Thread: Straight razor rookie in British Columbia.

Hello Abraham, and welcome to SRP!

All good advice here. The hanging hair test is only useful to you after you calibrate it to your own hair and develop a feel for what it says about the blade. When you get your honed razor back will be a good time to try. Here's how I made it meaningful for myself.

It is no substitute for actually trying out a shave (the "shave test") because some hones and honers will give a glorious shaving edge that cannot pass the HHT. Strange but true.

The shave test should answer two questions for you: How sharp should my razor be, and How much pressure should I use? I expect the razor to remove whiskers with no more force or pressure than it takes to scrape away the lather. That is all the force or pressure you should use anyway; more than that and you risk razor burn. If it takes more pressure, adjust your blade angle a little (30 deg or less for easy spots like your cheeks, maybe a little steeper where the whiskers are stouter, like your chin) and see if it cuts better. Try relathering if you're working through drying lather. If you find that the only solution is to press harder, then it's time to touch up the blade.

You can also tell a dulling blade because it tugs at the hairs instead of severing them.

And blah blah blah. I'll stop now. Best wishes and happy shaving.

Hi, Abraham, and a hearty welcome to SRP from another B.C. boy!
+1 on all the great instruction posted above: get it honed by a professional. Right now you should be focusing entirely on your shaving preparation and your shaving technique. After that comes stropping. Stropping is the most important razor maintenance skill to master. There are many vids here that show excellent stropping techniques to help you out.
See you in the trenches, buddy!

Thanks for the advice. Boy, to a newbie like myself there's a lot of information. This is an amazing site. And yes, my razor tugs rather than severs, clearly my blade needs improvement. By the way, I like your profile pic. "Your arm's off! No it isn't!"
Thanks again.

Thanks friend-o, that sounds like good advice.

I see... thanks for the advice. I will certainly look into that. After a razor is honed and shave ready, can it be kept that way for a long time with proper stropping? Or is honing a semi-regular routine? And finally, I often go a week or more without shaving, what's the story on blade oil? Should I be using it? I hope I'm not burying you with questions. When I take up a new hobby I have a tendency to jump in with both feet...

Originally Posted by AbrahamSandwich

I see... thanks for the advice. I will certainly look into that. After a razor is honed and shave ready, can it be kept that way for a long time with proper stropping? Or is honing a semi-regular routine? And finally, I often go a week or more without shaving, what's the story on blade oil? Should I be using it? I hope I'm not burying you with questions. When I take up a new hobby I have a tendency to jump in with both feet...

Abraham, you may ask as many questions as you wish; we're all here to help one another!
Proper stropping can keep a well-honed blade going for a long time. Obviously, variables such as how often one shaves, beard toughness, water hardness, and type of steel all make for differing durations. However, proper stropping makes a world of difference re: edge longevity. In the past, I've been able to go as long as 12 months between honing sessions, and that was shaving 3-4 times per week. Most shavers here usually hone their blades much more often than that, however. It seems that every 20-30 shaves appears to be the norm.
Oil: some do, some don't. If I don't plan on shaving for a few weeks or a month (i.e. hunting season), I coat mine with mineral oil (NEVER GET IT ON THE SCALES!!!). Others use other oils -- eucalyptus oil is popular with the Aussies. I've even read of one member using WD-40! In short, oiling your blade does help. If you plan on doing so, NEVER GET IT ON THE SCALES!!!
BTW, pics of your gear are always welcome here! We call it "razor porn"!
See you in the trenches, buddy!