Thread: How do, From yoorkshire

Hi people,
I`ve been toying with the idea of a straight razor for a while now. and thought this would be a goood place to find some inf out,

so thanks in advance

Welcome to SRP!

You're in the right place!

Make sure you check out the SRP Wiki for loads of great information and advice.

Straight Razor Place Wiki

Make sure you read which razor brands are good ones before you buy. Make sure you stay away from eBay as well..! The prices are tempting, but it can be a total minefield and you can end up with a bad brand or a damaged razor. Basically, stay away until you know what you're looking for..!

Check out places like RupRazor, Straight Razor Designs and The Invisible Edge here in the UK for good razors and strops. All of these guys sell shave ready razors, and they have excellent service, as well as being members on this site.

Straight Razor Designs is owned by the founder of this site, Lynn Abrams. I've ordered razors from him the past, and his honing is first rate.

Good luck and welcome to the site!

Welcome mate,

There's excellent resource for newbies in the SRP wiki. See the link below.

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

Reading it well after starting saves you a lot headache afterwards. Also start to read up on the threads in the newbie-section of the forum.

Cheers guys, I`ve been looking t the invisible edge, they seem like a very reasonable price for a shave ready razor. My main fear isn`t the actual shaving as such its maintaining the razor. I trained as a chef when i left scool, and have been in the building trade for 10 years so i know how important a keen edge is.
I plan on buying a Dovo strop when i get the razor plus the yellow paste (is this correct that the yellow is just to maintain the strop?)
Having looked into honing it seems i need stones from 1000k -1200k plus then various grades of pastes and strops this is going to cost a small fortune, and may be a factor meaning that i cannot afford to start using a straight razor.

Do i need this many hones and strops or is that just for fully restoring a blunt razor and if it is just maintenance then just the finer stones and strop will do?

thanks people

When you first start, all you'll need is:

- A shave ready razor of good make
- A strop
- Soap/ cream
- A shaving brush.

The strop wont need any paste at all, to condition it all you need to do is rub the leather with your hand once or twice a week. The oils in your skin will condition the leather just fine...! I do this on mine and it works great.

Dont worry about hones for now, you'll only need them for restores. Some people have a high grit stone (12k or something) for touch ups, and others use a pasted strop.

You can make a really easy pasted strop at home for very little outlay. All you need is a bit of wood 3" wide and some old jeans. Cut the denim out, wrap it round the wood and staple or glue on the back. Then just get some 0.5 micron diamond spray from SRD and spray the strop with it. When the razor starts to pull, just give it half a dozen swipes and test shave.

Check this link for the one I made:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...-homemade.html

Your stropping is the most important thing. Dont underestimate how important it is to maintaining the edge.

I do 25 material and 50 - 60 leather before each shave, then I do 10 material and 15 leather afterwards. The stropping after cleans off the microgunk on the edge and keeps it really sharp.

Make sure you dry the razor thoroughly before you stow it, and dont get the pivot area wet as this can lead to rust.

Good luck!

Cheers, i do think i may get a stone for touch ups though as i think that will be easyer, or maybe a pasted wooden strop.
one other seemingly dumb question....
How do you get rid of the lather from the blade, some seem to say under running water others say on a towel, which is best?

Ah, the age old question of the flush and the wipe...
Basically it boils down to what suits you. Wiping keeps the blade a bit dryer, but is a bit messier IMO. Try them both and choose what suits you best.

Originally Posted by BigIan

Cheers, i do think i may get a stone for touch ups though as i think that will be easyer, or maybe a pasted wooden strop.
one other seemingly dumb question....
How do you get rid of the lather from the blade, some seem to say under running water others say on a towel, which is best?

Personally, I use the palm of my hand to wipe the lather away and rinse my hands between passes. Here is a thread where a lot of members answer that question. Welcome to SRP, enjoy your journey

Ian, welcome to Forum! Good to see a North Country Lad! One of my best, fuzziest memories are from the Old Samuel Smith's brewery in Tadcaster...
Enjoy!

He He He Jim, i used to work at john smiths, over the road, so know taddy well.
Thanks for all the advice, I think i shall be getting all my new kit at the end of next month (my birthday) So will keep reading up between now and then, and no doubt will be asking if any one knows how to stich a face back together after my first shave,