Thread: Hello from Durham, North Carolina

I've been using a straight razor with disposable blades for a few months. I got my first "real" straight razor the other week from an antique store. I need to get a hone and do some work on the blade before it's shave-ready. I'm excited to learn about how to do that!

Welcome mstalker:
You'll find lots of info on the site about restoration, light and complete resto's. Here's a good thread to look through The Workshop . I can relate to your eagerness to get started and clean and hone your first straight, but you'll probably find that some time spent in the SRP Wiki, Straight Razor Place Wiki - Straight Razor Place Wiki , and some careful research on honing and stropping will be very beneficial before jumping in too far, too quick. You might think about a light restoration of your razor that you can do by hand with steel wool, sandpapers, metal polish, etc. and then sending it out to one of our members for it's first honing so that you have a reference point for starting your own honing. You can find them here Vendors Corner and here Member Services - Straight Razor Place Classifieds . Good luck, and enjoy the forum.

Best Regards,
Howard

Thanks for the welcome and the resources, SirStropalot! Would you suggest having someone else hone the blade because I haven't used this particular blade before, or because I'm new to straight razor shaving?

Originally Posted by mstalker

Thanks for the welcome and the resources, SirStropalot! Would you suggest having someone else hone the blade because I haven't used this particular blade before, or because I'm new to straight razor shaving?

I would recommend getting it honed by one of the members in the linked sections. That gives you a reference point for what a shave ready razor will feel like, and also will help you with your shaving technique because you can eliminate whether the razor is sharp or not. Provided, you don't strop it when you get it back, which I suggest you don't, at least not before the first shave with it. You'll have to begin stropping after that. Just take one thing at a time where you can manage the variables and that way you can usually tell what is going wrong, if anything. You'll do well!!

Regards,
Howard

Edit: Saw your post in the Workshop about a frowning blade. If its the same one we're discussing, it may be more expensive to hone this one than it's worth. If you decide to send it to a honer, they'll need to see pictures of it before they can estimate the cost. What brand of razor is it, etc. ? If you can post a picture, that would be beneficial, showing the frown too.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/site-...-pictures.html

Originally Posted by mstalker

I've been using a straight razor with disposable blades for a few months. I got my first "real" straight razor the other week from an antique store. I need to get a hone and do some work on the blade before it's shave-ready. I'm excited to learn about how to do that!

I live in Durham near Duke East Campus and have been using straights for a few months. I could show you how to hone that razor with lapping film...if it isn't a wedge. We're trying to start a Triangle Get-together. Go to Forums, Parlour /General Razor/Shaving.../ Get togethers meeting/Triangle or click here:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/get-t...apel-hill.html

I just noticed the smiling edge post. If that's true, I don't know how to hone that one.

I send my razors to Glen Mercurio of Welcome GemStar Customs - Gem Star Customs in Sandpoint, Idaho. You can watch his YouTube video on honing a smiling edge razor.

I decided to try to hone it myself. I got rid of the frown, but at the expense of the bevel. I'm working on restoring that. The blade cuts hair now, but it's pretty dull, still. I'll keep working at it!

I had a razor that could still be a very good blade, but I tried to correct this and correct that and ended up eroding so much spine that it's just a victim now. It was a valuable learning experience, but I wish I'd have known more before I dove into this one. I would have gotten a true beater and practice on it instead of one I really did mean to shave with.

That's just my experience. I hope yours will be better.

In any case, welcome to SRP, and best wishes to you.

Stay away from the frowning razor.

Originally Posted by mstalker

I decided to try to hone it myself. I got rid of the frown, but at the expense of the bevel. I'm working on restoring that. The blade cuts hair now, but it's pretty dull, still. I'll keep working at it!

At this point, it might be best to get up with someone who is experienced in honing difficult razors before you go any further. Your razor might be salvageable, but given the issues you've described I'd be reluctant to plow ahead without having a knowledgeable honer take a look. There's another member who lives in Pittsboro who hones; lindyhopper66 and I are trying to get up with him soon.