First straight is in the mail!

[wildcatstrat]

I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of my very first straight razor... A JA Henckels 72 1/2 Friodur 6/8" I acquired via trade from another member here. I've been reading up on here and elsewhere, and I'm a bit overwhelmed with all of the information that seems to be pertinent to straight razors. A couple of questions come to mind right off the bat...

1) How soon do I need to buy a hone of some sort?

I don't PLAN on getting a full complement of sharpening stones, but I also don't want to shave with a dull razor. My plan is to either...

A) Get balsa or linen strop(s) and treat them with some kind of abrasive pastes or sprays to attempt to keep my razor "shave ready."

B) Try to find a barber hone on ebay.

C) Go ahead and buy a Naniwa 12k stone.

As I said before, I have no plans to ever buy a full set of stones and expect to send my razor off every now and then to have it professionally fully honed, but from what I've gathered I'll have to do something besides just stropping or my shave ready edge will not hold up for an extended period of time. Which of my proposed options will best accomplish my goals? I know that's a loaded question, but I'm just needing input from others more knowledgeable than myself (i.e. Everyone here lol) Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[wildcatstrat]

Relax, I sent you some information. To begin you will need a strop. Larry at Whipped Dog sells a nice beginner strop for under $30, get one, it will be perfect for beginning. When you get better at stropping and no longer nick your strop you can spend more for a nicer strop. If you are only going to have a couple of straight razors, I'd suggest planning on trying lapping film to begin. A professional honing runs around $25 so you can weigh that against the cost of stones etc. Welcome and we are here to help as you'll quickly see. [emoji106]

Thanks for the info, Dan! I should've mentioned that a Portland Razor Co. strop was included in the trade. I have traded extensively with Larry before though, so I wouldn't hesitate to buy from him again. I was actually looking at his 4 sided paddle strop already... Thought it might fit the bill for what I'm looking for (i.e. A method for strop practice/retouching with pasted/sprayed balsa.) I imagine that the lapping film that you mentioned might be a bit more economical though. I'll try my best to not overthink it lol. Thanks again!

 

[Mtn Man]

A balsa wood strop with some chromox will extend your edges for a while. I use Naniwa stones and get good results. A 12k would maintain a nice edge.
Right now I am playing around with just using a Barbers hone I got from larry and it is keeping my edge great. Things can be as complex or simple as you like.

 

[wildcatstrat]

A balsa wood strop with some chromox will extend your edges for a while. I use Naniwa stones and get good results. A 12k would maintain a nice edge.
Right now I am playing around with just using a Barbers hone I got from larry and it is keeping my edge great. Things can be as complex or simple as you like.

Thanks for the tips! Since I last posted in this thread I've put together a cheap little honing setup. Several sheets of lapping film of different grits and a piece of balsa glued to a piece of marble tile with Crox. I'd love to get a set of stones, at least an 8k and 12k+, but they're not high on the list of things to spend extra money on at the moment. The lapping film seems to be a good cheap alternative.

 

[seattleshaver]

I think getting a second cheap straight from Larry is a good idea as well. You can practice your stropping technique or touch up technique on one and have the other one for comparison.

 

[Justgent]

It is easy to get quite overwhelmed with all the info on straight shaving. Just take it easy and go one step at a time. What works best for someone else may not be what works for you. Take your time and relax, soon you will be looking forward to the part of the day when you can sit back maintain and prep your blades and enjoy a great shave

 

[StubbleTrouble]

Simple...

Don't worry about honing for a good while. You have to learn how to shave and strop, then you can tackle honing.

That said, be patient. Get a backup razor to use when you wreck your edge so you can send it out and keep shaving with the backup.

Be patient - you'll question if it's worth it, and it is. It'll fall in line and you'll be rewarded with great shaves.