New SR Shaver, Need Some Guidance

[GlassEye]

I have been wanting to retrograde to proper shaving for a while but cost has kept me from doing so, and I know that this will become another money pit of a hobby (of which I needn't another), but I won in a contest on Kitchen Knife Forums a Filarmonica Double Temple no.13, so I must now acquire the necessary tools and skills to put to use this fine acquisition. I am currently using goop-in-a-can and a 5+1 blade awful razor, I have only recently shaved for the first time this year; coinciding with winning this razor, which I should see next week, which sparked my desire for a closer, more pleasant shave.

Are there any tips or good resources for someone coming from the modern disposable to a proper shaving kit that I need know before attempts at straight razor shaving?

I plan to get a brush, a soap or two, and an aftershave balm, or maybe other items, any suggestions for online sources for the new shaver on a very, very tight budget?

Thanks all

 

[cpcohen1945]

The Filarmonica is a first-rate razor. Treat it with care. If it hasn't been honed, you should send it out to someone who knows how to do it. There are people on this site who can handle the job.

. . . The worst shaving tool in the world is a dull straight razor.

Check this website for tutorials for beginning straight-razor shavers. You'll _need_ a leather strop, a shaving brush, and shaving soap (or cream). You won't _need_ pre-shave, after-shave, balm, or any other accessory products.

You can spend as much as you want. The least-expensive starter kit may be at http://www.whippeddog.com . Another source for people starting-up is http://www.starshaving.com/

There are excellent "beginner tutorials" on the Wiki at http://straightrazorplace.com . But the suggestions there may blow your budget out of the water.

Keep in touch . . .

. Charles

 

[smalltank]

I can hone your straight...PM me if interested

Fili's as they are called are nice blades..highly sought after.....get a 3" wide leather strop...coffee mug you don't need..a badger and boar brush to alternate with..a nice shave soap or cream..when I first got into straights..I sent my 3 razors out to the pros for 1 year before waking up one morning and decided to hone my own blades.. never regretted this decision

 

[Slash McCoy]

Wow a Fila for your first razor! You are blessed!

You might want to start out with a shave-ready vintage razor and make your mistakes with that instead of your Fila. www.whippeddog.com as always, comes to mind. Pretty much anyone here who offers, can put a good edge on your Fila.

My favorite strop even though I don't consider myself a newbie, is the Big Daddy strop from www.starshaving.com. You are likely to slash up your first strop while learning to use it, so the Poor Man Strop Kit from Larry at Whipped Dog is a good sacrificial beginner strop on which you can learn before upgrading to a Big Daddy. Or you can strop on newspaper the first week or two and then graduate to the BD. To do that, just fold a sheet of newspaper longways over and over until it is only 3" wide or a bit less. Pass one end over your towel rack and pinch both ends together. Pull it tight and you have a disposable strop that you can slice up and loose no sleep over it. It actually works fairly well, too.

If you have a Target nearby, check for the Shea Moisture badger brush. It is dead cheap and is a huge step up from a boar. Or spring for a big Silvertip from Larry, or find a Lijun on ebay. Black and Pure grades are sometimes a bit prickly but not as much as a boar. The higher grades are softer on the skin and cost more. No need to drop $200 on your first badger brush... you aren't getting a better shave quality when you do that, just pride of ownership.

Van Der Hagen, hereafter referred to as VDH, is dead cheap and available at most drug stores and walmart and many groceries. It lathers quite nicely and a puck will last you for months. Kiss My Face (KMF in badger-speak) is a cream that is widely available and isn't expensive. If there is an Indian grocery nearby, see if they have Godrej cream. I get a great lather out of a blob the size of a pinto bean with my 30mm cheap Chinese silvertip. Your mug can be any ceramic mug from the kitchen or from the thrift store. Get an alum block... sold as a natural deoderant at health food stores and organic stores. Whole Foods has Crystal brand deoderant which is excellent block alum. You might find Janata brand shaving alum at the Indian grocery. Try to find a styptic pencil at the drug store, too. And aftershave... try Pinaud Clubman for a retro fragrance. You can usually find it at walgreens or wallmart.

Get a piece of balsa wood from your local hobby shop or online. It should be 3" wide, 3/4" or 1" thick, and 12" long. Get a 36" long piece and cut it in thirds! Cheap that way. Go to www.tedpella.com and get some 1u and .25u diamond paste. This setup will enable you to maintain your razor's edge for a long time without honing. You apply the coarse paste to one side, the fine to the other. A couple of bb's worth of each is enough. Spread it around. It should not leave a deposit on the surface. The diamonds will settle down into the balsa and you have a pasted balsa strop! Simply strop on the coarse side a dozen laps and the fine side a couple dozen, after each shave. Then before the next shave, hit the Big Daddy about 4 dozen laps. Your edge won't go dull for a long long time. The Poor Man Strop Kit comes with a pasted balsa strop though it is not pasted with diamond and I prefer a bigger balsa block, but it will work almost as well, so that is another reason to consider Larry's kit.

Good luck and happy shaves!

 

[GlassEye]

I can hone your straight...PM me if interested

Fili's as they are called are nice blades..highly sought after.....get a 3" wide leather strop...coffee mug you don't need..a badger and boar brush to alternate with..a nice shave soap or cream..when I first got into straights..I sent my 3 razors out to the pros for 1 year before waking up one morning and decided to hone my own blades.. never regretted this decision

The razor arrived shave ready (off J-nats) from JNS.

Why do you say to get a badger and boar to alternate?

I will probably try honing something less nice when it gets to that time, I already keep my kitchen knives hair popping sharp, and it is a good excuse for another J-nat.

 

[Doc226]

WOW a Fili 13, I want one of those. Please post pics.

 

[rimmini]

Nice blade, PICS? Well the first things you are going to need are your tools. A strop, a honing progression, and a cheap razor like a Gold Dollar (Ebay) or a second hand blade from an antique store. You'll need the strop to maintain your edge between honings (which are done after the blade is no longer restored using the strop) Now for learning how to hone. Take the advice here and send your fili out as you don't want to risk screwing up the blade first time out. Your progression should be three stones. A 1k/6k knife hone used to set an edge on a new blade and to "repair" dings should you commit the cardinal sin of dinging your blade. A 8 K razor honed for fining the edge. and a 10/12K hone for finishing the edge. The first you'll only use on new blades (hopefully) the 8K and 10/12 K will be used to maintain your blade. Now take your cheap razor and learn to hone the edge. Well thats my two cents anyway.

Have fun

 

[GlassEye]

Here you go:

 

[Doc226]

Here you go:

Perfect razor, it would be a privilege to her for you.

 

[Alum of Potash]

Wow, a no. 13 straight out of the box! No doubt a lot of folks here are drooling. I have a smaller no. 12 and like it a lot. You could pick up an inexpensive strop from Star Shaving (I have a burgundy "Big Mamma"), some balsa with chromium oxide, and go to town. If you want, PM me with your shipping address and I'll send you an all around Omega brush and a tube of cream to get you started (I was going to PIF these, but this would be going to a good cause here).

P.S., beyond Star Shaving and the B&B shavewiki, I would recommend visiting The Superior Shave's site. Jarrod's descriptions there are very informative, and he's a straight shooter. I also like Sharpening Supplies, which you may already know from your interest in knives.

 

[rockviper]

VERY nice piece of steel, for sure!
You might want to pick up a styptic pencil..... just in case *knock on wood*

 

[GlassEye]

Wow, a no. 13 straight out of the box! No doubt a lot of folks here are drooling. I have a smaller no. 12 and like it a lot. You could pick up an inexpensive strop from Star Shaving (I have a burgundy "Big Mamma"), some balsa with chromium oxide, and go to town. If you want, PM me with your shipping address and I'll send you an all around Omega brush and a tube of cream to get you started (I was going to PIF these, but this would be going to a good cause here).

P.S., beyond Star Shaving and the B&B shavewiki, I would recommend visiting The Superior Shave's site. Jarrod's descriptions there are very informative, and he's a straight shooter. I also like Sharpening Supplies, which you may already know from your interest in knives.

I am thinking I will get the Big Daddy strop sometime soon. Thank you for the offer, I will PM you.

 

[GlassEye]

So, a little update: I have gotten a few straight shaves so far, though I am only doing my cheeks and neckline, as I am growing out some beard again. The brush and cream Alum of Potash generously PIFd to me have allowed better shaves even with the cartridge razor. The Filarmonica shaves really nicely, and I am glad it has a round point and heel to help get in all of the concave areas of my face. Still need to get a strop, used a bit of newsprint wrapped around my Chosera 5k to strop today. I have been doing WTG, XTG, XTG other direction so far and getting a fine shave, no razor burn or nicks.