Thread: Just ordered my first straight...

Originally Posted by mcgyver74

So if I hone every so often (and learn how) do I ever need to send it out to be professionally sharpened like I would with a knife? Or is the Honing the same as sharpening? (sorry for the dumb questions )

Honing a razor is the same as sharpening it. You'll probably need to do it less than twice a year on a heavily used razor. When you are learning to hone, it's useful to have a razor honed by a "honemeister" so you have a reference for what you want to achieve with the one your honing. Once you know how, there shouldn't be any reason to send them out again.

No such thing as a dumb question. Ask away. It's what we're here for.

If you touch up your edge , at the first sign your razor isn't shaving as well as it could , your razor will always be sharp . 5 - 10 laps on a finish hone (8k or finer , grit rating) is all you need to do .

Thanks everyone, I'm sure I'll have tons more questions.. I am looking forward to getting this and actually shaving with it.

So far since I switched to the DE I find that I have LESS 5 o'clock shadow and stubble then I ever did with my old Cartridge razors

I'm reading the instructions that were mailed to me when I confirmed my payment for the razor/strop and I am a little confused on a few things, he mentions stropping after you shave, I thought you were supposed to strop before the shave? (or is it both? ) Also there seems to be some debate about storing the SR and Strop in the bathroom (some say it's ok others not...I figure I'll err on the side of caution but still am curious why it's bad according to some)

Again many many thanks in advance

Originally Posted by mcgyver74

I'm reading the instructions that were mailed to me when I confirmed my payment for the razor/strop and I am a little confused on a few things, he mentions stropping after you shave, I thought you were supposed to strop before the shave? (or is it both? ) Also there seems to be some debate about storing the SR and Strop in the bathroom (some say it's ok others not...I figure I'll err on the side of caution but still am curious why it's bad according to some)

Stropping after shaving is supposed to clean the edge of any soap that wasn't rinsed off. It doesn't hurt the razor to do it, so I figure, why not?

You should strop before shaving to have the smoothest possible edge. Some go so far as to strop midway through the shave. If you're curious, experiment with when and how long you strop. The whole idea is to have the best and most comfortable shave possible.

Bathrooms are usually high humidity areas, and that's why storing your razor and strop there is not recommended. If your bathroom is big enough or well-ventilated, you could probably get away with it. If you try, keep a good watch on them for rust/stains on the razor and mold on the strop. Personally, I think you have more chance of having problems from not drying the razor thoroughly before you put it away than from humidity in the bathroom.

Also there seems to be some debate about storing the SR and Strop in the bathroom (some say it's ok others not...I figure I'll err on the side of caution but still am curious why it's bad according to some)

If you're storing a straight razor in your bathroom, I urge you to put a thin coat of oil on the blade after shaving. Dry the blade, give it 10 laps on the strop (that dries up any water left on the bevel), and wipe a drop of oil on the edge and the rest of the blade with a tissue. [One drop is enough to cover the blade.]

Wipe off the oil with a tissue before you strop the blade for your next shave.

"Oil" means mineral oil, baby oil, anti-corrosion oil (e.g. Corrosion Block), gun oil, "choji oil" (for swords), etc. There are long threads about this, everybody has his favorite concoction.

Charles

I would suggest that you oil the blade after every shave and not close the razor for 24 hours (just in case there is water between the scales)
I run my razors under the hot water to remove the oil and then wipe it on tissue or a microfibre cloth prior to stropping so as not to contaminate the canvas side of my strop with oil or water.
I also strop after drying the blade and before oiling - about 20 laps on canvas - just to make sure the edge is clean.
PLEASE ensure that you hold the cloth from the spine of the blade so as not to cut yourself if it slips. (common sense, eh)

Thanks, I was thinking of getting one of those compressed air cans to dry the razor off (*not keen on leaving it open when not in use...I just know that bad things will happen if I do LOL) I will get some oil before I use it for the first time just to be safe

Thanks again everyone!!

I usually just dry between the scales with a square of toilet paper. In the winter months, my stuff dries out very quickly in the bathroom.

I've also got one of Larry's razors and the Poor Man's Strop Kit. I suggest that you use the strop as a bench strop for several weeks until you get the hand of the motions needed to change direction. So far, 6 months or so, I've just needed to use the balsa strop twice. As was said above, you will know when it needs to be done because the regular stropping won't get the edge back to where it needs to be. My sink is in a separate room from the shower and tub so the moisture isn't a problem for me. However, I have a spice jar that I covered the bottom with meneral oil and then filled the other 98% with alcohol. When I finish my aftershave stropping I shake the bottle to disperse the oil then stir it with the blade. This gets a very small amount of oil all over the blade then the alcohol evaporates leaving the oil on the blade until the next shave.