Thread: Did I make a good buy?

You will be fine. It's odd, but there are very few bad American made razors. Despite the cachet of European stuff, most of the American razors shave just as well and tend to be much cheaper. There are no apparent issues with the spine or the edge so it should hone up just fine. The crack in the tail is quite odd, but it does not extend to the other side so it should be fine. If you are going to have a crack in ANY part of a straight razor, the tail is the best option!

Now, on to the other stuff.

You absolutely positively need a decent strop. Now. A straight razor's edge must be re-aligned with stropping. That is, with proper stropping. Bad stropping can have the opposite effect and trash an edge surprisingly quickly.

You need to have your razor honed. If you are smart, you will have someone else do it the first time. That way you can see how the razor works for you. Like riding a bike, it won't be pretty on the first try. Read the beginner's section for a lot of tips on what to do and not do.

You do not need hones yet.
You do not need hones yet.
You do...hopefully get the point. Don't jump into the deep end of the pool yet. See if the razor is something you want to stick with or not. The reality is that a lot of people fall in love with the concept but don't want to bother with the effort. It is effortless for me NOW but it took quite a while. Some people just don't want to go through that process.

If you might be one of them, consider a safety razor. It is much less effort to maintain, as in just changing blades (that only cost 10 cents).

Whether you stick with the straight or decide to move to safety razors or descend back to the depths of depravity and use a cartridge razor, consider trying q decent brush and a good soap. Any shaving method will work better if you put in the effort to make a better lather.

End of lecture. Good luck and have fun with your Shumate and welcome to a great forum!

Of all the replys you've gotten, you need to listen to Utopian. He is the one thats correct.

Originally Posted by bouschie

...Can you take better photos of both sides of the tang.....

I cannot, I ordered it off the internet -its en route.

Originally Posted by gugi

...From the first picture I'd be concerned about that uneven white line along the edge as it could be indication of problem, but Shumate have good reputation and quality control so chances are you'd be fine.....I don't see a crack on the tail, looks like some pitting to me, but I wouldn't worry about it.

I think now after looking at the pictures, it is a piece of hair and not a crazk. I hope so. I hope the unevenness (white line) will be manageable with a good hone.

Originally Posted by engine46

...I would get it pro honed like Gigi mentioned & after awhile, get yourself a second one, possibly one already shave ready. You can get a very nice quality, new, Ralf Aust from SRD for around $103 plus Lynn hones & strops each one before it goes to it's new home....

I was thinking of a Dovo, but those razors look pretty good too! ARRRRGGGGHHHHH the decisions. I guess I also need to find a local honer >.<

Originally Posted by Utopian

You will be fine. It's odd, but there are very few bad American made razors. Despite the cachet of European stuff, most of the American razors shave just as well and tend to be much cheaper. There are no apparent issues with the spine or the edge so it should hone up just fine. The crack in the tail is quite odd, but it does not extend to the other side so it should be fine. If you are going to have a crack in ANY part of a straight razor, the tail is the best option!

Now, on to the other stuff.

You absolutely positively need a decent strop. Now. A straight razor's edge must be re-aligned with stropping. That is, with proper stropping. Bad stropping can have the opposite effect and trash an edge surprisingly quickly.

You need to have your razor honed. If you are smart, you will have someone else do it the first time. That way you can see how the razor works for you. Like riding a bike, it won't be pretty on the first try. Read the beginner's section for a lot of tips on what to do and not do.

You do not need hones yet.
You do not need hones yet.
You do...hopefully get the point. Don't jump into the deep end of the pool yet. See if the razor is something you want to stick with or not. The reality is that a lot of people fall in love with the concept but don't want to bother with the effort. It is effortless for me NOW but it took quite a while. Some people just don't want to go through that process.

If you might be one of them, consider a safety razor. It is much less effort to maintain, as in just changing blades (that only cost 10 cents).

Whether you stick with the straight or decide to move to safety razors or descend back to the depths of depravity and use a cartridge razor, consider trying q decent brush and a good soap. Any shaving method will work better if you put in the effort to make a better lather.

End of lecture. Good luck and have fun with your Shumate and welcome to a great forum!

As far as honing goes, I feel as If I have some relatively above par sharpening skills. Growing up I was always sharpening my hunting/pocket knives, and I have recently taken into the art of whittling and maintaining those knives are tricky. I just need to obtain the right grit whetstones. Ill still check locally first with the hone and see their prices for a hone first.

Yeah, I have yet to buy the strop and maintenance supplies. I think I need to work on that. I have been using a shavette for about a week now and its subpar (knicks, razor burn), Im guessing its because of the derby blades/inexperience. So far I LOVE LOVE LOVE the whole process. Here is the brush/soap kit that I bought. Here is the shavette. I think eventually I will need to try new soaps/brushes and ultimatelly a new straight razor(besides the vintage Shumate). I was thinking Dovo, but sounds like Engine46 swears by the Raulf Aust. I am now thinking I need to look up some great American blades, I LOVE LOVE LOVE buying USA made stuff. Hell I just may stay with vintage blades.

Thanks everyone for the comments about the newer blade!

-David

Rather than buying a single whetstone specific for your razor yet, you would be better off having it honed just the first time by someone else who knows what they are doing. That way, you can eliminate the variable of an improperly honed razor in your learning to shave and strop.

There have been MANY people who have come here confident in their knife honing skills and state variations of "sharp is sharp and I know and can do sharp." Usually they end up quite surprised about the differences when that sharp thing is going on their faces and they find that sharp ain't sharp and really ain't comfortable.

Originally Posted by dghardyjr

I guess I also need to find a local honer >.<

That would be your best option. Hands on and in person is very helpful. Plus you get to try, or at least see, other equipment before buying it online.

Where are you located? If you change your settings to include your location, you may be notified of local meet-ups near you. It also helps for others to offer you help in this thread so at least post here what your location and someone may pipe in and invite over for some help.

Alternatively, you can do an advanced search in the member's list for others near your location.

Yeah Shaun, I said he didn't do bad. I mentioned I wouldn't pay that after all the straights I've seen on eBay. I've seen some nice ones slip by w/o a bid & they weren't that high either. Some people might be watching them & get distracted when the auction ends. A good example is my dog always seems to want some attention right at the wrong times. The phone could ring or a knock at the door. Good deals get missed often but the seller will re-list & it will sell. That's usually how it goes. No, he didn't do bad. Once honed, it should be a superb shaver. I once spotted a crack in a blade & I politely told the seller but he replied with a FO! Some people don't care & just want the money while others want the money but don't really know what they have & will think they have a gold mine.

Im near Charleston, SC.

Originally Posted by dghardyjr

Im near Charleston, SC.

Here's a list of users from Charleston
http://straightrazorpalace.com/membe...sername&order=

Straight razor honing can be very different from knife honing, we use very little pressure and up to and above 12k grit rating to finish the edge. It would be best to find a mentor for honing, it helped me GREATLY

Originally Posted by Kristian

Here's the wood mentioned. Very nice!

The wood on the top of the bell looks like Zebra wood. It could be something else but Zebra wood is a good guess. Go to Woodcraft.com and check their pen making supplies.

Advice on this forum is some of the best , only problem is you can't make someone listen, knife sharp ain't an issue, I've been honing knives for 50 years , but that ain't anything, remember we have guys who sharpen tools , some professionally who learn the hard way, myself I can hone a knife with anyone, I still don't hone razors , it's cheaper to maintain a couple blades by sending them out. But hey it'll be a learning experience for you. Tc