straight razor shaving

[JOHN F]

I took the plunge and ordered an 18th century style straight razor.now gotta start to learn how to do it. anybody out there do it or have some helpful tips ,other than don't cut myself. I remember my grandpop doing it ..any help ,stories or medical warnings will be greatly appreciated..

 

[Black Hand]

Where did you find an 18th century style razor?

 

[Cruzatte]

I took the plunge and ordered an 18th century style straight razor.now gotta start to learn how to do it. anybody out there do it or have some helpful tips ,other than don't cut myself. I remember my grandpop doing it ..any help ,stories or medical warnings will be greatly appreciated..

Be sure to use plenty of warm water. And lots of lather. A good soap especially formulated for shaving is a must. Check out Youtube for some helpful videos.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Where did you find an 18th century style razor?

Jas townsend....has them.....or so they say....

I always shave with my eyes closed....That way I can feel the blade.....a mirror confuses my senses and I'll cut myself for sure...

 

[Black Hand]

Not a terrible-looking razor. I may order one when I have an extra $175 to spend...

 

[Treestalker]

Get yourself a Moravian stone to sharpen your razor with, and a good strop of leather with rouge dressing. Keep it sharp and take your time; you will soon learn to shave like a pro. Best shave you'll ever get. I used to use Williams shaving soap with a mug and badger hair brush. You may prefer to use a shaving cream or jell. Pay attention to what you're doing, no distractions. This is YOUR time, so enjoy it. :thumbsup: George.

 

[Katahdin]

I was told by a Barber ,they taught how to shave in Barber School by practicing on a ballon,Put the shaving cream on it and then "shave" it off.
I have a couple of razors ,just never had the desire to try them out,,

 

[BillinOregon]

Wishing you the best. I know what would happen if I tried it ...

:shocked2:

 

[Tallswife]

I second the Williams shaving soap. Good long lasting lather and skin conditioner. A good brush is necessary to raise your beard. So don't skimp on that.

 

[Len Graves]

I guess I will third the Williams shaving soap. I shave with a modern razor, but use Williams soap. I guess being from Mi. I have a partiality to this soap. J Mennen Williams was our Governor for a while. His family owned the co. Folks in Mi. Called him soapy Williams. Keep that razor sharp,,a dull one will cut you no matter how careful you are.

 

[Katahdin]

Not me I just picked these up at Yard/Estate sales,, just because,never had the desire to try one out.Been shaved with one in Japan and it does give one sweet smooth shave,

 

[JOHN F]

hey guys thanks for all the help, advice and encouragement. I started 2 weeks ago shaving with face oil and a brush. really wanted to start straight razor shaving because it would look really awesome to shave in camp in the morning. so I thought why not get a period one. that's where I saw a muzzleblasts issue july2011, his name is scott Summerville.he makes them for townsend.will have to keep you guys posted..

 

[crockett]

About 7-10 years ago Rex Allen had an article in Muzzle loader Magazine on mountain man shaving kits. There was some information on pc razor shapes and the razor was kept in a small wood box that held the brush, soap, etc. There was a mirror on the inside of the lid so you could look at yourself while shaving.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I use a double edge to shave, but haven't gotten up the courage to use a straight razor, although I have a couple of old ones around here.

I have sharpened knives to the point that I could shave hair off my forearm with them.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I've been told that if one is using a straight razor, one should look for shaving soaps that have kaolin (pipe clay) for the best "slip" on the edge of the blade against one's skin.

I've seen a "shaving station" set up once at a historic event, for the privates as it was Sunday, and the lads needed to have a clean shave for military services [religious] as well as inspection. They didn't have a proper razor, though it looked right, but the edge was rounded "safe" so it was a prop. The lads who had formed for the demonstration were actually already shaved, and the "razor" simply removed the shaving soap (and the dirt) from the lad's faces. Still the tourists liked it.

LD

 

[Rick Boylan]

This is where I started out at. I watched a few videos and then just jumped right in.

I bought a Dovo straight razor years ago from Straight Razor Design. They are specially honed so you get a really smooth shave. I paid around $80 for my razor.

I usually shave right after my shower because the hot water softens up your beard. Then, using a good badger hair brush, you apply your soap. I use shaving cream from The Art of Shaving. It only takes a very small amount to get a really nice lather.
If the razor pulls the hairs then it's in need of sharpening. If your strop has a leather side and a cloth type side get yourself some diamond paste to apply to the cloth side. That will help keep your razor sharp. Just 20 passes with your razor will sharpen it up just like honing it would. Then just run your bare hand over the leather side of the strop and that will apply the oils from your hand onto the leather making it ready to strop your razor. I strop after every 4 or 5 shaves.
Stropping helps uncurl the edge of the blade so you get a nice, straight, sharp edge and it really shaves so smoothly like that.

I first shave with the grain of my whiskers. Then after I've finished my face that way, I reapply some shaving soap and shave against the grain. You'll find that you can feel where the stubble is and you can shave it off as you work your face.

I follow up with a nice hot towel to wash off the soap and then apply some after shave balm. I rub it in all over my face so it keeps my skin nice.

Once you start shaving with a straight razor you'll find that nothing else comes close. It's the best shave I've ever had.

 

[bpd303]

One thing not mentioned is to get a good styptic pencil for the inevitable knick's. :grin:

 

[Don Steele]

I've shaved a couple of times using my patch knife.
Worked just fine, so long as I had access to really HOT water, a towel, and a good quality soap.
You should know that I spent over 20 yrs working in the Beef slaughter and processing industry and if I do say so myself, I'm pretty good at sharpening a knife. I also have an excellent selection of stones, steels, and ceramics to keep my knives in good working order. Even so, it's easy to see why beards were so popular among older men in years past..!!! :redface:

 

[Rick Boylan]

True. I needed one when I first started using a straight razor. These days I am nick free. That level of comfort comes with practice.

:thumbsup:

 

[Lonegun1894]

Same here! Been using a straight razor for about 8-9 years now, and cut myself a few times at first, but nothing since. All the advice above is great. The only thing I can add that hasn't been mentioned yet is to make sure you use the razor as you would a scraper to avoid cuts. If you move it "forward or back" as you would a knife to cut something, that is when you get cut. I learned the hard way. Now the only problem I have is occasionally I get a bit lazy and don't strop as often as I should and end up with a blade that pulls hair instead of cutting it. Easily fixed, and all my fault, but I just don't count shaves and forget sometimes. Stropping once a week does away with that though.