Arsenal for straight shaving

[Proinsias]

I have a straight razor I bought from Papasmurf which came shave ready with a strop.

I'm loving straight shaving and working on my stropping, only a few shaves down but haven't needed the canvas side yet.

What do I need to keep this going?

I figure the Norton stone, is it 6/8 or 4/6, might be a good investment. But I've heard so much about finishing hones, pastes and stuff to keep the hone flat I'm not sure where to begin.

The strop isn't the usual belt but one of the ones wrapped around a bit of wood, I love the look and feel of it.

So.

I've got the razor and the strop but what else should I buy, fairly inexpensively, which will keep me in straight razor heaven indefinitely?

 

[TstebinsB]

Please read through this guide.

 

[Proinsias]

Cheers

I have read the guide but felt a sense of information overload and objectivity in its thoroughness.

I was hoping for some short, biased, posts some of which I could latch onto and help me digest the info in the guide whilst I make my choices eg: I get buy with just this: ........

The other reason for the post was that the guide was written a few years ago and I would appreciate any pointers on good deals or suppliers of equipment, I'm in the UK if that makes much difference.

 

[netsurfr]

If you have read the guide and still don't know what to do next, here is my recommendation: If your razor is in really good shape (which it appears to be), I would buy a yellow coticule to keep it that way. Don't go crazy with it! Only use it when your razor starts to pull too much. In addition, I would consider having a pasted strop with Cromium Oxide on it. You can frequently use the Cromium Oxide to bring the polish on your edge back without resorting to the yellow coticule. So, YMMV and all that but that would be my recommendation given your current setup.

 

[JBHoren]

I would consider having a pasted strop with Cromium Oxide on it. You can frequently use the Cromium Oxide to bring the polish on your edge back without resorting to the yellow coticule. So, YMMV and all that but that would be my recommendation given your current setup.

I would do it a bit differently: Buy a 3"-wide, double-sided paddle strop, then paste one side with 1-µ diamond paste and the other side with 0.5-µ CrO[sub]2[/sub]

As netsurfr wrote, use the CrO[sub]2[/sub] side (green) to restore the "polish" on the blade's edge; and use the 1-µ diamond paste side to resharpen the blade's edge, when needed.

No need to worry about investing lots of money in stones, or investing lots of time in lapping/learning-how-to-use them. Later on, you can spend $75 and buy the DMT Dia-Sharp -8EF and -8EE diamond plate hones, and you'll be all set.

Smooth shaving!

 

[Proinsias]

thanks for the input.

My wife has just hinted that she knew I was looking for straight sharpening stuff, has had a look on the B&B forums, and that I might have a pressie in the near future.

I'm both excited and deflated, that I'll have to hold off my research and look happy with what the other half has chosen. Here's hoping.

A good few shaves in and I got a little over confident, the straight will be on the shelf for a few days until my right cheek is ready for round two. I get the feeling this may be a pattern for a while. Careful, careful, careful......I'm great at this!......careful, careful, careful......

Upside is my DE with a feather now seems like childsplay in the interim.

 

[Limey]

Visit the Tony at The Well Shaved Gentleman...here and get a four side paddle strop pasted. It will be a good one and last.

 

[bbsupersport]

thanks for the input.

My wife has just hinted that she knew I was looking for straight sharpening stuff, has had a look on the B&B forums, and that I might have a pressie in the near future.

I'm both excited and deflated, that I'll have to hold off my research and look happy with what the other half has chosen. Here's hoping.

A good few shaves in and I got a little over confident, the straight will be on the shelf for a few days until my right cheek is ready for round two. I get the feeling this may be a pattern for a while. Careful, careful, careful......I'm great at this!......careful, careful, careful......

Upside is my DE with a feather now seems like childsplay in the interim.

It's nice when they want to surprise you...but scary at the same time!

 

[FloorPizza]

Visit the Tony at The Well Shaved Gentleman...here and get a four side paddle strop pasted. It will be a good one and last.

I think that's exactly what I'm going to do. One question, though: will I need a regular, un-pasted strop in addition to the four sided pasted paddle strop?

I'm thinking of getting the four sided paddle strop with appropriate diamond pastes, and a regular leather hanging strop, too. Overkill, or just right?

Edit: Honestly, I'm thinking about getting the DMT 8k-equivalent hone, too, but that's going to be a few months down the road. So the final setup woud be: DMT, Four sided paddle strop, regular leather hanging strop.