I’m back and I’ve gone straight.

[munk]

Now, that made me laugh out loud. Naw. You let me do the mumbling...

I just meant I'd already understood your point by the time the kitchen sink sailed past my cheek....

WELL!! GOLLY GOSH DARN IT.

Guess I'll have to go back to my dream of the HI Folder. You know, we could make that look not unlike a large razor, and still call it the Himalayan Razor.

But damn, suds, soap, a straight razor from HI; who knew it was this hard??


munk

 

[Sutcliffe]

is determined on whether they use a straight razor to get the back of my neck. I've never tried to use one for my daily shave. I use the disposable safety variety.

 

[Sylvrfalcn]

The simplest solution is have Yangdu ask the kamis if they can make a straight razor, and would they want to. They may answer back "yup, no problem" or "nope, don't want to fool with it". Either way, I could live with the decision if it's coming from them.

Sarge

 

[Sylvrfalcn]

is determined on whether they use a straight razor to get the back of my neck. I've never tried to use one for my daily shave. I use the disposable safety variety.

Okay, let's see if I can climb up on my soapbox without breaking my silly neck.

It is not nearly as hard to shave with a straight razor as many folks have been led to believe. With a bit of practice and getting used to it (your skin has to toughen up a bit) you'll find that a straight razor gives you a very close and comfortable shave. Especially considering that the straight razor is best used in concert with wet, warm, lather produced with a shaving brush and mug of soap. The initial cash outlay is kind of daunting, as you need a good razor, a hone, a strop, a shaving brush, and a mug and soap. But, once acquired, the only component requiring routine resupply is the soap, which is fairly inexpensive and long lasting.

Economical? Yup, once you get your shaving kit together, you're done spending money on anything other than a cake of soap every couple of months. And I do mean done, this year, and next year, and the one after that, and the one after that, and so on.

Environmentally responsible? Yup, think about all the crap you're currently generating for the landfill with disposable razors, and empty aerosol cans of shaving lotion. Seems like a drop in the bucket, but drops add up and the bucket gets full.

Here's a totally selfish, male chauvinistic, bonus. Guys, fess up, you've all raked that nicked and blunted razor across your face with a blood curdling "holy chit", only to have your wife/girlfriend confess she done used that thing to shave her dadgum wookie like legs with. How many of y'all think little miss sugar britches is going to have a go at her ankles with an old school, "seen one in a horror movie", cut throat razor?

Sarge

 

[munk]

The simplest solution is have Yangdu ask the kamis if they can make a straight razor, and would they want to>>>>>>> Sarge

It's been done. Yangdu's waiting to hear back. Probably hear, 'crazy friggen westerners...."

<<<<Environmentally responsible? Yup, think about all the crap you're currently generating for the landfill with disposable razors, and empty aerosol cans of shaving lotion. Seems like a drop in the bucket, but drops add up and the bucket gets full>>>> Sarge

Make a bridge to the moon....build up the Rockies or fortify California's coast line with it....too expensive as yet to shoot into the Sun. What do we do with all that crap?
Just bury it and not worry and let a future generation deal with the crisis.



munk

 

[Howard Wallace]

The simplest solution is have Yangdu ask the kamis if they can make a straight razor, and would they want to. They may answer back "yup, no problem" or "nope, don't want to fool with it". Either way, I could live with the decision if it's coming from them.

Sarge raised some great points, and this is the best of them.

Let's wait and see what we hear.

 

[Howard Wallace]

Here's a totally selfish, male chauvinistic, bonus. Guys, fess up, you've all raked that nicked and blunted razor across your face with a blood curdling "holy chit", only to have your wife/girlfriend confess she done used that thing to shave her dadgum wookie like legs with. How many of y'all think little miss sugar britches is going to have a go at her ankles with an old school, "seen one in a horror movie", cut throat razor?

If you don't want to go to a straight razor you can take up chewing tobacco and store your disposable handle down in your spitoon.

Just another idea.

 

[Kevin the grey]

I,ve only seen pictures of the Wace and buchers . They look more like something I wouldn,t want to face in a dark alley than a shaving implement .
They are attractive in a dangerous kind of way . I wonder if the ergonomics are any different with the straight non -folding handle ?

 

[kamagong]

Sarge made an interesting point about your skin having to toughen up before you can effectively shave with a straight. I'm not ashamed to admit it, but the first few times I shaved with a straight I teared up a little and let loose a string of profanities.

The funny thing is that although my skin is now tougher it doesn't feel like it. After a shave with a straight my skin is smoother and more supple than it ever was following a shave with a Sensor Excel or Mach III. As an added bonus, women think it's sexy too.:thumbup:

 

[Howard Wallace]

And for me, there were two eye-opening tricks. First, was letting the lather sit long enough on the face to soften up the beard. Now I lather up, then brush my teeth etc., and finally re-lather before shaving. That 5 minutes translates into a much better shave.

The second trick was holding the blade at an acute enough angle to my face ... steeper than 30 degrees or so, and I started to move into the negative side of the cut/scrape ratio.

Once you're comfortable and well practiced with a straight "push" cut, you'll find that experimenting with moving the blade in a slight bit of an arc gets smoother yet (slicing action). But you've got to have the blade angle set right to your face, as this slice cut exponentially increases the chance of nicking yourself.

Good tips. I'll add:

for softening the beard - Shave after showering or bathing, put hot towel or washrag on face during bath, shave after sweaty exercise, I lather up, then strop the razor, then lather again and shave. Also, cheeks first, then relather the toughest whiskers on the chin and shave them last, after they've been soaking. Also, try the Italian Proraso pre-shaving cream. You rub it in a few minutes before and it softens the beard quite well. Of course, it detracts from the pure simplicity of the basic shave to have to add more goop, but it does work quite well.

I think I'll pass on your slicing technique though. I don't need a close shave that bad.

There are semi-hollow ground, "flat" ground, single hollow ground, and double or "fully" hollow ground "singing" blades. Here's a good source to add to one's education about razors http://www.knifecenter.com/knifecenter/sharpen/instrazor.html

It says 6-15 shaves between stropping. Is that true for you guys? I strop the razor before every shave. Maybe I don't have to. I kind of like the stropping meditation so I'll probably keep doing it even if I don't have to.

Sarge made an interesting point about your skin having to toughen up before you can effectively shave with a straight. I'm not ashamed to admit it, but the first few times I shaved with a straight I teared up a little and let loose a string of profanities.

The funny thing is that although my skin is now tougher it doesn't feel like it. After a shave with a straight my skin is smoother and more supple than it ever was following a shave with a Sensor Excel or Mach III. As an added bonus, women think it's sexy too.

I guess I got off lucky. After 3 decades behind a beard my face was quite tender, but even the first shaves didn't hurt much. The worst part was figuring out the correct blade angle. Filleting facial meat hurts no matter how tough your face is.

I like the scene in the "Crocodile Dundee" movie where he is shaving with a disposable razor, and then as the pretty lady approaches he hides it and makes the last couple strokes while she can see with his Bowie knife.

 

[Krull]

I'm just a bit too chicken to put a razor anything to my neck! I dun whacked too many critters with a sword to trust a sharpie to my vitals!

Now who 'sez I can't use the suds and an old safety razor to do the deed? No waste-I can reshapen the 'ol safety blades...right?

 

[Sylvrfalcn]

Howard, on the stropping deal, here's a neat trick that I know from experience works like a champ. Instead of one razor use two. Make sure they're clearly different, like white handle on one, black handle on the other, so you can keep track of what's what. Use one on odd numbered days, the other on even, and I'll bet you a case of beer you don't have to strop either one more than once a week at most. The edge on a straight razor warps and distorts a bit when you shave with it, but allowed to "rest" for 24 hours, the dang thing pops back out to true (if it's good quality steel).

Here's another good point that's often overlooked when teaching folks to straight razor shave. Use the fingertips of your off hand (the one without a razor in it) to stretch the skin of your face taut as you go. The blade will slide across it more smoothly, yielding a much closer shave with far fewer nicks. If y'all ain't tried that yet, you're gonna go "SHAZAM!". They don't show that trick in the movies, but them boys in the movies ain't doing nothing but scraping off lather with a dull prop.

For all y'all rugged outdoor types, try to latch onto a razor with a stainless steel blade. A good one will hold an edge nearly comparable to a carbon steel razor, and definitely help avoid the inevitable heartbreak of the "black death" (rust pitting). Jim I. Clifton (the Duck) gave me a nifty stainless bladed Henckels that could literally tell war stories if the dang thing could talk. I've shaved with that thing in the field with nothing but a canteen cup and a signal mirror for a lavatory. Goes without saying, nobody had the nerve to interrupt my whisker scraping.

Sarge

 

[Krull]

Eventhough I ain't ever gonna use it...does anyone want to see a pic of my Henckels,if it's not going to hell tomorrow I'll zap a pic.

 

[Sylvrfalcn]

Eventhough I ain't ever gonna use it...does anyone want to see a pic of my Henckels,if it's not going to hell tomorrow I'll zap a pic.

Hunh? You got a Henckels and got no intention of shaving with it? Dadgum, best send that thing to me for safe keeping. Seriously, I can't lie to you about it, Henckels quit making razors some time back, so hang onto it, and if you do sell it, don't let it go cheap. Mine's a gift from a friend, so it ain't for sale, trade, or barter, period, dot. Still, a dadburn gineewine Henckels laying around growing cobwebs, that ain't right, what kind of knife you want for it? Hey, I never got nowhere by not trying.

Sarge

 

[kamagong]

For me it's part of the shaving ritual. It also allows the whiskers on your face to absorb more of the lather, making for a more comfortable shave.

 

[Svashtar]

Welcome back Howard! Interesting thread. Must have been 20 years ago now my wife got me a shaving mug and soap, and a beautiful badger brush. She paid $60 for it at the time, and I still use it daily. It has held up beautifully. I had never felt anything so good, and there is no comparison to the creams, and you get a closer shave.

At the time I wanted to go whole hog, so went to the local knife store and paid about $70 as I recall for a good straight razor. Can't remember the brand but it was made in Germany. Bought a strop at the same time. The strop was made in China, but was decent quality, and in fact I still have that.

I used the razor once, and rinsed it off in hot water and put it away. The next day it was rusty, so I carefully cleaned it and used it and put it away. It proceeded to rust, and rust and rust. I tried everything; I soaked it in WD-40 and CLP, and it still rusted. The edge got so bad I couldn't keep it sharp. I have never had anything that rusted so fast. At the end of 3 months of daily effort it had holes eaten in the thin hollow grind and I threw it in the trash. What a ripoff.

I used to spend lots of money on the razor of the day, and still have a very nice original safety razor from about 1975 in great condition. Don't know if you could find one today. But the safety of course used a single standard blade and with the others I got tired of buying expensive cartridges all the time.

Now I go to Wal-mart or Walgreens when they are having a sale, and buy 200 or 300 of the Bic disposables and keep one in the shower. That many will last me several years. They do an excellent job, and there is nothing to screw around with, and you can get them for a great price on sale.

Maybe someday I'll try again on the straight razor.

BTW, the best shaving soap I have tried is the old Col. Ichabod Conks stuff (150 years of clean living! ) Really excellent quality.

Norm

 

[Howard Wallace]

... Instead of one razor use two. ... The edge on a straight razor warps and distorts a bit when you shave with it, but allowed to "rest" for 24 hours, the dang thing pops back out to true (if it's good quality steel).

Here's another good point that's often overlooked when teaching folks to straight razor shave. Use the fingertips of your off hand (the one without a razor in it) to stretch the skin of your face taut as you go. The blade will slide across it more smoothly, yielding a much closer shave with far fewer nicks.

I've read about letting the razor's edge straighten over 24-48 hours in several places. I started off with one razor but have acquired a few more, using this for an excuse. Some of the old elegant kits had 7 razors, labeled for the days of the week.

On the stretching, I do that and it helps a lot. I reach over my head with the off hand to stretch the skin. You may deduce that this means I shave the left side of my face with the razor in my left hand, and you would be correct. Doing that the first time was about the scariest part. I have to admit, the cuts and scrapes I've had (not many) have been on the left side. I'm getting better with the left hand though.

For me it's part of the shaving ritual. It also allows the whiskers on your face to absorb more of the lather, making for a more comfortable shave.

I know what you mean. I'm pretty sure Sarge and his reference are correct, but I doubt that's going to keep me from my daily stropping ritual.

...I used the razor once, and rinsed it off in hot water and put it away. The next day it was rusty, so I carefully cleaned it and used it and put it away. It proceeded to rust, and rust and rust.

... Maybe someday I'll try again on the straight razor.

BTW, the best shaving soap I have tried is the old Col. Ichabod Conks stuff (150 years of clean living! ) Really excellent quality.

Norm, Get a stainless razor. They won't rust. Many people like them better than carbon steel. The word on the street is that they're harder to sharpen (not an issue for most of us here) but hold an edge much longer than the carbon steel. I got a nice Dovo in stainless with ironwood handles from classicshaving.com that is about my favorite. Now I'm using Sarge's recommended philosophy and resting it to give my others a shot, and to allow the edge to straighten between shaves.

Another tip, if you are using high carbon in a rust-prone environment. Heat the razor under hot water, pat it dry. The residual heat in the blade will help it to dry. Then store it outside the bathroom if your bathroom is humid. Some people oil them with camelia oil. Stainless makes life simpler.

Thanks for the tip on the soap. I'll give it a try when my current bar is gone.

 

[TomFetter]

I don't switch hands to shave ... I taught myself to shave both forehand and backhand. Works for me, and is probably be easier on my face than learning to shave with my off hand might be.

I read somewhere that the primary purpose of the lather is to hold water against the beard, to soften it up. Whether that's actually true of not (lubrication must factor in somewhere), I've found it a useful thing to keep in mind.

Howard, learning the slicing action isn't as terrifying as you'd think. The "arc" motion comes from moving the razor-holding hand like you're turning a doorknob. Take short strokes, with the tip of the razor moving no more than 3/4 of an inch at first, 'till you get the hang of it. Once comfortable with the movement, you can combine a slow twist of the forearm with your regular push cut, and take longer strokes. That's where the potential for nicks comes in.

Oh, and I get water spots on the razor too, if I'm not absolutely scrupulous in drying it off after rinsing the razor.

 

[Krull]

Ok here it is,as I said before I got it at the local gun/pawn shop box has seen hell (it's a mess one end is gone) but it's marked Germany and Genuine Manganese steel.

The blade itself is marked Graef & Schmidt on one side and J.A.Henckels-Twin Works Germany on the other.





It is sharp!!! you wanna drag it across your neck you're welcomed to!

 

[Sylvrfalcn]

Yessir, that's a good one. :thumbup: Appears to be a 4/8 or at most a 5/8, and I generally prefer the broader blade of a 6/8 for my beard, but if you ever want to make a trade for it, let me know.

Sarge

Drag it across my neck? That's how a fellow gets cut. Perpendicular push cuts, scraping motion, blade presented at about a 30 degree angle, that's how you git 'r done.