Ow! My Ear! ...I guess I am a newbie!

Just kidding... still have both of my ears attached.

How did it all begin?

Well, one summer in College, down in Waco Texas, I was sitting in the barbers chair getting my haircut and in comes a sales lady for scissors. She asked the owner if he needed anything, he did not, but one of the other guys was interested in seeing what scissors she had. Sometime during the conversation I flagged her down.

I asked her if she had any straight razors. She looked at me like I was crazy and asked what I wanted it for.
I said that I was into knives and wanted to learn how to shave with a straight razor. However I wanted a nice razor and who better to ask than someone who sells sharp things for a living.
She started out showing me a $150 straight razor... I said it was too flashy what does she have in black that is a quality razor.
She sold me a $50 job that I thought was beautiful.

I shaved with that straight razor for one summer in college. Did a pretty good job as it was smoother than anything I have had since then.
But then when the real school year started up I just ran out of time. I remember it took me at least 30 minutes to prepare everything and shave. I used plain old shaving cream, but a hot shower and lots of cream made a very smooth have.
I put the razor in its sleeve and put it in my knife collection box and that is where it has been ever since.

Besides I did not know how to hone. I knew it took skill, and by the end of that summer my razor had had it. I knew it needed to be honed before I attempted another shave.

Here I am, the better part of a decade past, and I am interested in picking up the hobby.

I have a larger collection of knives, a bunch of sharpening equipment, and still that one straight razor.

The details of the razor:
Plastic scaled 2 pin design
"Solingen" with their mark on one of the scales
"Solingen" etched into the hollow grind of the blade
The Henkels symbol on the tang followed by "Friodur" in script and "INOX NO-Stain" underneith
A very smalls stamp in the tang "Germany"

On the other side on the razor it has stamped "J.A. Henkels Solingen zwillingswerk"

From what I understand it is a pretty decent razor.
My plan is to get another decent working razor, a brush, soap, and other accessories and start again.

I got a feeling that I have a bunch of reading I need to do before I do anything else though.

Welcome to the forum. Interesting backgrounder too. Yea, do a lot of reading on the forum especially in the SRP wki Straight Razor Place Wiki - Straight Razor Place Wiki . That should give you a good grounding.

You do have a very decent razor, a Friodur stainless is one of my best shavers. Maybe just clean it up and send it out for a honing and use it again.

Bob

I agree with BobH. Look in the SRP Classifieds and select someone to hone that razor for you. Then you will know what razor sharp really is and also have a benchmark for your own honing efforts. That Henkels Friodur razor has a very good reputation here. BTW, the workhorse razor hone is a Norton 4000/8000 waterstone. Lots of guys here use it and can help you with it.

Welcome Dave,
If the friodur was $50 I wonder what you would have got for $150, lol.
I would send that baby for professional honing and buy a norton 4/8 as well as a beater razor to practice.

Good luck!
Eric.