Thread: My heretical rules for enjoying str8s

It seems some want to arrive at the destination while others want to enjoy the journey.
I fall into the second camp. If I didn't, I doubt I would use a straight razor. No criticism in just wanting to arrive, simply different mindsets. The result may be similar, but the experience is different.

Originally Posted by b7j0c

sebell writes:

*Perhaps you are not employing a linen strop properly to
do the job of keeping your edge keen.*

i don't use the linen strop at all. from what i can tell, the prevailing opinion here is that the linen strop serves no functional purpose and will not (and cannot) improve the quality of edge on your balde. the best explanation i have heard for the linen side is simply to clean the razor.

I get a dramatically shorter lifespan on my edge if I don't use the linen side!

Originally Posted by b7j0c

10. THE RAZOR IS A TOOL, NOT AN HEIRLOOM. obsession with pretty things is the domain of the small-minded.

I came to this one late. This point put a smile on my face though. With the custom Livi I have (mammoth ivory, mother of pearl inlay, abalone inlay, Damascus pattern weld...) I must have the smallest mind in the UK!

In my write-up when I picked up my Livi I wrote something which I still firmly believe: the craftmanship of the Maestro is testament to the fact that there is room for beauty in all things, including the utilitarian.

Mark, expand your mind and send that Livi to me!!!!!

My, my, my...!

I simply love this!Absolutely wonderful post! Being fairly new to my "return to the Grail"... I am thoroughly tickled to be a part of a forum where one can post his opinion and others reply with theirs and (so far) the only fur that is flying is that which the old (or new) str8 removes.

I believe that there is a right & wrong to most everything we do. I also believe that this 'right & wrong' (particularly when it comes to the str8) is a moving target. At least it is for me. As I learn more about this deadly art, hopefully the wrong is consistently and continuously being replaced by the right. I'm a retired metal-worker by trade and over the years I always tried to find the best, easiest, and most proficient way(for me) to do things. Most of the time, I believe that I succeeded. Sometimes I didn't. I did work with many guys that did things in ways that I would never consider... but it worked for them. Cool. I appreciate the tact and wisdom of all who have contributed to this post. It is the variable-ness of threads like this that make us consider the what, why, and how of what we do.

Danny

btw... I smell good! I'm old school with my fragrances.
Mama bear soap & williams soap as well (and looking for more as time goes by).

I am still new, however I have been using a strop, pasted and plain for my razors for about a month now. I can tell you this, a dull razor that will not pass the HHT can be brought to pass the HHT with just the strop. That was on a $20. wapi. I can also say with some certainty that if you strop enough and correctly you can achieve an edge far better than your daily hone. Lastly an 8k norton is simply to polish the edge so it doesn't drag your face, not necessarily sharpen although in polishing it does do that. All this said your opinion is your opinion and although I disagree with parts of it at least those poor starving ebayers who sell razors that are poorly ground, and poorly put together will not starve because they have you to support them. That said I will stick to my stropping, wapis, and double arrow and enjoy a good shave too. As far as smelling good, it's not just for me but for the women too, I personally like it when my lady gets close just to smell the scent in the shave soap
Good luck and may you always have a stypic pencil at your disposal.

Hey b7j0c,

Thanks for the opinions. Will you be telling us what our favorite color should be or the only way to masturbate? I wonder how I've made it through the past 49 years without your guidance.

Originally Posted by icedog

Hey b7j0c,

Thanks for the opinions. Will you be telling us what our favorite color should be or the only way to masturbate? I wonder how I've made it through the past 49 years without your guidance.

"Blue.... NO YELLOW! Waaaargh!!!!!"

(obscure Monty Python reference)

I tend to think I know a thing or two about heretical thinking and attitudes. I can respect a man who is willing to grab a torch and a pitchfork and alone is willing to storm the Bastille. I think the gates have been wanged pretty good this thread.

I tend to take a nostalgic attitude towards straight razor shaving that is part old world, part artistic, part elegance and part rad. Those of us who embrace shaving with a straight razor seem to be apart from the norm, I'll leave it to each to decide if that's good or bad.

I have nothing truly against the points brought out, but it would seem that it would be more cheap to use an old hunting knife, sharpen it up everyday on fine grit rock picked up in the woods, strop off on an old leather belt, use bar soap lather (or, heck, how about some bacon grease drippins) and shave like a real he-man, and use Captain Morgan's for aftershave. Really though, I can see a raw, animalistic, axe-wielding maniac appeal for that kind of thing. (Looking a bit like Johnny Depp with a gray streak in your hair might complete the image.) I guess I personally am just not gung-ho in that way. I guess some are just more heritical than others.

"throw it away when it fails or wears out." - This to me is the domain of the short minded and wasteful minds.