shaving with a $0.25 paring knife

**Ben325e** · 12-17-2008, 01:03 PM

Hey guys, tonight in the restoration chat I said that I wanted to do a shaving response to Murray Carter's video where he shaves with a camping knife, so I did. At the end of Murray Carter's video, he asks "Can YOUR roofing knife do that?" So, I set out to see if mine could.

I tried to make the situation as close to what Murray did as possible; he didn't use a brush, neither did I, I don't know what kind of soap he used, so I just used some old Van Der Hagen soap from walmart that costs about a buck fifty or so. He sharpened his knife on a 6000 grit king, so I sharpened mine on a little 6000 grit 1x6 stone that I have. He had some classical music in the background, I had the cars driving by on the street as ambiance. I say in the video that I found that soap in my closet; I have a closet in my bathroom with all my shaving stuff in it, just for clarification. I wasn't going through my clothing closet and found the soap under some shoes or something, which is kinda how it sounded to me in the video.

Since you can't see my facial hair so great in the video (I have brownish hair, but my facial hair is blonde and red) I put up some extra pics so you can see what I'm going up against.

My preshave was just like his; I just splashed some warm water on my face a few times.

I did three passes, and the video was 10 minutes on the dot! Seriously, no editing or anything....

I didn't strop the knife, as it wasn't really necessary. I consider it BBS when you rub against the grain and can't feel any hairs or stubble at all - and I got BBS everywhere except my upper lip (didn't do a fools pass) and just under my bottom lip. My cheeks and neck are super smooth....

So, for all the newbies who think, Aw man, if I can just get some of that Mitchells Wool Fat soap, or a Tony Miller smooth and buffed horsehide strop, or a Rooney Silvertip brush, well that's all stuff that's really nice and makes things more enjoyable, but it's not absolutely necessary. Good technique is really what you need to get a good shave. I don't have any irritation from my shave, and my tecnique was rushed. I'm not saying mine can't get better, I'm just saying that it's good enough to get me a great shave.

On the video, it sounds like the knife is pulling or might be painful. If you've ever made a shaving video in your bathroom, you'll know that it sounds sooo much worse than it actually is. The shave was actually decently comfortorable, all things considered. I wish my first straight shave were as comfy as this one!

Anyway, here's the pic of what my face looked like before I shaved:

Here's the video:

YouTube - Re: Shaving with a camping knife!

**Seraphim** · 12-17-2008, 01:33 PM

Excellent!

For the coup de grace, you should have cut up an apple after the shave!

So, will you be selling off your straights now?

**Mike Blue** · 12-17-2008, 01:37 PM

Originally Posted by Seraphim

For the coup de grace, you should have cut up an apple after the shave!

Or cut through a free-standing cigarette paper...

A good comeback however, well done.

**hoglahoo** · 12-17-2008, 02:09 PM

nice work, Ben!

**Bruce** · 12-17-2008, 02:36 PM

Can we glean from this that those new to straight razor shaving are best served by starting with the real basics - the blades in the kitchen knife drawer? I'm certainly not in the class of the long shaving experts here as attested to by the fact that my morning's shave typically takes 17 minutes, but I did not start straightly with a paring knife. I also don't have a 6000 grit hone.

I can see the need to start a-fresh. I'll be pitching the coticules, Nortons, and Shaptons (dust to dust, ashes to ashes, stones to the trash can), sweeping the razors into a waste basket, and trotting out to the home and kitchen store to pick up a cheap paring knife.

Wal Mart has Van der Hagen soap for a buck and short change. I'm in business once I figure out what color plastice handle I want on my paring knife. Red seems a bit gauche, green rather ho-hum, blue too cold, now butterscotch yellow - that could be it! I hope I don't get PKAD, but that would be OK too. At about $3.95 per blade, this would be chump change compared to what I just threw out.

Thanks for the inspiration!!

**Seraphim** · 12-17-2008, 02:45 PM

Originally Posted by Bruce

Can we glean from this that those new to straight razor shaving are best served by starting with the real basics - the blades in the kitchen knife drawer? I'm certainly not in the class of the long shaving experts here as attested to by the fact that my morning's shave typically takes 17 minutes, but I did not start straightly with a paring knife. I also don't have a 6000 grit hone.

I can see the need to start a-fresh. I'll be pitching the coticules, Nortons, and Shaptons (dust to dust, ashes to ashes, stones to the trash can), sweeping the razors into a waste basket, and trotting out to the home and kitchen store to pick up a cheap paring knife.

Wal Mart has Van der Hagen soap for a buck and short change. I'm in business once I figure out what color plastice handle I want on my paring knife. Red seems a bit gauche, green rather ho-hum, blue too cold, now butterscotch yellow - that could be it! I hope I don't get PKAD, but that would be OK too. At about $3.95 per blade, this would be chump change compared to what I just threw out.

Thanks for the inspiration!!

Oh please....

You know just as well as I do that you may start out with a $3.95 paring knife, but the next thing you know you'll find yourself NEEDING a Henckels high-zoot paring knife.....perhaps a Wusthof....maybe a custome made damascus paring knife?

You just know that's how it would end up, don't you?

**Ben325e** · 12-17-2008, 03:43 PM

Old School, you'll have to look through his youtube channel, wesatcartercutlery. The videos are broken up into sections. In one section he sharpens the knife, in the next he shaves with it.

**Bruce** · 12-17-2008, 06:36 PM

Sera,

Damascus paring knife? Hmmmm... We might just be heading somewhere acquistional. OPEN them wallets boys!! We got us some shopping to do.

**timberrr59** · 12-17-2008, 06:39 PM

Good Job, I saw a Puukko Knife Catalogue from Kellam Knives that had a photo of a man on the cover shaving with a Puukko Knife. I used a Queen #34 folding hunter for shaving the back of my neck between haircuts. I am thinking about honing up my Grandfather's True Temper double bit ax...Stropping might be difficult. Could this be the making of another Contest? Robert

**fpessanha** · 12-17-2008, 06:59 PM

I wonder if I can hone my opinel nº 9 to shave worthyness...

That would be cool! Anybody knows if that's possible? I believe that after Xmas I'll be able to give myself a nice coticule...

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