New old face in Missouri

Greetings, all. I'm glad to be shaving again. As a teen, my father taught me how to shave with a straight razor as a matter of tradition. At 17, I joined the Army and served 13 years. The military life didn't lend much time for shaving. I did not enjoy the prospect of an early medical retirement, but it does leave time to do things I previously couldn't. I wound up with a Kriegar straight razor recently... dwarfish and not at all shave worthy, although pretty to look at. After finding this site, I was better prepared. I found a Giardo Solingen new. The razor came honed already, and with a little stropping, was ready to go. After using it, It doesn't shave nearly as well as my father's old antique, but is definately worth it. The blade is excellent, although the handle is flimsy plastic. In time, I may try to find a good set of handle scales and bolsters to set the blade in. It is great to be here and my girlfriend says she's never seen me so relaxed and happy as I am now that I have a good close blade shave everyday. Saint

Welcome to SRP. It's great to have a hobby that you can actually enjoy every single day, I know I do. Hope you enjoy the forum and if you have any questions, just post them.

Welcome to the forum. Did you get your Giardo from an individual or from a distributor? If it came from a retailer, it probably was not honed to "shave ready" condition. It would be a good idea to seek out one of the honemeisters listed in the classifieds and have a proper edge put on your razor to get you started right. It will make all the difference between an acceptable and a great shave. Also, if you are still lucky enough to have your father's razor, you should have it honed too so that you have a two-razor rotation. Again, welcome, and don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have about this addiction, err, ah, I mean this enjoyable pastime.

Regards - Walt

Thanks for the welcome. To answer your question, Walt, I did get my new razor from a distributor. I'm making a trip back home to Indiana at the beginning of the month and I plan to visit my old barber and have him put an extra sharp hone on it just in case. It shaves well, but a little extra attention won't hurt it. I have several nice whetstones that I use for my combat and carving knives, just not the particular fine grains listed for razor honing. That will be my next project, though I will train up with a practice razor rather than my shaver.

welcome to srp its good that you chose to become one of the srp guys, Good luck and feel free to ask questions as im sure someone will be able ot answer them. And on a persional note im off to the army this comming july when i turn 17 i want to serve for 20 yrs as an infentryman so id like to just yet you know i have full respect for you and what you did

Good luck, Deerhunter

pm me if you have any questions or need anything at all.

Welcome aboard.

Welcome to SRP FallenSaint. It is a good practice to have one razor honed by a pro so you can use as a benchmark. There are a few guy's in Missouri who can help with this. What part of N.E. MO are we talking about? I have a buddy that raises beeves up around Milan and have done much hunting in the area..
MIke

What part of the Show Me State are you from? I'm about a half hour south of St Louis.

I live in Kirksville, which isn't far from Milan. None of the barbers in the area hone straight razors. I had a good hone put on mine, and found a finishing stone on my trip home to Indiana. I spend a little time here and there honing on a cheap Kriegar. They come with a hollow ground blade, but a beveled edge, so it will definately take time to grind it down to shaving quality. I doubt it will ever touch my face, but the handle is pretty to look at...lol. I love my Solingen blade. Eventually I want to have a good handle made for it. Since being retired, I have taken to collecting, sharpening, and even making knives. When I was younger, my dad always whittled wood and taught me quite a bit. Luckily, the hardware store here carries a good selection of hobby woods, such as basswood that I can carve on. It not only gives me practice in carving, but also maintaining many different types of blades, ranging from 440 stainless to AUS8 carbon steel.

Are you planning to attend the Knife show coming up in St Louis in Jan I think it is? May be Feb but I'm pretty sure my dad told me it was Jan.

Ray