Thread: New Straight - prep for first use?

Just picked up a Klosskut razor. Came this week. It has a layer of what I'm assuming is Mineral Oil on it. My plan is to wipe off the oil before use and then wipe it down with Dettol liquid to disinfect it before use. Is Dettol the right thing to use? Is there more that I need to do? Clean, disinfect, and strop and go?

If the seller claims the razor is "shave-ready," I would encourage you to do _nothing_ with it before shaving. (At most, wipe away some oil, but don't even try to wipe near the edge.) If you're not sure about the cleanliness or shave-readiness of the razor, check with the seller.

The idea is to avoid damaging a shave-ready edge before that first shave. If the first shave goes pretty well, then the next one is bad, that can tell you there's s problem with your stropping or cleaning routines.

Was it professionally honed or is it factory edge? If factory edge probably not fully shave ready. If professionally honed most likely disinfected and stropped. If so just wipe off oil and shave. If factory edge it may need hone and strop.

The seller claims to have personally honed it, but didn't discuss what stones he used, etc. Most of the other sellers that I bought from said stuff like "Started with X grit and progressed through Y grit stones".

If you don't know exactly what kind of oil is on the blade, wipe it off first, just be careful near the edge. You don't want to shave with any oil on it as the lather or a pre-shave formula would work fine. Try it out fist before stropping as others have previously mentioned. If it doesn't give a good shave, then it wasn't honed & stropped properly. You might have to send it out to a pro for honing.

I use tissue to wipe my razors down before using because after use I strop them then I apply either camellia oil or ballistol to the razor for metal protection after each use and they need cleaning off prior to next/current use. If the razor is truly honed and ready try the old hair test to see if the blade grabs the hair as it is brought down against the edge.

Originally Posted by Michael70

I use tissue to wipe my razors down before using because after use I strop them then I apply either camellia oil or ballistol to the razor for metal protection after each use and they need cleaning off prior to next/current use. If the razor is truly honed and ready try the old hair test to see if the blade grabs the hair as it is brought down against the edge.

Yes, before stropping try it out with a hair or even shaving some arm hair to save your self the facial prep. If it seems close to shave ready by the arm hair shave then give it a try on your face. You can decide then to strop if needed. If it still fails then a touch up honing may be needed. Don't settle for almost good enough, you may end up pushing the blade into the skin too hard and or getting a lot of irritation and small nicks or weepers.

If you know how to shave, wipe it carefully with a tissue, staying away from the edge, lather one side of your face well, and give it a try. Skip all the other tests....your shave is the test.