Thread: Newbie with questions.

I'd like to purchase a beginner-level straight blade kit, any suggestions? I've been looking at the Fromm 72 model blade with a hanging strop and lubes. Also, should I look into a hone?

Hey Vin,

Welcome aboard. If you're just starting out and want a Fromm, get in touch with SRP member Tony Miller. He sells starter kits built around a Fromm razor. From the main SRP Menu, click on USER GALLERY, click on GEAR FOR SALE, then click on TONY MILLER.

Tony will hone your razor for you and it will arrive shave ready. You can talk to him about the need for a hone. My thought on the subject: if money is tight, and you're getting a shave ready razor, you can put off buying a hone for now. In fact, after nearly twenty years of straight shaving, I still don't have a hone. Blasphemy, I know.

Have fun!

Library Guy

Library Guy,

Who has honed your razors? Have you sent them to a barber or what?

For a complete kit go to Tony Miller. He now has a website also.
www.thewellshavedgentleman.com . On Ebay his seller name is heirphoto.

You will need a razor, mug, soap, brush, strop.

If you buy a used vintage razor from an antique store, flea market, Ebay then be prepared to also obtain several hones and spend a fair amount of time and money getting them shave ready. Razor restoration and honing are skills that take time and money to develop.

Instead of a hone obtain a paddle strop and put some abrasive pastes on them. Ask Tony which pastes to buy. The source for the pastes will be either www.classicshaving.com or www.handamerican.com.
You will use the paddle strop only when your razor starts pulling, not everyday. This should postpone the day when you will need to obtain a hone.

Be sure and read the helps files here and on the other razor sites and that also means the Barber manuals. There is a wealth of info here to help you.
And post your questions at any time, Welcome!

Hope this helps,

Originally Posted by Library Guy

Hey Vin,

In fact, after nearly twenty years of straight shaving, I still don't have a hone. Blasphemy, I know.

Have fun!

Library Guy

Cool! Now, would you tell us what you use to keep the razor sharp?
It would help a lot of people to know this. In the past, David Uthe posted that he used chalk on his linen strop to keep his razor shaving sharp for several years.

Inquiring minds want to know!

Well,

When I started out with straights, I was blissfully ignorant of the proper way to do things. So I came up with the idea of McGuire's auto polish on the linen strop. Has worked for years on my Crabtree & Evelyn Solingen. It never did much for my Henckel's Fiodor which has been sent to Lynn for honing. At $25 a pop for professional honing, this is more efficient than buying a hone- at least for me.

regards &c
Library Guy

Got to agree with the Library guy on this. Until tis weekend I did without a hone. Well, I own a bunch but never had a need for them as I always used a pasted strop. Of course I am starting with new or nearly new, well maintained razors so far.
I did get one that resisted all efforts with a pasted strop. The factory, out of the box bevel was just not sufficient. I got out my barber hones and learned quickly that it takes a lot of passes using those. I started with a Kimberly from Tilly, the lighter colored one and it felt coarse agains the razor. I could really feel it cutting, after feeling a real improvement against my nail I took a few passes on a perforated hone, mayeb 4 or 5 a side then onto a Cushioned Strop Back hone for a bunch of passes. At first the razor did not feel that sharp but was much better. I then jumped back to my pasted strop and in no time I had one of the best edges ever and felt far sharper than any I have had before. Some lucky newbie is getting that razor in his kit this week.

This just reinforces what I have said about there being no perfect tool for the job. Pasted strops have their place, hones have there place and many times a combination for the two together are even better. I think Lynn posted to the Yahoo forum about trying a Belgian stone after a Norton now as a different way to finish an edge. If one plans on sticking with this, eventually he would be well served having a complete arsenal of tools at his disposal. I can already see that I will be adding a flatbed hone from Hand American at some point, maybe for my yearly touch up of blades using my paddles in between to refresh and edge. While I do have a Norton the barber hones are going to get their turn now too.

Lots of options.

Tony

Originally Posted by vinmasterdee

I'd like to purchase a beginner-level straight blade kit, any suggestions? I've been looking at the Fromm 72 model blade with a hanging strop and lubes. Also, should I look into a hone?

Tony can sell you EVERTHING you need to get started in his offers within the Gear For Sale folder in the User Gallery. I would hold off on the honing for now if I were you. You've got enough to think about with stropping and what-not.

And you don't actually need a brush and cake of soap. While the canned shaving cream is not the stuff you will be happy with at all (razor burn) there are other great products to use. I use a Lush product. That said, the soap and brush thing is a great part of this practice that many guys get in to. I only mention this as something you could wait on and do a little later if you want, before getting hones for example.

X

Thanks a lot! Now If I could bug you just one more time. The Mcguires auto polish, which one? I believe they have several different grades.
Also, did you use the pasted linen strop before every shave or only as needed?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Originally Posted by Library Guy

Well,

When I started out with straights, I was blissfully ignorant of the proper way to do things. So I came up with the idea of McGuire's auto polish on the linen strop. Has worked for years on my Crabtree & Evelyn Solingen. It never did much for my Henckel's Fiodor which has been sent to Lynn for honing. At $25 a pop for professional honing, this is more efficient than buying a hone- at least for me.

regards &c
Library Guy

To be honest, I don't recall which flavor of McGuire's I used. It would have been one of the pre-wax varieties. It's still gunked up on the strop and I've never had to reapply it.

As to frequency- I use the pasted strop whenever I get a nick that I can't attribute to user error- about twice a month. Then I do about 10 round trips and then proceed to the leather side.

As I said, when I got started with straights, I was working in a vacuum. How did we learn anything in those pre internet days?

humbly,
LG