First real straight - an AIC

[csmorris]

Well I finally took the plunge. I've had and used a Danyco shavette off and on for a while. I've been dying to try a 'real' straight for quite a while but I've been scared off by the thought of ruining an nice and costly straight the first time I attempted honing it. Hit the local antique mall and grabbed a $15 straight that appeared to be in decent condition.

My standards were:
- cheap
- blade in okay condition
- scales at least intact

I picked up a Allegany Instrument Corp. razor. Blade appears to be 5/8" and in okay shape, pretty straight, but what looks to be a burn (?) on the cutting edge towards the hinge. Scales are okay but some ^&*#$@% scraped an X at one end and an I on the other end on one of the scales. Oh well.

Still need to pick up a strop, try honing it, strop it and take it for a spin.

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[Greybeard]

Congrats. It's definitely fun but I don't know if you want to try learning to shave with a straight that you're also using to learn to hone. You have to set the bevel and progress through stages to get to shave ready. You'd have to be very lucky to get it right first time.
Just from my own experience you might be better off buying a shave ready straight and learning to shave and strop first. You can maintain the edge for quite a while (if you don't roll it) with just stropping and occasional touch ups on a pasted balsa strop. It will also give you a reference point for what a properly honed straight should feel like.
Then if you decide that you want to hone you can get into the expense of buying hones and learning to use them.

The straight you bought could serve as a practice straight. Hopefully the "burn mark" is just surface rust. It's right on the edge though and has to be honed out anyway before you can use it. If the rust is deep enough you'd have to hone the edge of the whole blade, in an even line, back to good metal. Then reset the bevel and progress to shave ready.

 

[Luc]

Nice, on the last picture, is it a piece of fabric on the edge or the edge as a bad spot?

 

[csmorris]

Nice, on the last picture, is it a piece of fabric on the edge or the edge as a bad spot?

That's the spot that looks (to me) like a burn. Possibly surface rust as suggested by Greybeard.