Thread: New Orleans, LA

Hello, all! I am severely interested in shaving with a straight. I have been shaving DE for close to a year and love it. I have amassed a good collection of those (been very lucky in flea markets and antique stores).

But...I have also found two nice straight razors in antique stores also. Both Dubl Ducks. One is a modest Special No. 1 and the other is a very nice Gold Edge which I am excited about. They need some honing/polishing, but I am itching to try them.

I would like to find someone who could hone and polish the razors as I don't know of anyone near me with that skill.

Welcome to SRP. Your straight razors are top of the line shavers if they are in good condition. If you go to the classifieds and take a look at member services here you'll find members who will hone your razors for a nominal fee.

If you post photos of the razors with the blades open we can tell you if your 'modest' Special #1 is in good enough shape to be worth honing. In the meanwhile see the beginner's guide in the SRP Wiki here for good info on shaving and maintaining with a straight razor. I used to live on N. Rampart St forty + years ago..... and Canal, Barracks and probably elsewhere that I can't remember anymore.

What Jimmy said...post some pics of the razors in question.

In the interim, you may want to consider sending both razors off to a restoration guy of your choice and have them take a careful look at the razors and make some recommendations on restoration and honing work that may be required. If the razors are really beat down, they'll surely let you know. They'll also let you know if it's not worth restoring. If that's the case, many times the razors will still hone up properly and shave great, they just won't be the showpieces that are often displayed here. I've got a few absolute beaters that aren't worth the money for a full restoration, but are some of my closest shavers.