Thread: Hello from Montreal!

Hello all!

I'm from Montreal! And at the moment I'm a satefy razor guy. Currently using a Merkur Double Edge Satefy razor. But I've always been interested in straight razors. I also bought one from a guy here. And bought a package of small Norton stones, 200,1000,4000,8000. And one small strop, and a larger one, with the green paste for my larger strop.

But so far I don't get a pleasent shave with my straight razor. Will be reading/sending messages soon to get help!

Will be looking for help on evaluating my blade, if its a good blade, and if I did anything wrong to it by trying to sharpen it.

Thanks!

If you got it from the classifieds and it was shave ready, sharpening it was probably a bad idea. Honing is a challenging skill to learn, the razor probably didn't need it, and the odds that you did it right the first time are slim. You may want to send it out for honing by a pro just to make sure it's restored to shave ready condition.

It takes some time to get used to the right pressure and angle to use with a SR, as well as figuring out your face map and shaving each part correctly. Shave just the cream; the hair will come off with it. That's really all the pressure you need.

What are you using for lather? If your lather is too thick or thin, you won't get a comfortable shave, either.

It is also recommended to not strop your razor before your first use so you know how the razor should feel. That way, if you mess up the edge while stropping, you'll know.

CrOx paste should not be used with every stropping; save that for when the blade needs to be refreshed.

Good luck, and stick with it!

Welcome to the forum. You are in luck as there are several members in Montreal, I believe, and you could PM them for some one on one time. Probably the best way to sort things out if you can.

Bob

Welcome aboard - as BobH mentions, lots of Montrealers here, enjoy!

Welcome. There are quite a few Canadians here. There is also a ton of information. Your 200 stone does not really have a place in standard straight razor honing. There are guys in Montreal that can set you up with a proper edge. I think Badgister is still very active and puts a fine edge on a blade. I would suggest you either wait for him to see this thread or send him a private message. No shortage of help in Montreal!

Welcome fellow Montrealer. I just received my first straight razor today and will try it out for the first time tomorrow. Hopefully we will both have good experiences

Welcome Eric, It would be my pleasure to take a look at your razor and let you know what I think.

Alan, I wish you a successful shave!

Hello friend. I am in the same boat as well. I have been using a Merkur futuria for years and just bought my first straight razors a month ago. I am disappointed at my shaves as well. It is a learned skill with a long learning curve. In a year from now I bet we both will be baby ass smooth shaved from our straights.

Enjoy the journey as I am doing as well.

Jeff

Hi Eric & welcomt to SRP. You might want to check out the Beginners Guide:

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

This is found by clicking the Library above but you can check that out & go from there. You have a stretch of road to travel but not difficult if you follow what you read & others advice. If you have any questions just ask.
Good luck my friend.

Thanks for all your replies. I sent an email to Badgister. I'm happy to see that I'll maybe be able to troubleshoot what is going on with my blade... or my technique or both!