Straight Razor Advice needed.

[James71]

Gday Guys.

After my overwhelming success with the DE shaving I have decided to get a straight. I dont want to use it every day, but its something I would like to learn how to do.

Tonight I joined a shaving forum, and immediately met a really nice fella who has offered me a straight from his own collection for what seems a reasonable price.

Its a Shumate 5/8.

Being a complete novice I have no idea if its a good deal or not, or whether its suitable for a beginner. Im off to google to see what I can learn, but I thought this would be my best initial port of call.

For all I know he may be a member here as well, in which case, Gday! Hope you dont mind me doing a little homework.

So basically I am looking for some quick straight razor advice!

Thanks in advance,

James.

 

[flylot74]

If it is this form:

http://www.straightrazorplace.com/

then you are in good hands. Ensure it is "shave ready" (I'm sure it will be, but you should ask).

Please read all the wikis in the forum. They are VERY helpful and informative.
Once you get the hang of it, you will probably do as I do, shave with a straight every day!

I may suggest that you get two straight razors. Should you accidentally drop the razor in the sink and the blade "slams" up against the drain stop riser, or should you accidentally tap the faucet while rinsing, you will have a spare while the first is out getting rehonned.

.........please don't ask me how I know these things......


..... Oh, I forgot...... Shumate 5/8 is a good starting blade, providing it is well honned. If it has a "spike" point (not rounded), be mindful of that point!

....Oh and good for you for not buying one of those horrible Pakestani razors on ebay that will never sharpen! Welcome to the world of straight shaving!

 

[flylot74]

You do have a strop, do you not? If not, get one!

Also, I recommend you practice stropping with a butter knife or other dull knife to get the "hang of it" before you take your sharp blade and cut up that nice piece of leather........ again, the wikis will have videos to show you how.......

 

[Mr. 'H']

Hi James, a great way to practice would be using a shavette - you can get info on this on my barber blog here.

This is what it looks like - no stropping worries.

Also, here's a shave video I did a few weeks ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aXQUvxZsLY

 

[HHISIII]

I basically only shave before I'm going somewhere. One of the perks of working for myself. I have a peculiar and efficient pattern that I follow:
Turn garment steamer on
Turn hot water on
Strop razor while those are heating up
Steam whatever shirt I'm going to be wearing
Steam my face (hold the steamer head about 6" out)
Lather
Steam face again
Lather
Shave

It's a lot easier and faster than microwaving a towel to steam it

Yeah, that razor will work fine for a beginner. There's a SRP member in the US that hones razors for~$26 with us return shipping, I'm sure he'd be willing to work something out for Aus shipping. He does excellent work, I'm about to send my Green Lizard off to him.

 

[sgpasadena]

A great shop to help out on straight razors

For those looking for more assistance and a great source of products, I found a shop down in Palm Springs, Ca that ids dedicated to men's shaving. They are also available on line. The name is great: The Men's Room, their on line site is called classicshaving.com. I just tried a new safety razor from Japan and talk about a close shave. This is my intermediate step toward the straight razor, not quiote ready to go totally old school. And yes they sell blades for both straight and safety razors. Cheers!

 

[James71]

Thanks guys. I did a deal with the bloke and this pair of beauties are now on the way to my place express post.

I have been hunting on ebay for weeks looking for a fat boy with no luck. They should arrive tomorrow.

 

[flylot74]

I sure like the scales on that straight! The fat boy of course is a great DE shave and I have one and occasionally use it when I am under difficult time constraints.

Did you find out if the straight is shave ready? Have you a strop? If not, may I recommend this:

http://www.straightrazordesigns.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=36&products_id=135

You will not be disappointed. However, I am sure there are vendors that supply strops on that little island off the coast of New Zealand in which you live.

 

[JLStorm]

Back when SRP was smaller I used to be a moderator there when I had more time. I can assure you that there is no better place to be for straight shaving advice. I dont log on much anymore,as I always want to buy something new when I do, but its a great place and friendly people.

BTW, here is my 12/8s (an 8/8 is underneath) I have a very small collection of 6 razors dated from 1840s to current, all are used, all are wonderful. I do need to get them honed and get a new strop though...I keep saying I'll do it soon!

 

[rmrdaddy]

That 12/8's is CRAZY!

 

[James71]

Thats a massive razor! Beautiful.

They turned up in the mail today, and they both exceeded my expectations. The fat boy is immaculate. Its either unused or has been cleaned beautifully.

The straight is incredibly sharp. Ive made a study of knife sharpening since I was a teenager and am well known for my razor sharp pocket and hunting knives, but this straight is something else. Ive never handled one in real life before so I am a bit surprised at just how sharp is it.

Looks like I am in the market for a good strop and a set of hones.

 

[Shangas]

Hi James.

Shaving with a straight-razor is really something special. I've been doing it for a few days short of a month, now. The results are stunning.

Provided you don't kill yourself or lose heart first, you're in for a lifechanging and revolutionary experience.

 

[HHISIII]

James, a 4000 and an 8000 grit set of stones should do you just fine. You won't bring a seriously worn blade back to life and you won't get a mirror polish, but it'll always bring a slightly dull edge back to perfectly sharp. You can find sets of 4k/8k waterstones here for ~$70 USD. Strops are pretty idiot proof, no need to get a brand name, just get one. I'm not fond of all the goop and goo people put on em though.

 

[filfoster]

The Blade

Hi James.

Shaving with a straight-razor is really something special. I've been doing it for a few days short of a month, now. The results are stunning.

Provided you don't kill yourself or lose heart first, you're in for a lifechanging and revolutionary experience.

I've lost heart before I killed myself. I admit I am neurotically afraid of trying this. I learned to shave with the double edge razor and now use the disposables. I admire all of you very much for putting the cold steel to your own throats and trusting that your wives or whomever will not be tempted to mischief with these blades.
I did, in May, treat myself to a once-only barber straight razor shave and enjoyed the experience very much. I will leave the 'driving' to him.

 

[flylot74]

Oh, don't give up so easily. Anyone can learn how to shave with a straight. As in my previous post, read all the wikis in that forum and start slowly. Keep the angle shallow and just start with shaving one cheek. Heck, just do one pass on one cheek to start. Then the next day, take two strokes and so on. Take it slow and easy, you will be amazed how simple it is.

Remember a few things:

a. One rarely cuts oneself with a sharp razor. It's often the dull ones that will cut you.

b. When you do a pass, start the movement before you place the razor on the cheek and stop the movement AFTER you remove the blade from the cheek. Cuts are usually when you stop the blade on the skin.

c. Let the blade do the work. Do not put pressure on the blade.

Trust me, that baby butt smooth shave is attainable!

 

[Shangas]

Oh, don't give up so easily. Anyone can learn how to shave with a straight. As in my previous post, read all the wikis in that forum and start slowly. Keep the angle shallow and just start with shaving one cheek. Heck, just do one pass on one cheek to start. Then the next day, take two strokes and so on. Take it slow and easy, you will be amazed how simple it is.

Remember a few things:

a. One rarely cuts oneself with a sharp razor. It's often the dull ones that will cut you.

b. When you do a pass, start the movement before you place the razor on the cheek and stop the movement AFTER you remove the blade from the cheek. Cuts are usually when you stop the blade on the skin.

c. Let the blade do the work. Do not put pressure on the blade.

Trust me, that baby butt smooth shave is attainable!

d. Do not shave while sleepy, distracted or intoxicated. Death or serious injury will soon follow (Spoken by one who made the stupid mistake of shaving a few minutes after waking up and cutting himself on the right undercheek. Fortunately only a small nick). Shaving with a straight-razor requires 100% concentration.

Having an extremely sharp blade is essential for effective straight-shaving. Just like a chef can't cut up a nice steak with a blunt knife, you can't get a good shave if you use a bunt razor. It must be literally razor-sharp if you expect it to slice off all that hair.

Also, don't press. The blade itself is already solid steel and that should provide plenty of weight. Pressing the blade into your skin could also cause injury.

Blade-angle is a tricky thing. Even now, I have no idea if I'm doing it right, but I do know that I'm getting damn good shaves. They say a blade-angle of betwee 15-30 degrees is best. Of course, you don't have a protractor with you when you shave, so I say start with the blade flat and then gently raise the spine as you do your stroke.

Eventually, you'll reach the angle which cuts most effectively. Remember how your fingers were placed when you reached that angle...and lock it there and use it for the rest of your shave. It can hellp to use both hands to hold the razor in instances like this, to give yourself a bit of stability if you're scared.

 

[Tooch]

All the previous advice is excellent. Let me add that if you're looking for a backup razor or two, don't be afraid to check out antique shops. One of the local stores near me ("2 acres of antiques") has about 30 straight razors in a case selling for a song. I picked up a ready-to-shave Heljestrand for twenty bucks. I'll bet you could do as well if you (carefully) hunt around.

 

[Shangas]

A bit more advice, some of it based on my own experience, some on stuff I've read...

- If done properly, honing should only be done once every few weeks, but stropping should carried out after each shave (or every second shave, depending on how much work the razor has to cut through).

- Always dry your razor after each shave. This prevents rust (duuuh!!).

- Straight-razors don't take as much maintenance as you think they do. I used to think that shaving with a straight was like sailing with a marine chronometer, that needs to be rechecked and reassembled and cleaned and restored to PERFECTION after every use...It's nowhere near that labour-intensive or time-consuming.

- The only way to know if your razor is properly sharp...is to shave with it. The various 'sharp tests' are not definitive in proving that your razor is or isn't sharp. Just because it cuts a hair doesn't mean it will be able to hack through the, possibly, thicker hair of your stubble and beard, on the other hand, if it doesn't cut a hanging hair, it doesn't mean that it won't be a great shave.

The hanging hair test has failed with my razor every single time I tried it, but I've been getting excellent shaves for two weeks now. If you've honed and stropped your razor and want to know its sharpness...then shave with it. If you're scared about doing it on your face, try it on your arm or your leg, first.

- Similar to the 'maintenance' bit, shaving with a straight-razor is not particularly time-consuming, either. At least, that's what I've found, others may disagree.

 

[flylot74]

- If done properly, honing should only be done once every few weeks, but stropping should carried out after each shave (or every second shave, depending on how much work the razor has to cut through).

Actually, every few months. But this depends on usage and type of beard, as usual YMMV. Strop before EVERY shave! (I also, after each shave, dry then strop 4-5 passes on linen and 10 or so on leather- I found it really lengthens time between honing)

 

[Shangas]

Months, eh? I read something like every few weeks. *shrug* Months is better. And I'm admittedly lazy with my stropping. Yes, it should be done after each shave, but I can't commit to that. I do it every second shave.