Thread: cape cod newbie

greetings from cape cod. i have been lurking around this site for the past week like bukowski's bluebird hiding in the shadows and am very happy to be here. i have clear memories of my grandfather's straight razor and wish that i had it now. have just competed my fifth shave and am happy to have survived nick free. i made the error of an initial purchase of a 'hygienic quality' disposable blade manufactured in india and survived the experience without any major damage. last week i purchased a boker 'king cutter' and have just had my third shave with it all of which have been great. i know that i'll need to strop before my next shave and have some concerns as i am sure all newbies do. i am reading and viewing all the information sources found in these forums and have purchased a srp premium english bridal strop as my first. i am awaiting the arrival of an older dubl duck from ebay and wish that i could wait until it arrived to begin my stropping adventures. have also purchased lynn's dvd and am awaiting the arrival of a refurbished dubl duck spl #1 from bob's razors on line.
at any rate, i appreciate all that i have learned to date and look forward to learning more and sharing good times on this forum. it is humbling to be surrounded by all of you experts!
thanks,
dr john

Hello, John:

Welcome to Straight Razor Place. You are starting out with quality tools: Boker and the SRD English Bridle strop. Also, may I assume the Dubl Duck is shave ready?

In the meantime, until your strop arrives, study all the stropping videos you can find. Go back to the rest of the information and tutorials offered in the Wiki and read some more. Lynn's Video, when it arrives, will be of enormous help to you, as well.

From here on, throw the clock away as you hone your skill with the straight razor. Your specific technique will develop out of all this automatically. Also, concentrate on your lather technique. This is extremely important.

In the meantime, if you have questions, please ask away. We are delighted to have you with us.

Regards,
Obie

thanks for the welcome, obie. i received the dubl duck from bob keys today and could not be happier, it is indeed shave ready and beautifully restored. i have spent the day absorbing stropping info and am planning on stropping the boker tomorrow.

your advice about the importance of lathering is well received. i use a high quality rooney bager brush that i have used for years with my double edge razor. i have been trying out prorasso cream and it seems to work well for me. i am also spending significant prep time and am really beginning to enjoy the overall experience of wet shaving. do you have any recommendations concerning prepping for the shave and any specific shave creams?
thanks again for the welcome and advice.
john

Hello, John:

You are welcome, sir. You seem to have everything you need, and of quality, too. You're on your way. Now take your time and embrace the whole ritual of wet shaving with the straight razor. If you have any question, please don't hesitate to ask. We are delighted to have you with us.

Stay well.

Regards,
Obie

john,

Hello and welcome to SRP.

As Obie notes, it appears that you are well on your way to becoming a straight razor afficianado. Your purchase of a straight from Bob Keyes was a wise choice. I have purchased several razors from him, including a 6/8 dubl duck Goldedge. In fact, I just got several razors back from him that I purchased on ebay and had to get honed and some light restoration work performed on.

As for beard prep...Try lathering and massaging the lather into your face with your fingers. Then rinse it off and apply some bay rum to your face, followed by a relather. Then begin your shave. This is called the Robeson beard prep method from a turn of the last century brochure produced by the Robeson Razor and Cutlery Co. I use it as part of my pre-shave routine. You can also try several pre-shave creams on the market such as Proraso or Lucky Tiger brushless shave cream.

As for shave creams...I like Proraso a lot. I've used it for years. There are other creams and soaps out there, however, that are equal to or superior to Proraso. I use Erasmic, Ingram, Palmolive for Men, and Castle Forbes frequently. In the soap category, I have used Mitchell's Wool Fat shaving soap with excellent results.

I hope that this information helps. Take care--and continued smooth shaving.

Thanks jhenry. I shall try the Robeson beard prep and let you know how it goes.
I had used Palmolive shave cream for years (after Noxzema shave cream was no longer available). Are you referring to the same Palmolive? I thought that it was no longer being marketed. Where can you get it?
Best,
john

Originally Posted by jrgmcd

Thanks jhenry. I shall try the Robeson beard prep and let you know how it goes.
I had used Palmolive shave cream for years (after Noxzema shave cream was no longer available). Are you referring to the same Palmolive? I thought that it was no longer being marketed. Where can you get it?
Best,
john

john,

It's available here:

https://www.superlather.com/

And here is an electronic copy of the brochure I mentioned as well.

John,

Here is a link to the SRP wiki page on stropping that may be helpful to you. In fact, the SRP wiki contains a ton of information that is helpful to new as well as experienced straight razor shavers.

Razor stropping - Straight Razor Place Wiki

John,

I'll be up there in September, can't wait. I bought a cheap strop on ebay along with 2 razors that were included with the strop. I plan to practice with the cheap strop and razors then purchase a better strop
once I get the hang of it.

My question to the veterans is normally do you need to add a compound to your strop? Also does the length o the strop matter?

Hi jhenry and many thanks for your advice. I sucked it up yesterday and after practicing with a butter knife as you suggested stropped my new Boker that I had shaved with twice. Did a total of 30 strops on the leather only without problems or damage to the strop. The proof was in the pudding this morning when I experienced my best straight razor shave to date. As I continue to develop my skills I am wondering at what point to use the canvas strop. Is it something used only when the blade is significantly not performing well or should it be included as a regular part of my daily routine?
I appreciate your sage advice and encouragement.
Hope all is well.

john