Thread: New to straight razors but have been taught how to use one!

My Grandfather had a straight razor that was issued to him in WW2. I think it was a Genco Army/Navy, but i'm not sure. He used it to teach me how too use it back when I was 16. After he passed away, his razor got sold by my grandma, so I had been looking for a straight razor since. I finally found one at an antique shop and it is a Genco master barber for $21, so I think it's a good deal, considering I get a leather strop for $15 instead of $30. The Master Barber is in great condition and I will get pictures of it posted as soon as possible.

Enjoy those shaves and keeping up a tradition. You may find yourself reminded of your Grandfather more and more now.

X

If you found the Genco in an antique store, you will need to have it honed professionally. Make sure you send it to one of the members who offers this service listed in the classifieds.

Good luck!

Yeah, I found a barber shop where the main barber will Hone them for a minimal fee, He is still one of the few barbers left that you can still get a shave with a straight razor.

Neat. What kinds of things did your Grandfather teach you?

My grandfather taught me what angles to hold the razor, how to get prepped for a good shave, how to take care of the razor, how to hone and strop it, what shaving soaps he thought were good, how to store the razor and shaving supplies so they don't get damaged, how to take care of your strop. He always told me, you can take 30 minutes to prepare for a shave, but if you don't take care of everything that to pertains to it, you did it for nothing. He could prepare, shave, and post prep everything within 5 minutes, including stropping before and after. I just hope to get that good. LOL!

Originally Posted by blackknight

My grandfather taught me what angles to hold the razor, how to get prepped for a good shave, how to take care of the razor, how to hone and strop it, what shaving soaps he thought were good, how to store the razor and shaving supplies so they don't get damaged, how to take care of your strop. He always told me, you can take 30 minutes to prepare for a shave, but if you don't take care of everything that to pertains to it, you did it for nothing. He could prepare, shave, and post prep everything within 5 minutes, including stropping before and after. I just hope to get that good. LOL!

Very cool that your grandfather passed along all of that usefull information to you..even cooler that you remembe it and are putting it to use. Great stuff!

Yeah, I'm a little out of practice, so I had found this site and was really happy to find out there were alot of people that still use straight razors, and to find all of this information on one site. I want to get a Genco Army/Navy like my grandfather had, but with the limited budget and Not able to find one for sale, It has made it really hard to get one. So I have to settle with a Genco Master Barber for now. LOL! Still a decent razor as far as I know, considering it shaved about a 4 inch spot of hair off of my arm and made a perfectly smooth spot,LOL!