Thread: Hello all---I'm new here

Hello, I'm getting more frugal as I get older (just turned 52 ). Last trip to the barber I asked about straight razors and ended up leaving with a cheeeep pakistani and box of sharktooth blades. One shave and I started looking for the real thing! I ended up buying a new Dovo 6/8 best quality. The online store listed it as shave ready, but I'm not sure it was as keen an edge as it could of been.

welcome to SRP

if you tell us where you got it we can probably tell if it has been honed or not

Ahh...Vintage Blades LLC

well it should sertainly be sharp when you got it
Im sure you got a brush and a strop aswell?

a real straight is a bit different from a shavette so it will probably feel sharper with a bit of pracktise

I've been doing lots of reading about razors, sharpening, and equipment and decided to hone it. I have been a woodworker all my life and understand how to sharpen so I thought I might have some luck with it. I did, however, just buy a Norton 4000/8000 for honing and already had a black hard arkansas. Tell the truth I never liked the black hard stone. I get no results with it.

well i wont tell you not to
but you really need a shave ready blade to compare

Yes. I had a badger brush and some soap. I ordered some cream when I ordered the razor. I like the cream better.

So......arazor can be sharp enough to shave with but not as sharp as it could be? because I'm getting pretty good close shave above the jaw but not so good below where the whiskers tend to run in different directions.

Originally Posted by FatherGoose

So......arazor can be sharp enough to shave with but not as sharp as it could be? because I'm getting pretty good close shave above the jaw but not so good below where the whiskers tend to run in different directions.

Hello Father,

Jim at Vintage Blades has his razors honed by one of the pros, Lynn Abrams I believe, so it should be quite shave ready, thus your re-honing it may be unnecessary to counter productive. If you want to adjust the finish on the edge you could make up a balsa veneered paddle to which you apply some chromium oxide and strop for 10, or so, passes. This may or may not change things, but having the paddle will ultimately be useful.

I say that because I've been there, or real close to there myself. I've sharpened tools all my life too and figured that razor honing would be a breeze. Not quite. Razors seem to like a much lighter touch than a chisel or plane iron and it takes a while for one's ham handedness to change to more of an angel food cake touch.

If you do try the paddle approach, I've had good luck gluing balsa to MDF as it's very flat. Just stick it on using wood glue and good, flat cauls.

I shaved this morning with a personally honed razor, a Friodur that has fast become a favorite. My comfort level with straights has taken a while and goes something like this: technique, angles, stretching, getting face used to the routine, getting prep working, finding that pefect lathering material, buying a ne plus ultra brush, finding that personally perfect strop(s), etc, all takes a while. And this doesn't include buying some hones, trying those hones, buying some more hones, trying those, making some paddles, buying some paddles, trying those, buying another razor, trying it on all the various abrasives, shaving, going back to square one.

It's an adventure. Good luck, good shaving,



good luck, goo

Thanks Bruce. When I started this thing I tried to weigh the cost of Trac II blades for a year...extremely expensive to the start-up cost of straight razor shaving. I think I have already blown the budget, so this is turning into a hobby much like my fiddles, RC stuff, guns, and so on! It's all good Can you reccomend a good fast cutting, final stage...say...12,000 grit stone? I'm sure my (mis)adventures with SRS is far from over...I actually look forward to shaving every morning!