Thread: Greetings from Philadelphia

Hi there gentlemen.

My name is Igor and I live in Philadelphia but was born in Brazil.
should be receiving my first razor tomorrow and can barely wait. However, I I do have one worry which I am hoping is not as serious as I think. The razor I bought was a Dovo singing razor and from what I hear, it is not the ideal ground for a beginner.

Well regardless of the ground that's what I have to work with.
I also ordered a pure badger and a mug that comes with a soap from classic shaving.

So should I have 911 on standby?

Not at all! Take your time, start with the easy bits (sideburns and down cheeks), leaving areas like under your nose, your chin, and your neck, until you're feeling comfortable with handling the thing.

No need for 911 on standby, but a styptic pencil is probably a decent idea - especially when starting out. The odd nick/cut is more or less inevitable, and that will help deal with them.

Where did you buy the razor from? The reason I ask is that will determine whether it is truly shave-ready.

Good luck, and welcome to SRP!

I forgot to add a couple of very helpful links. If you have not already done so, read these:

Beginner's guide to straight razor shaving - Straight Razor Place Wiki

First straight razor shave - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Plenty of great info there.

Thanks for the reply. I got my razor from classicshaving.com which I believe professionally hone their razors prior to shipping. I have read just about everything on this site plus many YouTube videos, and I have to say this place has been great for a newbie like me. I guess I will go to the pharmacy prior to shaving and pick up a styptic pencil.

One thing I did dot buy yet is a strop which I really need to. Any recommendations on a cheaper strop with some linen for me to start with. None here in the classifieds.

Two strops, intermediate between WhippedDog's "Poor Man's Strop Kit" (which I have and like) and really expensive stuff:

Home Page ("Big Daddy" and "Big Momma")

www.ruprazor.com ("Filly")

I haven't used either one, but they've gotten good write-ups here.

. Charles

Thanks for all of the help. Those two websites are great and the prices are so much better than what I have seen so far. What do you guys think about the following:

$33- Two strap leather Strop + Balsa strop with abrassives +Neatsfoot oil (Whippedog)
$40- 3" latigo leather strop BigDaddy (Starshaving)

Or do you think I should just wait and get a "best quality" or the "Richman's" ?

I was also looking at the 12K finishing stone and thought that might be a good idea for maintaining in betwen real hones.

The nice thing about the Whipped Dog strop kits is that they include a (small) balsa pasted strop.
With leather (or cloth + leather) and the pasted strop, you may not need a real honing for a year or so. [Larry won't guarantee a lifetime for an edge, neither will anyone else.]

I have used the Poor Man's Strop as a travel strop, and it worked nicely. It's small, but the leather is OK.

Either a barber hone, or a 12K finishing stone, will let you keep your razor sharp indefinitely. You'll have to develop the skill to use it, but for most razors that _start_ sharp, refreshing the edge isn't too hard.

. Charles