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Hi guys, great site - I've been lurking for a week or two but figured I'd take the plunge and join up. I'm getting my first straight razor (an ebay purchase) honed by a local knife and blade guru here in Ballard (a neighborhood in Seattle) and can't wait to try it out. It's a lovely french point Carl Monkhouse 6/8 with a full hollow blade. I'll post results after the first attempt unless I bleed out into the sink or decapitate myself. Can't wait!
Hi and welcome.
I lived in Seattle for 10 years, mostly in the Green Lake area but I spent a lot of time at one of my uncles's place in Ballard.
Welcome Saxbe. As a newbie myself I can attest that this is a great place to glean an enormous amount of information about the art of SR shaving. Oh, if you have been lurking for the last couple of weeks you must have noticed that everyone here LOVES to see pictures of new acquisitions, because almost everyone here have extreme cases of RAD. Therefore, I think it perfectly appropriate you share pictures of you C-Mon once you have it back in hand. Again, welcome and have fun!
Hal
You found the motherload of help & info. Prepare to have some fun.
You'll learn alot, and w/ some help, get the best shaves of your life. It will no longer be a neccessary annoyance, but a daily indulgence.
Knife & blade gurus aren't always the best source for a good edge, so if you have issues w/ it - don't suffer - get help.
Maybe post a photo of your new kit. That razor has some stature - would be nice to see it.
I wanna take a few seconds to welcome you to SRP and say please attend the NW meets that we have each year the next one is in Yakima May 5-6 then we have a Fall meet in Spokane end of Sept beginning of Oct..
Also a warning, unless this knife guy shaves with a straight razor regularly then you do NOT want him touching your razor, there is a vast difference between sharp and "Shave Ready"
Hello Saxbe,
Welcome to Straight Razor Place. I echo the warnings from my colleagues about having a razor honed by a honemeister and not one who works with knives. Evaluate your first shave and, if need be, send the razor to a real honemeister for re-honing. Good luck.
Thanks Guys! I'm blown away to hear so many friendly welcomes and words of advice.
Otto, Seattle is great - and Ballard is the Norwegian hub of the northwest. My wife and I were married at the Nordic Heritage museum last year, it's only a few steps from our front door (she hates when I describe the wedding as a marriage of convenience, but it was!). We've been talking about traveling to Norway in the next few years - it's on my list of must-visit places, and since I've made it to Iceland twice now (yay cheap flights with Iceland Air), there are no more excuses.
As for the concerns with my knife guy, he seems very competent, and I actually found him on Yelp after reading a review of another Seattleite who took his straights there for servicing and was very happy. I'll let you know what I think (not that I'm an expert) and ask him what his other straight razor experiences are - especially if others here in the NW would appreciate a review. As soon as I get the razor back I'll post some shots. I do have one or two from when it arrived - it was pretty sweet looking even without much work. I'll download them now and stick one or two on this thread.
As for NW meets, gssixgun, I'll see if I can get the better half to join me in Yakima. I dunno why, but she just isn't that excited about shaving... sigh.
Thanks for the friendly welcome guys - I am so glad I joined up. A Rad community indeed!
As Promised:
Attachment 90629
Attachment 90630
I'll share the shave-ready final product when I get it back!
And a close up of the stamp. I really like the star and circle, it remind me of Newcastle Beer! Honestly that was the main reason I bought the razor (hanging my head in shame here) I hadn't done any real research till after. I like to think I lucked out!
Attachment 90631
Welcome, I am a fairly new member as well here, It is a great place to learn and chat. Have fun!
Welcome and hope to see you around. Get your wife a DE, and maybe she'll be interested in attending local meets. :)
I just received my new/old Carl Monkhouse 5/8 back from Vulcan Knife works in Seattle and am VERY happy. I'm not an expert, but the edge is unbelievably sharp, perfectly straight, and polished mirror bright. He took the time to clean the scales a bit, and tightened the pins too! The owner, Paul, was great - I asked him a bunch of questions about his straight razor experience and he has done more than a few - he even has a few for sale that he has picked up, refurbished, and has shave ready. He has been playing with the idea of opening up a corner of his shop that will be dedicated to wet shaving and the 'gentleman's arts'. I think there is ample interest in the Seattle area and encouraged him to do it! I believe he would carry strops, razors he has refinished, and a (perhaps) a few local shaving products. He also did an amazing job on my grandads KABAR, but that's another board entirely. Pictures in the following post.
Contact info for Vulcan Knife Works:
2419 NW Market St
(between N 24th Ave & N Shilshole Ave)
Seattle, WA 98107
Neighborhood: Ballard
And one more!
I am really happy with this blade!
Now to use it!
I'll post a little more after my first shave (probably going to be conservative and just hit the major plane of my right cheek).
Attachment 91581
Welcome from a fellow Northwesterner! That is a beautiful razor. The blade came out very well and I really like the scales. Glad to have you in the club and I hope you have a great time learning to straight razor shave.
Hello from another newbie. Great resources here!
Thanks for sharing about Vulcan - I'll go there
You should!
I thought Paul, the owner, was very cool - and the price seemed good. It was $30.00~$35.00 for hone, high polish, and repair. I would encourage him to follow through with his straight razor 'corner' if you talk to him (I have a little self interest here - he is just down the street from me :D).
To be fair - a more experienced shaver should check out his work - as a Newb, I may not have the sense to tell a good hone from bad. On my first swipe last night though, I thought the razor performed well. I only did the flattest parts of my cheeks, and it seemed easy and smooth - the hairs make the coolest little noise when they get cut through - it's AWESOME!
It was also the first time I've used a pre-shave oil. I went with a mandarin orange scented bottle from eshave. It was pretty incredible - even if I don't use a straight every shave, I will use the oil - it feels great before, during, and after. The shaving soap was also from eshave, and was thick and easy to encourage into a big white santa-style poof of lather.
Good times!
