Sharpening a razor

[woodse guy]

On my stones I use hot water and Palmolive dish soap with a knuckle brush to scrub.

 

[gmarc]

Deano

I shave daily with a straight, and once you get the honing and stropping right, you get a fine shave. I'll never go back to safety raazors.

Straightrazorplace offers a CD tutorial on the art of the shave. Remember that while a straight razor shave takes longer, it is a skill rather than a chore. I even take mt straights on camp outs.

 

[oldarmy]

I only lightly oil the stone, and use it only when absolutely needed.
A good leather strop and compound is generally enough.
Stropping your kitchen knifes after sharpening will also add to the sharpness of the blades.
Just make sure you let your wife know "they are SHARP" :thumbsup:

 

[deanscamaro]

I never expected this post to get the attention it has. It sure has provided a lot of good advice. I am working on improving my shaving technique with the intention of reducing the nicks and cuts. :rotf: Ha! Ha! I have some of those bumps that come with age that I can't seem to avoid cutting.

I am presently just stropping my new razor. I put some Strop Adhesive (or so they call it; not really an adhesive, but aluminum oxide powder) from a company called Wood Is Good (I try to make knives also and bought it for my leather-wrapped wheels). I put that powder on the leather and strop it before each shave.

I'll keep working at it. Thanks everyone.
:thumbsup: :v :grin:

 

[shmrck1]

deano,

The barber I go to still cuts my hair(what is left of it)with a straight razor.What he does when the shop is closed with them I have no
idea.But during shop hours the only thing I have seen him use to sharpen is the two sided razor
belt that hangs from the side of the chair.This guy runs a one chair shop,is approaching 75,and works by appointment only.Said he learned to cut hair in the service in the early 50's.
He is not cheap,but I only need my hair cut
every 7/8 weeks. I have never had him cut my hair
that I didn't get a history lesson.
BTW,He has a pair of electric shears,but in almost 20years I have never seen him use them.
He bowls three times a week and averages in the
180s.He is what I refer to as a character.

 

[fyrfyter43]

Deano, was your razor sharpened when you bought it? Most new razors are advertised as "shave-ready", but they seldom are. A good honing is still required. A razor that is only marginally sharp will make it much more difficult to get a good shave, and will make the learning curve much steeper.

Unless your razor was honed when you bought it, I would suggest sending it to Lynn and Don at www.straightrazordesigns.com for a professional honing. Lynn and Don are among the best there are. This will also give you a benchmark to strive for when honing your razor in the future. It will cost you about $25 including postage, but it is money well spent.

I just got one of my razors back from being honed. The difference between this one and the one I have used for the last 4-5 months with nothing more than a daily stropping is amazing.

 

[deanscamaro]

Thanks for that input about someone to send it to....I might consider doing that to just get a benchmark. Mine came as "shave ready", but not sure what that means.
:v

 

[jbtusa]

http://straightrazorplace.com/

Check this site out: everything that is to know about straight razors is on it. Most need to be honed. Also learn to strop because most beginners, myself included, actually dull their razors until they learn how to strop. I'm still a beginner and a little shaky when I put that edge to my skin. It's fun though!

How the mountain men sharpened their razors is beyond me (and yes, they were clean-shaven as was the custom of their day).

 

[Celt5494]

Seems like a good website they have going there, prices are pretty reasonable. Many of today's straight razors sell for way over what they are worth. That being said there is nothing like a good straight edge shave.

 

[Trench]

Seems like a good website they have going there, prices are pretty reasonable. Many of today's straight razors sell for way over what they are worth. That being said there is nothing like a good straight edge shave.

I agree. You can spend $150 on a new one, or you can buy an original that's over 100 years old and pay $20-$50. Sounds like a no-brainer to me. :wink:

 

[Fred_Dwyer]

I have been a cup & brush shaver for years

I sort of rediscovered my Rolls razor, yeah I know that's like cheating. What I was wondering is where to find a shaving brush and soap anymore? They used to be in every drugstore but I haven't seen one in years. I saw a really junk brush/mug in a novelty store (Spencer's gifts?). There's something about brushing up a nice lather that is part of the straight edge experience.

 

[Celt5494]

You can google shaving supplies etc. that will lead you to 100's of links where you can get what you are after and within your price range. I've had some decent luck with amazon.com for such things as well.

 

[Fred_Dwyer]

Thanks, came across a few sites + visited Amazon.
Saw there was a "retro" Burma Shave kit, and sensibly priced. I'll have to mull that over a bit; you gotta consider last time I lathered up with a dollop of borebutter and some scrapings off a bar of Ivory soap all worked to a lather. :stir:

 

[Celt5494]

........... :rotf: ...... Hey you might be onto something there that is marketable?

 

[bitehard]

Hi all. This is a good topic. I have been told that the best strops are from Nth American Bison hide. There's something about the leather that makes them a much better strop. To that the old ones used a soap which I guess held the Al oxide that assisted in the final hone. The blade that I use was given to me and I had to take out all the nicks and resharpen. This I did by hand with progressively finer wet and dry paper glued to sticks of 5/ply. It has a real keen edge.

 

[deanscamaro]

Well, I have had my brush and cup for years, so where they came from is probably not really valid anymore. Someone above recommended Amazon and I second that vote. I got some shaving cream from there (recommended by a financial blog guy I read), but I won't even tell you what it is, because it is probably more expensive than you are looking for (I love it though). My point is that when I found it there, I was wading around in a bunch of cup/brush/straight razor items (I also bought a straight razor from there), so there are probably things there which you might want.
:thumbsup:

 

[Fred_Dwyer]

Well, I have had my brush and cup for years,

I wish I could have one last for years. I get all lathered up then butter-finger the mug right onto the tile floor. smithereens. After the last one, my X bought me an electric razor for Christmas and I got lazy. But breaking out the Rolls razor reminded me what a real shave was like.

 

[paulvallandigham]

The only thing a commercially made shaving mug offers is a lid, and I have even found those at some pottery stores. A simply coffee mug- made of whatever-- works as well. The only thing a lid does is keep lint and dust, and dirt out of the soft soap between shavings. As for shaving soap, I still find it in stores. Comes in either a blue or red lettered small box, depending on whether its scented or not. Look in the shaving soap and razor area of your local drug store. Ask the pharmacist, or the store manager if you don't find it there.

Frankly, you can buy any soap you like, and cut a bar down to fit inside a coffee mug.

As for sharpening razor blades, I use a fine( black) Arkansas stone, and then a leather belt for a strop. Used properly and ONLY for shaving, a strop will keep the edge keen for months. Fine Grit abrasive papers glued to plate glass, or to a fine hard wood board will also sharpen that dulled razor's edge very well. The secret is to use the finest abrasive grit you can find. I have used "Crocus" cloth in the past, and I can't even tell you what grit size it has. :rotf:

 

[Fred_Dwyer]

A simply coffee mug- made of whatever-- works as well.

I figured that out! Was out working the dog in the boondocks, this side of East Overshoe and stopped in a little country Rx store. He had what I needed, soap, brush and when I asked for a mug he walked to the little housewares section and picked up a coffee mug, when I looked at him a little puzzled he says, "You wanna pay $2 or $12?"
I said, "allrighty then."

 

[Trench]

All this talk made me go out and buy a 100+ year-old razor and I had it re-honed. So far, all I can do with it is turn a 5 o'clock shadow in to a 2 o'clock shadow along with some very fine cuts in my cheeks. :haha:

I respect you guys that can get a nice shave with these. As sharp as it is, you'd think I'd be able to get a better shave with it.

This thread has been great in getting me a :thumbsup: clamated to straight razor upkeep.