Thread: Greetings from Oregon

Hello,

I've been fascinated with shaving with a blade since watching my dad in days of yore using his old badger-hair brush and his ultra-sharp razors.

Well, then there were the very infrequent whacks on the backside (all deserved) with the old leather strop.

Anyway, I saw this video of Murray Carter on You Tube shaving with a camp knife, an axe, a machette and then a pair of scissors. I said, hmmm, that's pretty cool. I'd like to be able to do that too.

That brought me to a series of lessons in sharpening knives and even coal forging one myself.

So to kick everything off I sharpened my fish fillet knife and shaved off my beard with it. It didn't feel too bad, actually. And since I don't own a pair of ice skates to try shaving my face with, I think now I'm ready for the straight razor.

Any recommendations for beginners? Unfortunately my younger brother got all of dad's really cool straight razors when he passed, so now armed with his badger brush and a set of Japanese water stones (1,000, 6,000, 8,000 and 12,000 grit) plus a leather strop loaded with .5 micron combination of alluminum/cerium oxide paste, I am ready to start with a comfortable shave.

I notice that some guys do this, as they say, to please their significant others. I do it to please myself. For lack of better words, it makes my feel more manly.

Best to all, and any suggestions are of course welcomed.

Best,

Pianotuner

Welcome Pianotuner! We're glad to have you with us..!

It sounds like you have all the honing kit you need and a pasted strop, which is good. You'll find all of this stuff useful as you delve into the hobby more..!

You'll need an unpasted strop as well, for daily use. Daily use of a pasted strop will dull the razor pretty fast, so you only want to use the pasted strop for touching up the razor.

If you havent already, have a look at our Wiki, Beginners Guide and FAQ:

Straight Razor Place Wiki
Straight Razor Place Wiki:Books/Beginners Guide - Straight Razor Place Wiki
Frequently Asked Questions - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Theres loads of useful information in there..!

In terms of razors to go for, check the classifieds here at SRP and have a look in the Vendors Corner as well for a list of reputable sellers. Check out Straight Razor Designs, The Invisible Edge and Classic Shaving (to name a few!) for a wide range of great razors.

If you have any questions, please ask!

Good luck and keep us posted!

Stu

pianotuner,

Welcome to SRP...

It appears that Stubear has already provided you with a host of useful information and links to speed you on your merry way as you enter the world of str8 razor shaving.

My only additional piece of advice would be to remember that if you purchase a str8 razor from one of the aforementioned vendors in Stubear's post, they should arrive already professionally honed. Many of the vintage razors in the SRP "Classifieds" are also sold "shave ready." Whichever route you choose to go--vendor or the classifieds--you won't need to hone your new str8 razor until about a year after you receive it. Rely on your pasted strop initially to restore the blade's sharpness. When that doesn't work anymore, then turn to your whetstones to resharpen it.

My recommendations for a starter set would be either a Dovo "Best Quality" or the Dovo "Special." Both are good, reasonably priced starter str8 razors. You can even get them in a razor & strop set at a combined discounted price.

One other piece of advice...When purchasing a strop for daily use, either alone or as part of a set, opt for a 3" wide strop. It will make daily stropping of your razor somewhat easier.

Just my 2 cents...

Take care--and smooth shaving.