Thread: Know my way around blades but new to razors

Hi All,

I've given up being a suit to become a chef and in the course of that I might have become a wee bit obsessive about my blades. I've been suffering from razor burn so thought it's time to cut my face off with style.

I am very old school when it comes to kitchen equipment - Cast Iron pans, copper pots, and Carbon Steel knives. Yeah maintenance on old school equipment isn't fun but the ones that have hung around do a lot better job than their modern replacements.

After exploring carbon steel and modern 'super-steels' in kitchen knives I have come down firmly in favour of CS. I haven't come across a stainless steel that will take an edge as sharp as a CS blade, and I have played with some of the more exotic J-knives. So CS discolours and needs to be re-honed more often, I can live with that.

I've got myself a NOS Henckels 1/2 dated to ~1930 as a starter, so waiting for that to arrive before firming up the plans on what to get. I will get a Belgian yellow coticule stone because getting the razor gives me justification for getting something I've wanted for a long time but didn't have room for in my knife roll. Apart from that it's all an open book.

Welcome and have fun! I have a slight preference for carbon razors myself.

Excellent. Well, you've found the right place to ask questions and bounce ideas. Welcome to SRP.

I understand your plight. I was a chef for a long time before becoming a teacher, and even now, my knives are wicked sharp!

Maxi

Hello, Pauly:

The world of wet shaving with the straight razor is an obsession and you're at a place that is devoted to it.

One way or the other most of us here are obsessed with the straight razor. For me it is a sweet obsession. The other ladies and gentlemen here might have their own label for it. Either way, we love this neighborhood.

Thanks for moving in. Welcome to Straight Razor Place.

Regards,

Obie

Welcome to the forum. I guess I'm old school too. I tend to favor CS in the kitchen myself. I have a set of Henckels Pro S series knives which I hone. I looked, (looked) at the high end Japanese knives...Maybe one day, when I'm rich. My straight razor collection is 99.9% CS, that is to say I have a couple of Stainless blades. They shave well, I don't look forward to honing them. Let us know if you have any questions or need any help...

Rich

Where did you purchase the razor from?

I ask because its important to have a nice sharp razor, and learning to put a good edge on a razor takes a bit of time to learn, even for an experienced knife sharpener (although you will still quite a bit ahead of the game compared to someone without experience). If it isn't shave ready, it would be a good idea to get is sharpened up by an experienced honemeiseter, just so that you know what a shave ready edge should feel like.

Welcome, Pauly!

+1 to Mark's advice on sharpening.

I know there's another chef here who's just starting out. He's also devoted to Henckels.

I never made it to suitdom, but gave up clean shirts, air conditioning, and good ergonomics to become an electrician. Much more satisfying life.

You've landed in a really good place, here. Good luck and best wishes.

Originally Posted by markevens

Where did you purchase the razor from?

I ask because its important to have a nice sharp razor, and learning to put a good edge on a razor takes a bit of time to learn, even for an experienced knife sharpener (although you will still quite a bit ahead of the game compared to someone without experience). If it isn't shave ready, it would be a good idea to get is sharpened up by an experienced honemeiseter, just so that you know what a shave ready edge should feel like.

Picked up the razor from ebay. A store that had a lot of antique knives but didn't seem to know what exactly they had with the razor. I usually buy my kitchen knives on ebay (pre-war Sabatiers are my drug) so I've taught myself how to look for signs of excessive wear on blades. With postage it's costing me ~$40, so fingers crossed it will be a good buy. The photos weren't great but I really couldn't pick any signs of wear and the box is mint.

Well I have shaved with my 10" Sabatier Chef's knife once to win a bet (20 bucks is 20 bucks) but it isn't something I'm ever going to repeat. It took about half an hour but only minimal blood. With the geometry of the blade I ended up going against the grain for most of the shave so it wasn't exactly a smooth shave either.

I'm thinking of getting the razor reconditioned and polished to start with. Make sure all the scales and pins are tight (Hey I can almost bluff my way convincingly about razors after only a day on these forums).

Getting it sent away for honing doesn't appeal to me. I wouldn't mind paying to watch someone do it. In the knife sharpening game there are too many yahoos with belt grinders who'll make you pay for the privilege of letting them ruin your blades, so I am not exactly trusting when it comes to letting other people mess with my edges.