Thread: First Straight Razor Shave-Read First

Excellent thread Lynn....to a complete beginner such as myself ...this information is invaluable....Thank You.

Great thread. Thanks for creating it Lynn. I have a SR and your DVD on the way from Vintage Blades. Looking forward to learning and easing myself into SR shaving.

Bri

This information is just what those of us starting out need.. I don't have anyone to learn from, but I'm not worried because this site is like having an entire family full of expertise at my disposal.. Thanks for setting us up for success!

Couldn't find a place more appropriate to give thanks to this site. After spending hours of reading helpful pieces such as this I purchased a TI, a hone and a strop. I could not believe how prepared I was for my first shave. It went off without a hitch and I'm an instant straight razor fanatic. One thing I particularly wanted to thank this community for is the explanation of a "shave ready" razor. As a beginner I had a hard time believing a company like TI would sell a razor that was not "shave ready"...but...upon receiving the razor I realized it could be sharper. I ran it across a 8000 grain hone for a bit and then some stropping and walla...it was sharper. I have now purchased a 12000 grain just to see what happens next. For all beginners...if you have any knife sharpening experience at all then you can easily bring a "factory shave ready" razor to "real shave ready"...don't be intimidated and give it a go. You will be able to touch up that razor for life any time you need.

Thanks again!

Great post. Thanks for taking the time to put all this to paper.

This is a magnificent introductory! I could not for the life of me figure out the WTG and so on. I really look forward to my first shave! thank you.

Hi Lynn

Great site

I am hoping you can answer a question for me as i have not found the answer anywhere yet.

Once you have actually started the shave, how do you clean the blade off? Is it just rinsed in water or does the blade need to be wiped
as i have seen in some films?

All being well i should be getting aquainted with my razor some time in the coming week.

Many thanks

Ritchie.

Thanks for the 411. In between shaves I strop but , when the blade starts to dull I do 6 laps on the chro. oxide. Is that good or should I go to the 8k first?

Originally Posted by vpboy

Thanks for the 411. In between shaves I strop but , when the blade starts to dull I do 6 laps on the chro. oxide. Is that good or should I go to the 8k first?

If it's working for you, it's good. Lot's of info in the honing section too.

Have fun.

Lynn, my SRD Boker Edelweiss should be arriving today. I can't wait!! Needless to say I can't thank you enough for taking the time to share "First Straight Razor Shave". Reminds me very much of "making" a green horse - baby steps w/ lots of backing off and relaxing over a period of several days. Nothing adds to any person or animal's learning experience so much as comfort, relaxation, confidence, and focus coupled w/ a well thought out training plan.

Again, you have my thanks!!