Thread: Newbie shaver

Good day everybody,

I am new into straight shaving, and purchased an old razor, before investing.
It is a Chabrol, 6/8, quarterhollow/near wedge, see pictures below/attached.
Does anybody know about the history and/or value of this blade?
I am not able to find anything...

Many thanks!

Welcome to the world of straight razors. Sorry appraisals are not allowed on this site. I believe your razor is French pre 1890.
Was it professionally honed? If not get it done so you can enjoy the razor. Start slow. Stretching the skin is important.
Check the library on this site for newbie info.

It’s a good start!
Welcome to the forum.
There are many subtle aspects to the shave. The above is sound advice. Stropping is also a very important skill. It is actually harder than it looks. There are some good videos out there on stropping.

Originally Posted by bouschie

Welcome to the world of straight razors. Sorry appraisals are not allowed on this site. I believe your razor is French pre 1890.
Was it professionally honed? If not get it done so you can enjoy the razor. Start slow. Stretching the skin is important.
Check the library on this site for newbie info.

My apologies for the appraisal question and thanks for the guidance.
Wow, pre 1890?

I will have them honed as a start, but I also want to be able to to this myself, apart from stropping of course.

Learn to shave and strop. That is the first step to straight razors. Honing is something we all want to learn but it takes even longer to learn to hone then it is to learn to shave with a straight.
Remember that sharpening a knife is nothing like honing a razor so have your razor honed by a pro razor honer, not a knife sharpener.

It takes 100 shaves to understand what your doing with a straight so dont give up if it doesnt go well at first. And i agree with Leonard, Im leaning towards French razor. And a 100 year old straight is not old. Find one from the 1700s. Then you got an old razor.

Very interesting information, thanks everyone!

Welcome gte1978 from Florida. That's a nice starter you have and should do well for you once you have it made shave ready. Remember, it may seem sharp to you as well it may be but shave ready is another level of keenness. There are tests to determine whether it is or not but don't worry about that right now. There are plenty of other things to concern yourself with first, like razor angle while shaving, amount of pressure against the skin, proper stropping equipment and technique, shave preparation as well as the things already mentioned. It seems like a lot and the 100 shaves seems so far away but shaving just twice a week that 100 shaves will still take less than a year. Also there is plenty of good information in the shave library and the beginners' section on the top page plus we are all here to help. Take your time and don't get discouraged. In the old days a young man's father, uncle or grandfather would help him to learn this skill. Today, most of our elders never touched a straight razor. In modern times we have to look out for each other. That's where we come in. Maybe that trend will reverse. I have taught my son. Enjoy your stay with us and be sure to ask questions if you can't find the information you are looking for. We were all new at one time.

Part of that stamp is missing. It should read "Chabrol a Paris Rue Bourg-L'Abbe"

https://www.ebay.com/itm/35433489738...mis&media=COPY

Definitely, French.

Very similar to my Chassaign.

Welcome to SRP, IMHO the best shaving forum on the web. The library is a good place to start, definitely help flatten the learning curve a little. I would say do what most do, and have your razor honed by a member here, and get yourself a finishing stone like the Naniwa 12k or the like. Learn to refresh the edge before going after a full re-hone, also in the beginning I trashed a lot of edges by 'stropping'. Just food for thought, learn to shave first, then learn to strop without damaging the edge, then learn to strop and actually improve the edge. It's an uphill battle, just take it slow, and you'll be just fine. Again welcome to the forum, glad to have ya!!
-Laramie-