I am new to straight blade shaving and i would like to get as much information on what not to do because that is usualy the most valuable information. Too get you primed for the discussion, i am talking about dont do... with your soap, creams, razors, strops, honing. I know we men dont usualy like to admit our fowl ups but when we do there is usualy a good laugh for every one.
as someone who tried it out the last 2 days, when the blade quits moving smoothly, take it off your face! Don't continue or "push" through it. Guaranteed cut that way. Good luck! and welcome too... EW
I'll start with... don't: -Take your straight to the local knife shop for sharpening. -Clean your razor with bleach. -Wonder why you're not getting BBS shaves your first few times out 'the gate. -Paste your daily strop without getting clear advice on what you're doing. I'm sure I'll think of some others! Jordan
Yeah - that comment on taking your straight to the local knife shop. I would add, don't take 'anything' to your local knife shop unless you are damn sure they know what they are doing. Several years ago I brought in some excellent Henckell four stars (kitchen knives) to a shop that exclusively sold and serviced knives. Made sense to me. Wow what a friggin mess when they came back. Make sure you have a recommended honemeister for your st8s.
Strop do's and dont's jnich67 i dont know but i dont think you are supposed to put anything on your daily strop. i have heard of some saying to put a special oil on it but that is very sparingly and not to often like once a year or so.... if any one knows i am interested in knowing or at least would like to hear what you have to say.
Razor honing i bought two razors last night on ebay, sorry if i sniped your bid. i am sure by the time i get them i could ride to china on them and not get cut. by the time i will recieve them i will have recieved my Norton 4k/8k stone so i will try to sharpen them my self and see what happens. I have not bought a strop yet and would like to get the set that The well shaved gentleman makes, i hope i got that right. he is supposed to have a set that is a newbie strop and then one that is very nice red latigo with your choice of canvas or linnen, which one should i get.
As far as I know, you have it right. I've occasionally read of people being told by salespeople to put "strop dressing" on their strops that turned out to be abrasive. Jordan
Well, you *can* induce more draw on a new strop by treating it in certain ways - depending on the leather and what you like you can raise the nap with say a light pumicing and then treat it with conditioner, for example. Or, you could just rub it with your hand on a daily basis to let the oils work on the leather. There really is no hard and fast rules with treating strops, at least in my experience. My daily strop for years was pasted with Dovo red (abrasive) paste on one side and Dovo yellow (conditioner) on the other. Of course, it is always a good idea to follow the manufacturer's instructions, particularly if it is someone like Tony Miller who knows what he is doing. Here's my biggest "don't": Don't concentrate on the center of the blade when it is on your face - always be aware of where the tip and the heel are, and predict/know where they will be at the end of the stroke (in your earlobe is not a good prediction... ) Oh, and one more. Unless you are an experienced sharpener of other stuff (and maybe not even then), don't fixate on honing initially. Concentrate on stropping and shaving technique first. Practice good stropping as often as you can. Good stropping will keep a well-honed blade shaving sharp for months and months (and months). Good luck. James.
Excesive honing so once i get the razor shave sharp i dont need to hone for a long time so long as i use a proper strop technique. i watched the honing videos here on TSD and i learnd a bunch i even sharpened my pocket knife so sharp it is now very dangerous. but i dont have my Norton yet so i cant get my pocket knife sharp enough to shave with. I was at Walfart this afternoon and i went to the pharmacy section and i couldnt believe it they had a brush, bowl and soap kit... i t was only a boar hair brush but i am on a budget and i thought that was cheap and would work for now. my wife suggested i look at Sallys beauty supply. so as soon as i got home i fired up the internet and sure enough they supply some stuff as well but not as much as i would like. i still plan on getting my soaps from here at the store.
Brushes i used to make teeth and believe it or not it is done with a very expensive paint brush to say the least. when we would get one that would blossom out too much i would put hair conditioner on it and shape it to a very fine point so i could stack porcelain intricitly again. We would just let it sit like that for about a week and then clean it out very well. i was wondering if something like that is ever needed for a shaving brush? or is this something that is a OH Hell no!
dont assume your blade is going to always close into the center of the scales and let it go closed quickly, it could hit one side of the scales always close it with a purpose not fast as if the blade catches you could damage it when holding the straight no matter how tight the pins seem and the opening and closing of it seems stiff don't hold it in anyway the blade could fall onto your fingers always hold it near the pivot if your shaving and your grip don't feel good don't try to do a pass with it before repositioning your hand as of ten times that may lead to a nick or a cut if you drop it let it fall and or jump out of the way if necessary never try to grab it to save damage to the razor, razors can be replaced fingers and toes are much harder
DON'T use your straight if you have a shoulder injury! heheh... I decided to take my Feather non-folding out for a few spins, since I restocked on Pro-Guard blades. I didn't think it all the way through. As I went to shave my neck, my arm reached a certain position and pain shot from my shoulder. I was able to hold it steady, but my hand shook a bit and I got a nice cut. I was fine shaving my cheeks and lips. I knew that my shoulder was bothering me, but it didn't occur to me about shaving until it was too late. I'll stick with my DE until I get my full range of motion back. It's getting better, but the bad spots change day to day.
Just wanted to say thankyou Thankyou to everyone that has posted so far. The information realy helps a newbie that has not ever been around a straight. I know that alot of you are thinking start out on something easier but i am stubborn and i want to shave with a straight edge. Those items i got off of ebay cant get here fast enough. I cant wait to start sharpening my razor. March 30th cant get here fast enough either, i want to get a Tony Miller strop. Want the one that has red latigo, horse hide, and linnen with practice strop for the aditional 7.50. what do you guys think?
Well, you can't go wrong with a Tony Miller strop, but be very careful to keep the blade flat on each stroke so that you don't "roll" the blade edge and don't nick your new strop. Also, you may be disappointed with your shaves with those Ebay razors unless you send them to somebody who has done some honing and can really set up a good edge for you.
I actually shave in the shower, but the closest I've come to a straight is my Feather non-folding. I know I can still hurt myself, but since the blade is disposable, I don't worry about the razor. I use my DE in the shower all the time. When I use a true straight, it won't be in the shower.
