Straight Razor Beginner

D

Dnullify

Joined
Mar 12, 2010
Messages
268
Hey all!

I have been interested in straight razor shaving for a while now, but have been too intimidated to post here and buy equipment necessary.

However, a couple weeks ago i was buying my mom a new set of kitchen knives at our local cutlery store. I figured, heck, i'm spending $450 on knives, i may as well ask if they'll give me a deal on the cheapest straight razor. I walked out with a cheap Dovo solingen delrin handle straight razor, and a short Bismarck canvas strop/canvas both for $70.

I've been self-educating and youtubing, and have been shaving with it for about 2 weeks now, and feel somewhat comfortable with it, though not with the results. I'm 18, but i've received the hairy genes from my mother's side, so my beard is dense and grows annoyingly fast, one of the motivations for switching to straight razors.

I've been experimenting with technique (pressure, angles, etc), and i have improved somewhat since my first shave. however i am still getting a rather rough and unsatisfactorily close shave. I'm sure some of it is due to technique, which i figure i'll eventually get better at. I'm not sure if my razor is sharp enough.
I've watched plenty of videos on youtube about stropping technique, and i'm fairly certain i'm doing that well enough (there is always room for improvement.).

How can i tell if my razor is sharp enough? I know i didn't exactly buy the best razor out there, so it might not have come with the best "shave ready" edge.

How do you decide when an edge is past the point when stropping can not bring the edge to shave-ready?


Another part of the problem might have been my pre-shave prep. Up to now, i've been using shaving barsoap and a cheap drugstore brush, warm water, and shaving post-shower.
My mother and brother bought me a pre-shave kit for Christmas from The Art of Shaving, which came with: pre-shave oil, a good sized jar of shaving cream, a badger brush, and after shave balm. I am going to try it out tomorrow, and It seems like a lot of work :p.

As for hones, I've been oogling spyderco's 2x8 F and UF bench stones for a while, for my other knives to replace my makeshift sharpening setup (M, F, UF rods on the base of a sharpmaker, since i do everything freehand now).
Would they suffice for the hopefully rare honing of my razor? As i understand it, honing shouldn't be necessary more than a couple times a year, so i'd like to have hones that could serve other purposes. Now i've got christmas money for it, but not a whole lot.

I welcome any tips or advice you all have,

-Siddhartha

thanks for reading!
 
Well i dont know much about straight razors but i can tell you those hones will most likely not be sufficient. I believe you have to get well above 2000 grit to start shaving. if i were you i would head over to japanesewoodworker.com (i think thats the address) and check out their waterstones, remember that water stones are very different and need to be flattened and soaked before use. sharpening your straight razor is easy enough because the spine is a guide. I would pick up a few grits, you should try to pick up a double sided stone that has a combination, like 4000-8000, that way if you strop often, you can start with these hones if it doesnt get to dull, and move from 4000 to 800 and youl be fine. If you want to take the more expensive route you can get a selection of stones which will make it easier in the long run to sharpen your straight razor. have fun shopping, you can expect to spend at least 100 more dollars id say if your serious, but all of this gear your buying except for the soap will last a lifetime.
 
btw a sharpenss test for your razor to tell if its sharp enough is to strop it, then lay your razor down with the blade facing verticly up. take a hair and put it down on top of the edge, if the straight razor cuts the hair with only the force of gravity on it, then it is definetly sharp enough to shave, Do not test your edge on paper or any substances like that, they will only wreck your blade. The edge is so thin that cutting a sheet of paper can ruin your edge.
 
If the razor is a Dovo brand, then the razor itself is inherently fine. It is up to you to get and keep it sharp, but any Dovo will be perfectly capable of an excellent shave.
 
Did you hone the razor yet yourself? If you're using only the factory edge then it is not sharp enough for shaving. Honing a straight razor, while like sharpening any other knife, does have its nuances and skills to attain the perfect shaving edge. I recommend using a jeweller's loupe or handheld microscope to observe your progress.
 
well, my razor won't pop the hair with gravity. After stropping, it will snip the hair if coaxed.

At that point, does it just need a little more stropping, or would it need honing to go farther?

I shudder at the thought of Japanese water stones. Seems too expensive, and too much work (soaking, lapping), that's why i was so attracted to spyderco's ceramics. is there an alternative to water stones?
 
Water stones aren't that expensive and they will last a long time when properly cared for. You can find Naniwa 12k Waterstone for under $90, they don't need to be soaked just a splash of water at the higher grits and if you are only using it for your straight then the need to lap it will be far and few between.
 
I agree with what the others have said about the "other" forum. As well, what I find works great, after you get the razor honed (that in itself is a process), my final step is to add this to the canvas side of the strop - Thiers Issard Razor Sharpening Paste. I was going to post a web site, but I think that's against the rules.

Anyway, I get BY FAR the best results by applying this paste to the canvas, stropping about 15 times per side, then stropping on leather. You only need this paste for honing, not everyday stropping. For me, it really puts that hair popping edge on. Hand American has some great pastes and strops as well, but this is a cheap way to start.

Good luck!
 
unky_gumbi said:
Water stones aren't that expensive and they will last a long time when properly cared for. You can find Naniwa 12k Waterstone for under $90, they don't need to be soaked just a splash of water at the higher grits and if you are only using it for your straight then the need to lap it will be far and few between.
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Well, i was initially looking for something that i could use regularly as a finishing/touch up stone, which would get more than the semi-annual use with the straight. I don't look forward to lapping and soaking. Also, i don't particularly want to spend more on the stone than i did for the razor itself. I think, on some level that would defeat the purpose of switching, at least for now.

sodak said:
I agree with what the others have said about the "other" forum. As well, what I find works great, after you get the razor honed (that in itself is a process), my final step is to add this to the canvas side of the strop - Thiers Issard Razor Sharpening Paste. I was going to post a web site, but I think that's against the rules.

Anyway, I get BY FAR the best results by applying this paste to the canvas, stropping about 15 times per side, then stropping on leather. You only need this paste for honing, not everyday stropping. For me, it really puts that hair popping edge on. Hand American has some great pastes and strops as well, but this is a cheap way to start.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

I've visited that forum, but didn't join because i don't really want to get too into straight shaving... i guess i'll have to anyway.

do you think that using the paste on the canvas would be sufficient to take the edge of what i have right now to sharp enough for a really comfortable shave? right now, my razor will catch and snap medium-thicker hairs when the hair is dragged over the edge. It won't pop the hair by just laying it over the edge.

I also have Chromium Oxide and Aluminum Oxide powders and bench strops, but i was hesitant to use them.
 
Dnullify said:
do you think that using the paste on the canvas would be sufficient to take the edge of what i have right now to sharp enough for a really comfortable shave? right now, my razor will catch and snap medium-thicker hairs when the hair is dragged over the edge. It won't pop the hair by just laying it over the edge.
Click to expand...

It does for me. YMMV.
 
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