Starter: Perth Western Australia

Hello to all!

First and foremost thank you to everybody who has posted threads on reviews and answered questions on a huge variety of subjects. Before registering as a member I have spent many hours perusing the forums on learning more about Straight Razor Shaving.

I have never owned or attempted to shave with a straight razor however it has always appealed to me. My drive to learn more about it stemmed from the bathroom where I was sick and tired of spending large amounts of money on cartridges for Mack3's and the like (name your brand!!) that dull very quickly and then put up with a poor subsequent shaves to try and at least get value from the $$$ spend on the expensive cartridges. So annoyed I have gone back to budget BIC razor which provide a closer shave if one takes his time.

Since reading I have ordered a DOVO Bismark, a 3" "Big Daddy" Latigo strop and styptic pencil. As well as a cheaper Gold Dollar Straight Razor to practice stropping.

In excitement I have melted down a $2 shaving soap stick into an old puter mug my grandfather bought me when I was a small tacker. I have been using this to lather up with a basic brush before shaving with my budget BIC razor.

I am a Police Officer here in Perth and as such am required to be cleanly shaven for work. I can't wait to start practicing!

My only questions would be.
On the DOVO UK website it says all razors come honed and ready to go.
So do I just strop and get into it?
Do I need a strop paste initially or treat the strop when I get it?
I gather you strop before each shave?
What period of time would I be looking at to have the blade honed again?

Thanks again guys... and if any of you are local and happen to be blood group O+... get down to the Red Cross and donate 'cos I might need it.

Kind Regards
Chris

Welcome to SRP. To answer a few of your questions: If the razor you purchased has be honed by hand then there is no need to strop before your first shave. Just wipe the oil off the blade and have at it. I suspect though you may need to have the razor professionally honed by someone who knows what they're doing. Check member services in the classifieds for a member who can hone your razors for you. Hold off on strop pastes at least for a while. You should strop your razor before each shave, but like learning to shave with a straight razor, proper stropping techinque takes time as well. It is very easy to ruin a "shave ready" edge due to poor stropping. As for a time period to have your blade rehoned, that can vary with proper maintenence,(stropping) and care of your razor. I hope this helps.