Thread: Newbie stuff...

My newbie story... FWIW

I got interested in str8 razor shaving a year or so ago and started out intending to spend a minimimal amount of money (<$75). It was pretty obvious that I needed shaving soap, a mug, a brush, a strop, and of course, a razor. That's what I grew up seeing in the barber shops and movies, so I was confident I KNEW what I needed.

Some of my choices were successful, some failures...

• Soap and brush -- Success -- I found an inexpensive Surrey brush and soap at Walgreens for about $8.00. Since then I've found similar items at various discount stores for slightly less. The soap is reasonably good and the boar's hair brush works just fine. If I had really been on the cheap I could have just bought the tube of brushless shaving cream for under $3.00, but I decided to splurge
• Mug -- Success -- I already had a variety of ones to choose from... heavy ceramic coffee mugs, the ones people had given me with cleaver sayings on the side (that I felt compelled to keep for some reason but had no real use for). I picked one shorter than the length of my brush, dropped the cake of soap in and was ready to go.

But I still needed a razor and a strop. I jumped on the internet and quickly found a number of sites selling new razors, all at prices which seemed to be something close to the National Debt compared to my budget. So, I went to Ebay looking for a "deal".

I spent some number of days of looking at the 400+ hits I got on ebay for "straight razor". (I didn't stop to think how other cultures and languages would refer to them... "cut throat razors" in the UK, "rasiermesser" in Germany, "rasoir coupe" in France, etc.).

• Razor -- Failure, mostly -- I bought a kit on Ebay that included a razor, strop, and paste... for $30.00.
  
  

  • Yes, it turned out to be a Pakistan razor (although I didn't know that then).
  • Yes, the short little strop worked ok. It is pasted on one side, smooth on the other, and still hangs on the hook in my bathroom (I still use it occasionally, in fact)
  • Yes, I could shave with the razor... but never comfortably, and not without stropping often mid-shave.

I blamed my stropping technique and went looking for some helpful info on the internet. That's when I discovered the SRP Yahoo site... and things got better!!! I learned that the Pakistan razor would never shave right, but it was good to practice honing on. I was offered, and bought, a shave-ready razor from one of the honmeisters here on the site... I still use it in my rotation and consider it to be one of my better razors.

Since then, of course, I've relaxed the budget enough to buy all sorts of "necessities", including waterstones, barber hones, various leather hones/strops, and of course, numerous ebay razors, both good ones and "fixer-uppers".

So, if I had it to do all over again on a limited budget (and all I wanted was to be able to shave comfortably with a str8 -- ie, not restore ebay specials, etc) here's what I would choose to get...

• a boars brush and a cake of shaving soap at Walgreens ($8)
• a good heavy ceramic coffee mug (free?)
• a shave-ready starter razor from one of our honemeisters ($35-$65)
• a decent strop... hanging, paddle, or flatbed all work well and any one will get the job done (<$50)
• buy a Norton 4/8K waterstone ($75)
• buy a cheap ebay razor to practice honing on ($15)

Revised budget estimate... approx $200. JMHO

I appreciate posts like this. Being a newbie, I'm still trying to figure out exactly what it is I need to perfect this art. I have the razors (2), a strop, a badger hair brush, and all the accoutrements related to preparation. I'm probably going to buy a Norton 4/8 3" combination waterstone this weekend. What I don't understand is all the talk about .5 micron paste this, green/red/black strop paste that, paddle strops, etc.

I have one strop (w/linen backside), a 17" x 1 3/4" Dovo Russian . Do I need to get another or a couple more strops? Like I said above, I'm going to purchase a stone this weekend to start the learning process with respect to honing. But, other than the stone, I don't know if honing requires any other supplies.

I hope this "newbie" ignorance isn't bother/cumbersome to the experts. Any advice or shopping lists will be appreciated. Thanks!

Jeff

Originally Posted by str8rzrshvr

I appreciate posts like this. Being a newbie, I'm still trying to figure out exactly what it is I need to perfect this art. I have the razors (2), a strop, a badger hair brush, and all the accoutrements related to preparation. I'm probably going to buy a Norton 4/8 3" combination waterstone this weekend. What I don't understand is all the talk about .5 micron paste this, green/red/black strop paste that, paddle strops, etc.

I have one strop (w/linen backside), a 17" x 1 3/4" Dovo Russian . Do I need to get another or a couple more strops? Like I said above, I'm going to purchase a stone this weekend to start the learning process with respect to honing. But, other than the stone, I don't know if honing requires any other supplies.

I hope this "newbie" ignorance isn't bother/cumbersome to the experts. Any advice or shopping lists will be appreciated. Thanks!

Jeff

You do NOT need to have paste strops to make this all work. BUT, having a paste strop or two will delay your return to the Norton for a touch-up. They do not need be as expensive as your finishing plain leather strop. But you will need a piece of leather of each grade of paste you use. The paste itself comes in a variety of flavors ..... I only use the traditional green, red, and black pastes. I do not have diamond pastes. Cheap paddle strops from other disciplines are perfectly adequate for razor paste, as are cast-off old barber strops. In fact, you might be better off, if your razors are relatively keen, getting the strops before the Norton.

This leads me to some additional questions. I know that the finishing stop (one which I have now) is for stropping just before the shave, and for some, after the shave. When would one use a paddle strop, 4-sided I'm assuming, with the special pastes? Is using the paddle strop an intermediary process aimed to "keen" up an edge for continued use before ultimately taking the razor to the honing stone?

Originally Posted by str8rzrshvr

This leads me to some additional questions. I know that the finishing stop (one which I have now) is for stropping just before the shave, and for some, after the shave. When would one use a paddle strop, 4-sided I'm assuming, with the special pastes? Is using the paddle strop an intermediary process aimed to "keen" up an edge for continued use before ultimately taking the razor to the honing stone?

That's the idea .... you can also use it after honing between the 8k side of the Norton and the plain leather, that's not an absolute requirement. Beginners generally find stropping easier than honing. Delaying the hone will give you a longer time to practice on it with a practice razor, before its required for your shaving-rotation razors.

That's what I thought.

Now, knowing that, is there any particular order the pasted paddle strop be used? First red, then green, followed by black... I intend on practicing on the Norton for a while until I get the knack of it. So, it sounds like a paddle strop, in addition to a Norton stone, is in order. .Now, all I think I need is the protocol on using a pasted paddle strop...

Thanks, David.

Jeff

Originally Posted by str8rzrshvr

That's what I thought.

Now, knowing that, is there any particular order the pasted paddle strop be used? First red, then green, followed by black... I intend on practicing on the Norton for a while until I get the knack of it. So, it sounds like a paddle strop, in addition to a Norton stone, is in order. .Now, all I think I need is the protocol on using a pasted paddle strop...

Thanks, David.

Jeff

In the Dovo lineup, green is coarser than red, which is coarser than black, which is coarser than the Dovo white strop paste.

Regarding newbie experience...

Im my country there is a saying that goes something like "poor man pays twice", meaning don't try to save on a deal too much, cause you'll end up paying more than you saved...And my numerous expiriences with endless hobies tell the same thing: You buy quality once.

So, after some forum and web researching, I made my first order at www.classicshaving.com (great service, Ray) and it was around 350$. Razor, strop, brush, hone, pastes (white and yellow only), pumice stone, and soap... I tryed to select better (not just more expencive) items that will last a lifetime. Looking back, I think I made a excelent choice. Given that this razor hobie is very adictive thingie, and you don't actually need more than one razor, with wise choosing, you can make your first order the last one...

p.s. I just came back from my cousin's place, he returned from the USA, and brought back my second order from Ray's classicshaving. It's a excelent DOVO "special" 6/8 razor (my first 6/8, and I am likin' it very much), and Taylor's Iton Coledge creme. It smells very 'clean', I wanted something more floral...Well, next time

Originally Posted by superfly

Im(sic) my country there is a saying that goes something like "poor man pays twice", meaning don't try to save on a deal too much, cause you'll end up paying more than you saved.

The "English" equivalent saying is "Penny wise is Pound foolish".

X

Welcome my friend. These guys can really help and theya re very generous with their experience.

BTW sample your butt of!
Steven