Thread: Straight Razor care questions

Hello everyone!
When I was in college I used to get a straight razor shave every time I went to my barber, cool old italian guy. Man I loved that barbershop! good prices, great service, friendly atmosphere, not to mention that you left the place feeling like a million bucks with a tight haircut and baby-butt-smooth face. But after I moved away I could not find a "real" neighborhood barber with affordable prices. No disrespect to the pros (I love what u do) but at $30-$40 per shave it's not exactly a bargain to add it to a haircut anymore.
So I've finally decided to just do it myself, I bought a nice Dovo 5/8, soaps, brush, etc... Still waiting on the razor, out getting honed, any day now.
I've read all the noob tips and getting started guides (tnx for all the info) but I can't seen to find much on the actual care and storage of the razor. I do not and will not be shaving every day, so other than obviously not leaving it in a puddle of water to rust.

Do I just rinse and dry after using it?
With paper towels? TP? Silk chamois from Louis XIV's armoir?
Do I need to oil it? with what?
Should I keep it in the bathroom cabinet or a dryer place?

I also bought a cheaper strop, as recommended for first timers like me who will nick it. But as I look at the NOT very smooth leather, I wonder if it will damage my edge.

SO the question is: Other than my noob stroping technique, can the crappy leather dull my edge?

Thanks so much everyone

Laos

Originally Posted by Laos

Hello everyone!
When I was in college I used to get a straight razor shave every time I went to my barber, cool old italian guy. Man I loved that barbershop! good prices, great service, friendly atmosphere, not to mention that you left the place feeling like a million bucks with a tight haircut and baby-butt-smooth face. But after I moved away I could not find a "real" neighborhood barber with affordable prices. No disrespect to the pros (I love what u do) but at $30-$40 per shave it's not exactly a bargain to add it to a haircut anymore.
So I've finally decided to just do it myself, I bought a nice Dovo 5/8, soaps, brush, etc... Still waiting on the razor, out getting honed, any day now.
I've read all the noob tips and getting started guides (tnx for all the info) but I can't seen to find much on the actual care and storage of the razor. I do not and will not be shaving every day, so other than obviously not leaving it in a puddle of water to rust.

Do I just rinse and dry after using it?
With paper towels? TP? Silk chamois from Louis XIV's armoir?
Do I need to oil it? with what?
Should I keep it in the bathroom cabinet or a dryer place?

I also bought a cheaper strop, as recommended for first timers like me who will nick it. But as I look at the NOT very smooth leather, I wonder if it will damage my edge.

SO the question is: Other than my noob stroping technique, can the crappy leather dull my edge?

Thanks so much everyone

Laos

What I would recommend. Don't actually rinse the blade when you are shaving. Get a washcloth or any other fabric and just wipe all of the cream off of the blade. This will greatly prevent rust, water spots, or pitting of the blade. I wouldn't store it in the bathroom, because that is more than likely the most humid room on your house. I would store it in a bedroom. I personally put a light coating a baby oil when I store the razor between shaves, but that may just be my OCD But, its better safe than sorry!

About the strop, what kind is it? If we knew what it was we might have something to compare your rough leather to.

Parker

Tnx jefferson,

I bought a Scalpmaster Barber Strop 23-1/2" long and 2-1/2" wide, horsehide and canvas strap.

Originally Posted by Laos

Tnx jefferson,

I bought a Scalpmaster Barber Strop 23-1/2" long and 2-1/2" wide, horsehide and canvas strap.

Never Hear of this strop before. Mind posting some pictures of the strop?

Originally Posted by Laos

Hello everyone!
When I was in college I used to get a straight razor shave every time I went to my barber, cool old italian guy. Man I loved that barbershop! good prices, great service, friendly atmosphere, not to mention that you left the place feeling like a million bucks with a tight haircut and baby-butt-smooth face. But after I moved away I could not find a "real" neighborhood barber with affordable prices. No disrespect to the pros (I love what u do) but at $30-$40 per shave it's not exactly a bargain to add it to a haircut anymore.
So I've finally decided to just do it myself, I bought a nice Dovo 5/8, soaps, brush, etc... Still waiting on the razor, out getting honed, any day now.
I've read all the noob tips and getting started guides (tnx for all the info) but I can't seen to find much on the actual care and storage of the razor. I do not and will not be shaving every day, so other than obviously not leaving it in a puddle of water to rust.

Do I just rinse and dry after using it?
With paper towels? TP? Silk chamois from Louis XIV's armoir?
Do I need to oil it? with what?
Should I keep it in the bathroom cabinet or a dryer place?

I also bought a cheaper strop, as recommended for first timers like me who will nick it. But as I look at the NOT very smooth leather, I wonder if it will damage my edge.

SO the question is: Other than my noob stroping technique, can the crappy leather dull my edge?

Thanks so much everyone

Laos

I've asked the same question, some of the responces I have gotten are putting it some where dry, like in a cabinet. or your desk drawer. just any where that is dry and get's a lot of air. you can oil it. peopl have told me that they dry of the blade and between the scales with a tissue. one thing I've heard is taking the packet of beads that say do not eat, like the once found with beef jerky, put that in a box with a razor. I do the same thing that parker does. when I shave I wipe the cream off with one side of a towel. then I fold the cream side of towel in and fold the razor up in the clean part of the cloth and put that in a drawer. right now I'm waiting on eucalyptus oil to arrive in the mail, gonna give that a try. another tip I've gotten is put it on a stand, don't have to buy one can make it out of a peg and scrap wood, let the razor air dry then do all the other stuff you care and store it. there are a lot of ways to take care of it, just depends on the effort you want to put in it.

Here's the link to the question I asked you might find more useful information
http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...azor-sink.html

And as for the part about the strop, I think that side is just for a touch up, like every other shave you do a few laps or something. My strop has something similar. one side is smooth canvas feel to it the other is a rough side with chromium oxide. i do 20-30 laps on the smooth side. then about every other shave or so I do the other side 4-5 laps then the smooth side as usual. and I always stop after shaving.

You'll likely get different responses depending on who you ask.

I rinse off the blade in hot water and then wipe it dry using a towel followed by wiping down the inside of the handle or scales with TP. I will usually give the razor a blast of air from a hair dryer\blower to insure any residual moisture is gone.

If you'll not be using the razor for a few days you can apply a light coat of oil, i.e. mineral oil.

The lower the humidity level for storage purposes. the better

Pretty easy..

1) No problems with rinsing with hot water and drying with a stropping motion on the towel

2) When done shaving, I have alcohol in a spray bottle that I spray on the blade and wipe down with a paper tissue (gets the soap residue off)

3) Let dry opened for an hour or so and leave in a dry place until next shave

4) If you're leaving the blade for over a week, a light coating of mineral oil (pharmacy, usually next to other low-profit items like alcohol/iodine/peroxide, used as a laxative)

Originally Posted by parkerskouson

Never Hear of this strop before. Mind posting some pictures of the strop?

I've tried numerous times and it just wont upload a simple 200k jpg photo so I give up for now. My concern is that the leather feels wrinkled on the smooth side as if the strop was folded too much or too far. I've been massaging it with my palm hoping it gets better, any other suggestions?