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Minimum expectations

Hello! This is my first posting after reregistering in this great forum.

I’ve been lurking this Forum for almost a decade. I was registered in this Forum by another nick several years ago but the nick was eliminated due to my inactivity. I’ve done my shaving for seven years by a cheap shavette with a holder mechanism you get loose from the main thing. This has been good enough to get a rude shave I’ve been contented about, but I’ve been always dreaming of straight razor shave.

Finally, a few weeks ago I happened to get a 40€ voucher to Amazon and I decided to use the money for starting a straight shaving hobby. Due to accidental circumstances I stumbled into Amazon Italy and made my first purchase there which limited the rest of my voucher purchases to the same site. Many vendors didn’t either send stuff to my country or didn’t accept the voucher or both of these things which state of affairs limited further my purchasing possibilities to chinese vendors and/or products. I got first a new Gold Dollar razor, tried it and liked a experience immeditely; a so much better act of shaving than with a generic shavette with a Lord stainless steel blade! I’d like to stick with a real thing. A bit later I proceeded to buy a 3000-10000 honing stone and a pink (!) strop and a enlarging make-up/shaving mirror. I’m now waiting for these items delivered via mail.

My goals are at this stage pretty modest. If I broke something, I hope I can use my Gold Dollar for opening envelopes. At best I hope achieve stubble beard what would be perfectly satisfactory for me, even an uneneven one, at least in summertime.

The threads in this forum are interesting but confusing, especially what comes to honing. My purchases might well be total junk but I’d like to toy with them anyway. So I’d like to ask what kind of equipment (stone) do I need to maintain my new hone. A friend of mine warned me about the metal debris caused by honing and she was worried for me possibly visiting her home and bringing metals with me after a honing experiment.

Anyway. What are my chanses of getting screwed up the whole thing given the circumstances? What would be the best way of making some use of my purchases? I’ve not yet tested even the honing of kitchen kives. I’d greatly apreciate all feedback.
 
Welcome.

My first bare blade was a Feather SS shavette which led later into a proper straight. I do not know what you have available, but old vintage straight razors are still available on eBay.

I'll just say that there is nothing wrong with a shavette. It makes you on top of your game regarding technique.
 
Yes. I was considering long time buying some high end/professional shavette but finally ended up getting the real one. Nothing to complain about my Gold Dollar so far. Like people have often mentioned in this forum, a straight razor is much more forgiving than shavette. After the first try with SR I’d like not to return back but I have to keep using shavette at the moment as a primary option and later, hopefully as a secondary option for shaving. At least with shavette I learned not to be too intimidated of the whole shaving thing. Now I’m just waiting for possibility to learn about stropping, lapping and honing.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
Intimidation is the second significant hurdle to get over, the first being even attempting it. Congratulations.
 
So I’d like to ask what kind of equipment (stone) do I need to maintain my new hone.

You will want a lapping stone to keep your honing stones flat. The other guys here can tell you more than I can about this. I think this answers your question?
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
You will want a lapping stone to keep your honing stones flat. The other guys here can tell you more than I can about this. I think this answers your question?
Sandpaper on a flat surface works fine. I’m fact, it will be more consistently flat than a lapping Stone and much less expensive.
 
First attempt to strop my Gold Dollar with a chinese toy ”strop” I didn’t spoil either items I hope. Next to buy some balsa strop maybe.
 
I’ve noticed that my shavette skills have been far worse than I have thought. I have managed to do without much damages while shaving just because I’ve been shaving pretty rarely, aproximately one or two times per week, even once a month only, which gave my skin much time to heal. After purchasing a straight I got enthusiastic to shave daily and found out that now relatively small error get accumulated soon. The shaving method I inconscientously got used to with a dull Gold Dollar produced sanguinary results while applied to shaving with a lightweight holder model shavette and a Lord Super Stainless Blade. Too late to turn back.
 
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