I Really Do Want To Take The Plunge!

[OV1kenobi]

Over the years, I have transitioned from a cartridge razor with canned "goo" to a Gillette double edge (have several) to a GEM single edge razor. All is well and good. I freely admit that I have especially enjoyed all my Gillette razors; particularly my British NEW and my Goodwill. The GEM is unique in that I can hear the whiskers being cut with each pass.

Still, I am not quite satisfied. Why? Because I want to experience the quality of shave I enjoyed as a young man thirty-five years ago when I went to my neighborhood barber as a young lad of sixteen.

In other words, it was a straight razor shave. Hot towel, hot lather, and an old-fashion barber stropping a razor on an enormously long leather strop.

The resulting shave was absolutely wonderful. I will never forget it. Oh, but I would love to experience something like that again!

Fast forward thirty-five years and I find myself in possession of a Thiers-Issard "American Eagle" straight razor that was gifted to me by my dear mother ten years ago and a few items handed down to me over the years by friends and coworkers. Among them, a#835 Illinois Razor Stop Co. strop, a Col. Conk Surgical Arkansas hone and a small jar of some hard white strop dressing from somewhere in the U.S.A.

Yeah, I know, the above is probably very plebe, but I really would like to know what I truly need as far as strops, dressings, stones, etc. to get me on the right track. Perhaps even a honemeister?

Can I assume that the razor itself is at least fairly good?

I will read all of the FAQ's, stickies and previous threads as much as possible in order to gain as much understanding and knowledge as I can absorb, and I really do welcome any advice/suggestions you veteran straight razor shavers can provide.

I appreciate your input and suggestions.

Warmest Regards,

David

 

[mdunn]

youve got a good kit to start off with.

send the razor to a honemeister, theres every chance it needs a new edge.

Then just read up all the info you can and dive right in!

 

[mainaman]

Tiers-Issard is one of the two major brands that still make razors these days.
As far as stones, a barber's hone a CrO strop should be fine for you.
If you want to sharpen razors you need stone set.
I use synthetic stones at all grits until 10k, then Japanese natural finisher. Some people like to use coticule, which can do the job of a complete set if used right. Natural stones are expensive to buy just FYI

 

[Cheech]

If you've already got the brush, creams, soaps, etc.; then it sounds like you have a good set-up.

I have a couple TI's and they're great. Sounds like you got very good blade to start with! When I started, I sent all of my razors to a reputable honemeister, so I knew my problems were mine and not the razor's. I figured it was a small investment, and am glad I did.

And of course, you can always post pictures of the TI...

As far as hones and such, I personally say wait until you're comfortable in your shaving skills before branching out further. Learning to hone can be a frustrating experience. Couple that with evaluating your blade while trying to improve your shaving technique, and you have a lot going on all at once.

Just my opinion.

 

[OldSchoolYoungin]

I don't think you'll be dissatisfied with that setup. Keep reading as much as you possibly can. I've been at it around ten months now and read as much as I could during that time as well as the time prior. I soak in veritable boatloads of new information every day; straight shaving is genuinely much more involved and, IMO, more interesting.

Send your blade out to a honemeister. This is a huge help, because then you'll have a benchmark for truly shave ready. If you only plan on touching up an edge on an already shave ready razor, you'll really only need a finishing hone and/or some CrOx pasted on a SEPARATE strop to refresh it.

IF, however, you DO plan on getting into restoring the whole eBay special deal or want to bring those flea market/antique mall finds up to par, then yes, you will need an assortment of stones. There is so much information about blade restoration and all-out honing that I won't expand any on that.

One thing I have to note, though: Concentrate on excellent stropping technique. As a newbie, this is imperative, as improper stropping can damage a razor and make your hopefully great experience a completely miserable one. Proper stropping is one of the most important things you will do for your straight, so don't take any shortcuts.

 

[OV1kenobi]

Tiers-Issard is one of the two major brands that still make razors these days.
As far as stones, a barber's hone a CrO strop should be fine for you.
If you want to sharpen razors you need stone set.
I use synthetic stones at all grits until 10k, then Japanese natural finisher. Some people like to use coticule, which can do the job of a complete set if used right. Natural stones are expensive to buy just FYI

Huh?

Can you explain what you mean by a barber's hone and a CrO stop?

Sorry, but I really don't understand.

Where do you get your stones, including the Japanese natural finisher?


Regards,

David

David

 

[mdunn]

a barbers hone is a high grit hone that you do a handfull of passes on from time to time to maintain an edge that has become blunt during normal shaving (that is, not becoming dull from any damage)

Crox strop is where an application of a chromium oxide (its green) paste is put on a strop, it acts somewhat like a high grit hone.

 

[Cheech]

There are a lot of options. Some have a greater cost than others, while some are less expensive and may have better results.

Before kicking down the serious change for a Japanese stone, I'd strongly recommend reading Joel's honing tutorial:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=33719

He talks about equipment as well as technique. Joel's a great guy (that I hope has forgiven me...) and super knowledgeable.

You may also want to check out Lynn's DVD. It covers everything from the parts of a razor to shaving, honing, etc. You can find it over at classicshaving and a few other places.