Thread: another new guy

hi everybody. thanks for all the information freely available to lurkers! the time has come, though, to take the razor I found at a thrift store and turn it into a deadly work of art. it's a karnak from st. louis, which I don't see too much mention of in these parts; does anybody know much about them? I'll get it sent to a honemaster here soon. from what i've learned here, my novice's eye tells me the blade is not in terrible shape. I'll post a picture set later when my camera's charged. i also found an e.c. simmons keen kutter junior, also mfg'd in st. louis. i picked it up as an "arkansas stone," but my googling says it was made for razors. it is only 2" by 4", which seems small. thoughts?
as 'gifts' i've received a series of electric razors and i'm sick to death of shaving. I enjoyed shaving with the mach III i got for being 18 years old (drug dealers will give the first hit free, right?) but hated buying new expensive cartridges. I'm too young to remember very much of those days, but things used to be built to last, by real craftsmen and women.
i'm another self-sufficiency buff, originally from iowa and now in chicago. i like growing my own food, working on my own bicycle, and can't imagine relying on a multinational corporation to cut my whiskers.
thanks for your help, past and future, and i look forward to geeking out on the forums as my knowledge increases. most of all, i look forward to shaving like a man and not a marketing demographic.

Originally Posted by dotanuki

hi everybody. thanks for all the information freely available to lurkers! the time has come, though, to take the razor I found at a thrift store and turn it into a deadly work of art. it's a karnak from st. louis, which I don't see too much mention of in these parts; does anybody know much about them? I'll get it sent to a honemaster here soon. from what i've learned here, my novice's eye tells me the blade is not in terrible shape. I'll post a picture set later when my camera's charged. i also found an e.c. simmons keen kutter junior, also mfg'd in st. louis. i picked it up as an "arkansas stone," but my googling says it was made for razors. it is only 2" by 4", which seems small. thoughts?
as 'gifts' i've received a series of electric razors and i'm sick to death of shaving. I enjoyed shaving with the mach III i got for being 18 years old (drug dealers will give the first hit free, right?) but hated buying new expensive cartridges. I'm too young to remember very much of those days, but things used to be built to last, by real craftsmen and women.
i'm another self-sufficiency buff, originally from iowa and now in chicago. i like growing my own food, working on my own bicycle, and can't imagine relying on a multinational corporation to cut my whiskers.
thanks for your help, past and future, and i look forward to geeking out on the forums as my knowledge increases. most of all, i look forward to shaving like a man and not a marketing demographic.

Welcome to SRP! Your story sounds a lot like mine, I can definitely identify with your reasons for trying a straight. Once you get some pictures up we can figure out what needs to happen to that razor to get it in working order!

The stone is probably one of Simmons's barber hones-- a fast cutting high-grit stone used to touch up a razor as it gets dull.

The beginner's forums and wiki are full of information about other things you will need-- soap or cream, brush, strop-- and basic shave technique.

Lastly, where in Iowa did you grow up? I'm originally from the Waverly area and now spend most of my time in Decorah.

i tried to take pictures, but have a mediocre camera, terrible lighting, and little sense of visual aesthetics. plus wasn't 100 percent sure what details you may hope to see. hopefully this gives some idea what i'm working with, though.
i stumbled across a cake of williams shave soap, and a burma-shave kit with a coffee mug, probably cheap badger brush, and a cake of their soap. i plan on using good stuff, but i've got it laying around so may try it out if nobody's skin puckers in fear at the mention of it and they beg me not to.
'course the first step's sending it to lynn or someone to get it cleaned up.
i spent most of my childhood in mason city, BK, but lived in the storm lake/denison area for a while in high school and got a B.S. degree in ames. as an english lit major, the B.S. thing is still funny on a lot of levels.

Welcome to SRP. I hated shaving everyday until I started to use a Str8. I look forward to the relaxing 30 minutes everyday during which I shower and shave.