway its the best way to ensure the entire edge gets stropped properly

I have a 4/8 boker. Almost shave ready when i bought it. Made around 10 passes on th 12k and stroped to bring it to full shave ready.
Just a little tuggy when used the first time before i touched it up.
Smooth as silk now.
YMMV

I personally don't use an X pattern on a 2" strop. I alternate between stropping on the heel and the toe of the blade. 10 laps heel, 10 laps toe and repeat. Same result and less likely to nick the strop. Welcome to SRP!