Thread: Hello from Utah!

Hey fellow Utahans! I'm a Mormon as well (about to serve a mission in a few months in Portugal). I've started to get into straight razor shaving, i'm loving it thus far, but unfortunately with having to pay for college, my mission, and living costs , I have little to no money to spend on this new art form. I've acquired an old antique straight razor and a 361 Illinois strop from a pawn shop (very lucky find). However there are few to no places to get help with proper technique, honing, and just all around information in Utah. I was wondering if there's anyone in the Salt lake/Utah County area that could help me get started, maybe even hook me up with some older un-used materials or teach me how to hone and strop better than I've been doing. Even the slightest bit of help I'd appreciate greatly. I've been shaving for about 2 weeks now, my technique is getting better, but I can tell there are some flaws in how i'm stropping. Please feel free to respond to this thread or just email me! Thanks so much, any help at all is greatly appreciated.

Hi, Jak, and welcome to SRP! As I pm'd you, there are several members from Utah who I'm sure would be glad to help you out. In the meantime, let's address your stropping. On the SRP homepage there's a good stropping video posted by AFDavis. Watch it, learn it, live it, love it. SRP Founder Mr. Lynn Abrams has also posted a very good vid on stropping that I think answers most rookie questions, but I don't recall exactly where it is. I'm sure it can be found on YouTube as well.
If you can, please post pics of your gear. Have you had your razor honed yet? A properly honed razor is ESSENTIAL to cutthroat shaving success!

I'll be sure to post some pictures of my gear, right now actually. I haven't had it honed yet. I took it to a place that sharpens shears, razors, knives and various other things, they sharpened it in about 5 minutes and it cut my arm hairs with ease, but failed the hanging hair test. I'll post with my gear in the next ten mins or so.

The most reliable and valid test of razor sharpness is the shave test. Period. There is no substitution for that. Heck, I can pop arm hair w/my Swiss Army Knife!

I have a 361 Illinois horsehide leather strop

A very high grit wetstone, I have never touched my razor to it in fear of dulling or honing incorrectly, cause it's not a hone, just a very very high grit wetstone.

A Wester Bro's New York Leather box

An Imperial Razor Sheffield Steel Ground in Germany

I have yet to get a brush, soap are cream, which I understand is CRUCIAL to obtaining a good shave.

Bad pictures, my camera isn't great. But hopefully you can get an Idea of what I have.

Jak:
A decent place to get a starter brush is Wal-Mart -- they sell a VDH (Van Der Haagen) brush/soap combo pack for about $15 U.S. The brush and soap are OK, and many members here like both of them well enough that they use them regularly beyond their rookie period.

Originally Posted by mapleleafalumnus

Jak:
A decent place to get a starter brush is Wal-Mart -- they sell a VDH (Van Der Haagen) brush/soap combo pack for about $15 U.S. The brush and soap are OK, and many members here like both of them well enough that they use them regularly beyond their rookie period.

Yes, just get that. To start out, you can't get any better than that price!!! And good luck on your mission! Do you leave for the MTC or your mission in a few months?

Your strop looks to be in good condition from what I can see, but do I see a ding/nick on your blade's edge just west of the period-sized light reflection near the spine?