Thread: New guy here,gonna need some advice

Hello guys and gals(???any here???),
My name is Eric and am sure glad i found this place.I was tired of throwing away high dollar razor refills two or three times a week,so I decided to just get a straight razor.I'm tired of everything becoming disposable nowadays,anyway.What am I supposed to pass down to my son one day...the blister pack my Mach lll came in?I dont think so.
Well,I probably got impulsive and screwed up(as is the case with me often times)and bought some stuff off of ebay.I'm sure you guys(and gals?)can help me sort through it all.Please???? Glad to be here,looking forward to good conversation.

Welcome to SRP!

Tell us what you got from eBay and we'll help you figure out what you can make use of and what you still need.

Ok youre gonna get a good laugh out of this im sure.I was shopping for christmas gifts and saw this old RAven razor hone for sale.I love old things and just had to get it.That hone is what started me on the straight razor kick.As far as what i ordered from ebay here is the link: eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices Im still not sure what the shaving soap gel is supposed to do as it produces no lather whatsoever.I shaved with my usual barbosol tonight

You have a good razor. It should be professionally sharpened by someone who specializes in razors.
The strop and brush look to be functional.

I'm not familiar with the soap. It wouldn't hurt to pick up something else - you'll probably want to experiment with a few different soaps anyway.

Thanks the advice.Any suggestions on soap?

There are lots of good ones to fit all kinds of budgets.

For a glycerine soap, try the Straight Razor Designs soaps. They have a lot of great scents.
For a tallow soap, try Mitchell's Woolfat or D.R. Harris. (D.R. Harris is my yardstick soap - its the one I judge others against)
For cream, try Castle Forbes.

On a budget you could try Williams Mug Soap or Van Der Hagen. Williams isn't great, but it's super cheap. Lots of people like VDH for an inexpensive soap.
C.O. Bigelow is a relatively inexpensive cream that you can find at Bath and Body Works.

Good luck!

don't forget to read the wiki (in addition to these forums) (Straight Razor Place Wiki - Straight Razor Place Wiki) especially the pages for beginner and first shaves and first equipment.

Thank you guys.Very much appreciated.I will check those out.

Two questions i have right off:What is alum? And one about honing-I understand(thx to srp)that when stropping that the spine running against the strop helps to keep everything inline,what about honing?If you were to let the spine drag along the hone it would surely damage the razor.Or am I way off?I wouldn't think you would want to "hone" your spine.

If I am posting questions in the wrong area I apologize.To be honest,I am somewhat intimidated by the size of this forum and am still learning to use it.

Welcome to SRP, Eric.
To be honest you are far away from needing to learn to hone at this stage of your journey.
There are many reasons for this statement, not the least of which is that you can't know, yet, what a good edge is and how it feels when you shave with it.
My advice would be to get the Dovo professionally honed and then shave with it.
Learn to lather and strop properly, at this stage, then learn to hone.
Regarding spine wear when honing, many of us (myself included) use tape when honing so as not to wear the spine - just as many of us don't and it is an ongoing discussion.
If you want to read about it use the search box at the top right of these pages.
Alum is commonly found as 'crystal' deodorant and is something I don't use, personally, so I can't comment.
Take your time, read and learn, try to meet up with a member close to you and, most importantly, hang on and enjoy the ride.

That all makes perfect sense to me.Thank you for the advice and the welcome