I just bought my first straight razor, I may need a little advice if you wouldn't mind.

[SilentAssassin]

Yes, after being in a discussion last week about straight razors, I started looking at some of the beautiful works of art found here.
The more I looked, the more I wanted one for myself. I even made the comment that if I were ever to buy one that it would be a really nice one. And not the cheapest starter razor. I have never shaved with a straight razor before so, I really don't know what I'm doing.

I also bought a pretty nice, 3 inch, Latigo leather strop and some green chromium oxide paste to go with it, from Geofatboy over at shave nation. Though I have honed and finished many a knife, I have never finished a straight razor. I thought it might be the same thing, or close to the same thing, but after a little research, I am to find that it's NOT the same as sharpening a knife. And I do not want to ruin the razor as it cost a small fortune. Well. Not really a fortune, but it was not cheap. Most of what I need to know is about honing. I will probably pick this up pretty quickly because I can flat out put an edge on a hunting blade that you can shave with if you had to.

I do not know much about the razor, but have been told that this one if fairly rare. I don't even know if that's true or not.
I do not have any good photos of it yet either.
It's a Theirs-Issard Historic Le Grelot with what appears to be beautiful spine work.
Scales are red boxelder. Whatever it is, I like it. I looked at literally hundreds of straights and kept coming back to this one, until I couldn't take it anymore.
This probably won't be my last straight razor.
Anyway , here it is. I'll have better photos of it when it arrives.

 

[ScottChapin]

Nice looking! I got a custom TI 7/8 for Christmas and it’s a Grelot. It should serve you well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rbscebu]

Any questions, just ask. We are all here to help each other.

 

[sanookd]

Yes, after being in a discussion last week about straight razors, I started looking at some of the beautiful works of art found here.
The more I looked, the more I wanted one for myself. I even made the comment that if I were ever to buy one that it would be a really nice one. And not the cheapest starter razor. I have never shaved with a straight razor before so, I really don't know what I'm doing.

I also bought a pretty nice, 3 inch, Latigo leather strop and some green chromium oxide paste to go with it, from Geofatboy over at shave nation. Though I have honed and finished many a knife, I have never finished a straight razor. I thought it might be the same thing, or close to the same thing, but after a little research, I am to find that it's NOT the same as sharpening a knife. And I do not want to ruin the razor as it cost a small fortune. Well. Not really a fortune, but it was not cheap. Most of what I need to know is about honing. I will probably pick this up pretty quickly because I can flat out put an edge on a hunting blade that you can shave with if you had to.

I do not know much about the razor, but have been told that this one if fairly rare. I don't even know if that's true or not.
I do not have any good photos of it yet either.
It's a Theirs-Issard Historic Le Grelot with what appears to be beautiful spine work.
Scales are red boxelder. Whatever it is, I like it. I looked at literally hundreds of straights and kept coming back to this one, until I couldn't take it anymore.
This probably won't be my last straight razor.
Anyway , here it is. I'll have better photos of it when it arrives.

You can be rest assured it won’t be your last razor if you persevere and learn how to use it. There is a steep learning curve however until you’ll feel comfortable using it. I would advise from the beginning though to learn to use your non dominant hand as well as your dominant one. If you become comfortable with that from day one it’s easier than going back to learn it.
Just go slowly and don’t rush your shaves. Keep a very light touch and buy Steptic pencil if you don’t already have one!

 

[Legion]

Nice razor.

Send the razor to a pro to be honed. Razor sharp and knife sharp are two very different things, and since you have never used a straight you really don't know what the edge should feel like. Get it done the first time by someone who knows what they are doing, and you will always have that benchmark in your mind when you touch up the edge yourself.

 

[Basil]

Beautiful razor. Those blades are my favourite. I have a couple and they shave beautifully.

 

[njtnjt]

That is a beautiful and somewhat rare razor. I am a big fan of Le Grelot historic steel. It’s almost all I shave with. You are starting at the top of the food chain imo with that purchase. Enjoy it in good health and let us know if you have any questions - which you will

 

[bluesman 7]

Nice looking starting razor! You're going to do some good things, and you're going to make some mistakes. The important thing is that you have started. Welcome to the fold.

 

[global_dev]

Thats a beauty. Congrats

 

[bigred80]

Agree with Legion. Send the top end razor out for now, buy a cheap one on the Bay and use that for practice.

 

[Tomo]

Let the fun begin! My two cents as a recent newbie (about 50 shaves in). Don’t paste the strop. Keep it as clean leather.

Do a search for The Method for honing. This is probably the cheapest, easier and most effective way to hone your razor. Triple win.

Check if it’s shave ready. See if it will tree top arm hairs at 1/4 inch or 1/8 inch easily. If it doesn’t do this, don’t even think about using it on your face yet. Send it for honing or hone it yourself by following The Method exactly.

Do not to use a dull blade. It won’t work and the razor burn will immense.

Nice blade.

 

[stone and strop]

Agreed, do NOT put anything on your new strop. Use it as is.
Save the paste to experiment with on a bench strop later on.
You need clean leather for your razor. Learn to strop well and it will pay dividends.
Welcome.

 

[Jnatcat]

Don’t practice on such a nice blade, bet a Gold Dollar or similar to practice with. If the edge on the new blade is not up to par send it out to be honed, the cost to hone it is cheap compared to ruining a beautiful razor.

 

[allyourbasearebelongtous]

My first razor was a primo one too, when i first stropped it i ruined the edge. Thats a nice looking razor. I would get it honed by a professional honer first, so i have an idea of what a good edge should feel like. Happy shaves

 

[LJS]

Nice razor......not the best to learn honing with. Too nice for that. Your knife skills aren’t exactly the same as razor skills as you read - it is true so good for you to heed that. Pasted strops don’t get much love here, but regardless of opinions there you really must have a clean leather strop to use straight razors. You can’t shave without cream/soap and you can’t shave without a strop. If you only have one strop it should be clean leather and not pasted ideally.

 

[PintoPlain]

First off, that's a nice razor. I would also recommend having your first razor properly honed and learning to hone a razor on an inexpensive one. Note, I said inexpensive, not cheap as many cheap "razors" are only adequate letter openers. An old Solingen or Sheffield is ideal. My eBay beaters are among my favourite razors to use now I have them sharp.

Also, keep your strop as clean leather. You might look at a pasted bench strop or pasted balsa.

Enjoy the journey.

 

[camoloc]

alot of good advice. nothing on the strop. make sure it is honed by someone who knows what they are doing.....to know what your "new" sharp is.

use both hands. wet lather......soaked compared to what your used to probably.

read here, ask questions, read again, bookmark good stuff, digest, and evaluate.

good luck......the world has changed for you now I'm afraid.

btw.....we have wisenheimers here and massive enablers!!!!

camo

 

[Slash McCoy]

Please don't put paste on your strop! Defeats its purpose.

Much better to first make sure your razor is shave ready. Here is one good test.
(1) Is My Razor Sharp? The Treetopping Test | Badger & Blade

If it isn't, find a forum member who will hone it for you. Don't try to teach yourself until you are somewhat experienced at shaving with a shave ready razor. Maybe 30 shaves in? But here you go. If you follow The Method exactly and precisely, you have the best chance of achieving a VERY good edge on your first or second attempt, at the lowest possible expense.
Newbie Honing Compendium | Badger & Blade

If it IS shave ready, you can maintain it so, by the use of a PROPERLY set up and PROPERLY used balsa strop. This is the final part of "The Method". Set up all three balsa strops to bring the edge up to Method sharpness, then just use the .1u balsa after every shave to keep it sharp. You still need to strop on leather before your shave.
(1) How To Use a Pasted Balsa Strop | Badger & Blade

It is definitely a good idea to make your first adventures in honing with a more expendable razor. Not sure I would recommend a new, unhoned Gold Dollar, though. It is a lot different from honing a razor that has already been made sharp before. They can be rather poorly ground and require a lot of extra work, though they are not as bad recently as they were in the past. But at least you would only be out a few bucks if you totally toast it. A good vintage razor from a verifiable seller (IOW, a member of this or another straight razor forum) could be just what you need. Don't just buy randomly off fleabay until you know a little more about razor shopping. EVERYBODY promises "shave-ready" but few even know what that means, and most of those sellers don't even know how to shave with a straight razor, much less hone one or recognize a shave worthy edge when they see it. Before buying a fleabay razor, verify on a forum. Just don't post a link to an ongoing AUCTION. Finished auctions or Buy It Now listings are fine on this forum or most others. There are a few dependable sellers out there. The BST forum here is your best bet, but good deals get snapped up quickly so keep an eye on it.