Hone quality and my first straight shave

[glyph]

I went to a local antique mall and picked up an old razor and a stone for next to nothing. The stone says "barber jr" on it and it is a sythetic of some sort. Any idea if its any good for something besides looking at? Obviously its not comprable to a new waterstone, but if using new and fancy things appealed to me I'd get some expensive electric, since I don't really care how close the shave is.

I stropped the razor on nothing more than an old leather belt I smoothed with a glass bottle. It did not pass the hanging hair test of course. I lathered up quite well and soaked long to compensate and tried shaving anyway. I only got a couple of abrasions, but not much hair was gone either.

My main question is how crude of a setup can I get by with? Also, if a fine enough hone is used to start with, does paste even need to be added to a strop for maintenance? I've read that it is actually bad for the razor in some places, but then I see other say its necessary.

If I could get by with this stone, or just a bit of emory cloth glued to the back of an old library card, and strop on my belt, that would be my ideal. But that doesn't seem realistic, so I'm wondering how un-fancy can I get and still get a decent shave from a straight razor.

 

[Jim]

Welcome Glyph !

 

[mparker762]

You can get by with a strop, a barbers hone, and a razor. It will be work, but it can be done.

The HHT doesn't work for everybody, but that razor sounds like it needs to be a lot sharper. The barber's hone should be used wet or with some shaving lather. Get the razor sharp enough that it can shave the hair on your arm without pressure or tugging -- if you can draw the blade a millimeter above your skin and have hair cuttings drop onto the top of the blade then you're in the ballpark, and you can strop it and give it a test shave to see where you need to go. Most barber's hones were fairly fine grit so it may take awhile to get the blade sharp; if you've ever done any serious work with a arkansas stone you're in for something similar.

Stropping doesn't sharpen a razor, it works similarly to a knife steel to clean and restore the edge so its ready for use. Use the strop just before you shave, giving the razor 40-60 round trips on the strop. Keep the strop taught and don't use too much pressure or you'll dull the blade.

 

[JMT]

For your straight razor questions I would go to www.straightrazorplace.com

They have alot of members and they focus on the straight razor shave.

 

[glyph]

Thanks for all the advice guys! I'll wait a day or two to let my skin toughen back up, it will probably take that long to get the thing sharp. I've sharpened knives with a white arkansas stone, but it bites a good bit more than this thing. My grandfather has a irregular slab of transluscent arkansas which is supposed to be even finer grit than black, and it doesn't even bite this slow I don't think. But thats good, makes it a little harder to screw up the edge. Plus sharpening it is the most entertaining part of anything with an edge.

Does anyone know what these stones are made out of? It seems to repel water and smells a little bit like clay. Oh and its black.

 

[jbasl]

One option is to get a pasted paddle strop and then send your razor out to be honed by a pro every 6 or 7 months. You could contact Lynn at straightrazor place. Then you just use the paddle every 3 to 4 weeks to shape up the blade. At least that was one option i've seen floating around.

 

[ForestryProf]

Glyph,
Don't know about the barbers hone, but a couple of comments on the Arkansas stones. The white is fairly coarse (for a razor hone) but will be good for building an initial bevel. If you have a black, you will be able to bring the blade to shaving sharpness, but it will take a long time...I know, I've done it. The translucent arkansas is finer yet, but you would be better off at this point to go to your barbers hone. Most of them are in the 10-12K grit range. From there you can go to a pasted strop or directly to your leather strop and shave.

If a straight is something you are serious about, do yourself a favor and purchase a Norton 4K/8K combination stone. It tends to be the prefered tool for razor honing. Beyond that, I'll echo the recommendation to visit straightrazorplace. You'll find more information and encouragement than you though possible.

Cheers,
Ed

 

[glyph]

Success! sort of. I still need to work on my technique a bit where I missed some places. I got impatient and started with some 2000grit wet/dry paper, the scary sharp method they call it. When that made the hairs on my arm fall as you described, I moved to the barbers hone until the bevel and heel shown like a mirror. I stropped it on that old belt with no pressure. And wonder of wonder it shaved as comfortably as a bic disposable (what I used to use). It had been a long time since I shaved though I'd been going mountain man for over a year and I had (past tense stressed) a mole along the jawline that wasn't there before. Whats the general way to handle a mole or skintag or other protrusion with a straight razor?

 

[mparker762]

Glad you finally succeeded! A sharp straight razor can deliver a great shave, and there's a real feeling of accomplishment knowing that you did it all yourself.

I have no idea how to deal with moles, not having any on my face myself. Just shave around it I guess, which should be fairly straightforward to do since there's nothing obscuring your vision.

 

[ForestryProf]

Success! sort of. I still need to work on my technique a bit where I missed some places. I got impatient and started with some 2000grit wet/dry paper, the scary sharp method they call it. When that made the hairs on my arm fall as you described, I moved to the barbers hone until the bevel and heel shown like a mirror. I stropped it on that old belt with no pressure. And wonder of wonder it shaved as comfortably as a bic disposable (what I used to use). It had been a long time since I shaved though I'd been going mountain man for over a year and I had (past tense stressed) a mole along the jawline that wasn't there before. Whats the general way to handle a mole or skintag or other protrusion with a straight razor?

Dealing with moles is yet another way to slow down and enjoy the shave. I've got three that I've got to deal with. One I've found will shave just fine if approached NW to SE with little or no pressure. If I shave over it in any other direction, I draw blood. One is fairly flat and as long as I stretch properly, I can shave it in multiple directions. The last is a bugger. If I'm not paying close attention...ouch! The best way I've found to shave it is downhill in each of four directions. I start at the top of the mole and shave away from it. I know that sounds laborious, but it's become second nature and this part of my face is now as glass smooth as any other after a shave.

Bottom line, try as many approaches as required...eventually you'll find a solution. Keep those techniques that work for you, discard the rest.

Good luck,
Ed

 

[AFDavis11]

Barbers would put a finger on the mole and shave around it, but I don't have any myself thank goodness. I'd be too inclined to use the razor to remove it.

 

[glyph]

I used to shave my head in college with a disposable. I had a mole on the top of my head that I'd grit my teeth and shave off. It just grew back. The first dozen times or so anyway. I don't have it anymore.

Edit: I just realized this sounds like me trying to come off as macho. I just bring it up to say it can be done, but the reason for my original question on moles, is that I'm not sure its a good idea. Irritating moles or other skin aberations can spur it to develop into a melanoma I've read. Not sure if thats true though.