Straight razor shaving

[Two Socks]

hmm, never sharpened a hollow grind before. Round stones for that one? Or a secondary bevel?

I do want one for life if I get one. That seems the point of the whole affair. Having a ritual with a tool you become to love sounds rather nice. Especially opposed to the horrible machine I have been using a while.

 

[Robbi]

i must resist....i must resist...i must resist

 

[Dartmoor navigator]

Having a ritual with a tool you become to love sounds rather nice. Especially opposed to the horrible machine I have been using a while.

<titters.....>

 

[Robbi]

i resisted

 

[Dartmoor navigator]

I couldn't

 

[Two Socks]

wow, thanks for pointing that one out...

 

[Silverclaws]

hmm, never sharpened a hollow grind before. Round stones for that one? Or a secondary bevel?

I do want one for life if I get one. That seems the point of the whole affair. Having a ritual with a tool you become to love sounds rather nice. Especially opposed to the horrible machine I have been using a while.

Round stones, nope when sharpening a straight with a hollow grind one uses the spine of the blade as the guide, just rest the spine on the sharpening media along with the edge and sharpen by pushing the edge forwards. In time the spine will wear along with the edge, so the sharpening grind becomes acuter with every sharpening operation, but hollow grinds will eventually wear out, so they are not the ideal, the ideal in my mind is a good wedge or flat grind, where blade over time will just get smaller in blade depth, where a blade with a small depth has it's uses, it is why smaller depth blades are available.

But if one was to get a good new hollow grind when they started shaving I expect it will still be usable in your final days, as it will take a long time for that blade to wear out

But interestingly or not perhaps, on occasion and usually to nail the five o'clock shadow if I am going out anywhere special, I use a 1935 hand cranked Rolls Viceroy scissor action dry shaver and it works beautifully on small stuff and all it requires in maintenance is brush out the 'fluff' with the supplied round bristle brushes and a few drops of 3 in 1 dropped into the mechanism oil hole now and again. I have had this thing apart and it is all brass, pot metal and paxolin inside, a heavy duty construction, I don't see it wearing out in my lifetime.

 

[Two Socks]

Thanks Silverclaws

 

[Harvestman]

I'm still struggling to come to terms with the reasoning that you want to know about shaving, so you decide to ask a load of guys with beards for advice

 

[sasquatch]

Use electrical tape on the spine. It avoids hone wear. Once a bevel is set on a 1000 grit stone that's perfectly flat(lapped) you can start working up to 4000, 8000 12 000 or whatever you want. Completely different to sharpening knives though. A hollowground will take a lifetime to wear out as once the bevel is set they only need touching up in future.

It's far from cheap as you'll soon become obsessed with soaps, hone aquisitions and razor aquisitions. Once you start you won't look back. I've been at it 15 years now. It's for manly men that have realised not all ladies go for that tramp/troll look. okenest: No offence to all the beardy types, honest

Have a look at honing videos. It's not easy at first but it's not a dark art either. It takes time and patience and the main thing is setting that bevel on the 1000 grit. Feel free to pm if you have any questions...

 

[Two Socks]

I'm still struggling to come to terms with the reasoning that you want to know about shaving, so you decide to ask a load of guys with beards for advice

I just figured I`d ask the guys with interest in facial hair and sharp shiney things. Made sense to me

@sasquatch: thanks. I`ll first try to find a razor and take it from there. A hone isn`t a bad thing to invest in either if I want to clean one up then. I guess the sandpaper-sharpening won`t do here.

 

[Silverclaws]

I sharpen mine with a 600 grit diamond impregnated sharpening medium, yes, the one from Lidl's that comes on a block with three other grits. Finishing I use wet and dry paper glued to a board, as per someone on here suggested when I asked about knife sharpening media, 1200 grit being my finishing grit prior to stropping. The whole process is no more than twenty minutes at most.

 

[abominable_scouse_monster]

http://artofmanliness.com/2009/10/06/how-to-straight-razor-shave/

 

[sasquatch]

I just figured I`d ask the guys with interest in facial hair and sharp shiney things. Made sense to me

@sasquatch: thanks. I`ll first try to find a razor and take it from there. A hone isn`t a bad thing to invest in either if I want to clean one up then. I guess the sandpaper-sharpening won`t do here.

Look on ebay, they average about £15 thesedays for an original razor in decent shape that needs restoration. Get one with no rust, no pitting anywhere near the edge, no chips or cracks. Avoid razors with frowns as well, a smiling blade is fine. There are plenty about. As for hones I'd say get a 1000 grit as well as a 4000/8000 combo to start off with. Then it's all about stropping. I made a paddle strop to load with compound for use after honing, then a hanging strop far finishing before shaving. Have fun!

I sharpen mine with a 600 grit diamond impregnated sharpening medium, yes, the one from Lidl's that comes on a block with three other grits. Finishing I use wet and dry paper glued to a board, as per someone on here suggested when I asked about knife sharpening media, 1200 grit being my finishing grit prior to stropping. The whole process is no more than twenty minutes at most.

Wow. Rather you than me! It doesn't take much to make a razor shave but there's a world of difference when you've had a comfortable shave as opposed to a Desperate Dan type shave. I once thought I was a heathen for stopping at a 6000 before stropping! I had bad shaves for years before I learned how to get a good edge thanks to the internet and experience. 15 years ago all I knew about were various old oil stones and hones for chisels and carving tools. Now there are loads of natural and man made hones available again due to increased popularity in straight shaves.

 

[mrmel]

I have recently inherited a razor that was (I believe) my Granddads and in the research on restoration and use I have come across two of my new favorite websites!
Strightrazorplace.com (as already mentioned) Lots of info there!
Theinvisibleedge.co.uk is good for kit!

I will add a picture set of my restoration at some point (when I pull my finger out and actually do it!!)

 

[sasquatch]

I have recently inherited a razor that was (I believe) my Granddads and in the research on restoration and use I have come across two of my new favorite websites!
Strightrazorplace.com (as already mentioned) Lots of info there!
Theinvisibleedge.co.uk is good for kit!

I will add a picture set of my restoration at some point (when I pull my finger out and actually do it!!)

Nice one! I have a razor from my grandpa, obviously it's the most valuable out of all of them to me. Don't use any dremel type tools or buffing wheels on your restoration. If you want to remove the patina(I would leave it personally) use micromesh or sandpaper. Be careful grinding or filing when unpinning it and be especially careful when re-pinning it so you don't crack the scales. Not meaning to teach you to suck eggs of course but I can vouch for the above from personal experience! Might be best to just get it honed up and use it depending on its current condition. Most of all have fun and cherish your granddad's razor. There's a saying that we don't own these things, we're just looking after them for the next generation. Very true in my opinion. My son is going to be well sorted!

 

[Two Socks]

My grandpa worked at a company producing electric shaving machines... I don`t think I can expect an heirloom-razor. You`re lucky!

 

[mikew]

Go for it. Using a straight razor makes shaving an enjoyable process rather than a chore. All my razors have been bought from ebay or from antique shops, some I managed to turn into nice shavers and some ended up in the bin.

The hones I use are (in order) 1200 grit DMT, 4000/8000 grit Norton, 10,000 grit Chinese water stone. I then strop on a hanging strop loaded with chromium oxide then a bare hanging strop. After you have properly honed your razor you should be able to maintain the edge with stropping alone.

I also use tape on the spine when setting an initial edge.

The straight razor place forum is a great source of information.

 

[Swallow]

Amazon have a few

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Straight-Throat-Effect-Leather-Imperial/dp/B005F0XP66/ref=pd_sim_kh_6

 

[Rumcelt]

Hi
Just to add to the debate, I have been using a straight razor for just under 10 years now.
I only shave once a week or less, so I can take it down from a weeks or two stubble to smooth in one go without having to trim first.
And for my part I like prose's of shaving with a cut thought, stropping the razor first, lathering up.
If you have not used one before visit some forums and you tube.
When you start only use the straight razor on your checks and as someone said watch for your angles, use safety razor on your neck until you are confident and then use the straight razor for all over shave.

It also saves money.

Reg
Rum