I am going to take the plunge into straight razors

Don't do it!

Life will get better.

Unless you've used a straight razor before, be sure to check out a few helpful instructional clips on Youtube. I would also highly recommend you peruse or join www.badgerandblade.com. You'll find an incredibly helpful and knowledgeable community of guys (and some women) who are into double edge and straight edge shaving.

I'd suggest Lynn Abrams DVD if you don't already have it

http://www.classicshaving.citymax.co...01/3712238.htm


Alternatively you could try a double edge safety razor.

You might want to check out one of these kits:
http://shop.thewellshavedgentleman.c...c?categoryId=5

Also if I was going to buy a new strop I, I'd probably get it from there anyways.

The worse cuts I've had by far have been with catridge razors, with only relatively minor cuts using a straight razor.

And they're super thin unless you made a major mistake in blade position. In order to get major slices and punctures the blade needs to be perpendicular to the cutting surface, and shaving the razor is nearly parallel.

You do have to watch out for any horizontal movement, though. That can create amazingly nasty, though minor, cuts.

Let me know how it goes?
I've got an old, ivory-handled straight razor from my grandfather. I've been meaning to try it out for a while; thanks everyone else for the links/ video recommendations.

I've been into woodworking for years, so I know how to get a good edge. Hech, I can sharpen a knife so that it can dry-shave my arm hair-- that's when you know it's sharp. But... shaving facial hair probably requires an even better edge; shorter, closer hairs.

I can't see that from strop to strop there's much of a difference.

Your main challenge will be not rounding over the blade edge, when on the whetstone.
You see, it is ground concave on a wheel, and then you flatten a portion into a flat edge on the whetstone. But if your hands are unsteady, you get a duller, rounded, bullet-pointed edge.

You may wish to invest in a cheap $20 grinder from HF or grizzly, and/or a 1x42" belt sander with some very fine (400 grit) metal-grinding belts and a leather stropping belt from klingspor. They put on a clean edge as fast as anything. The trick is that a belt sander has a flat surface, and since it's doing all the removal, you can pass your blade across it so fast that you don't have time to twitch and round over the edge.
Otherwise, if using a traditional whetstone, you may find yourself struggling and then resorting to expensive and gimmicky jigs to hold it at a constant angle.

Diamond stones are really only for carbide tools if you might have seen them; save your money. I do have carbide stone tools, though, and nothing else will do!



-Bernard

I'll second this recommendation. Tony is a standup guy and the packages are a great value.

A belt sander is probably going to be too aggressive for a straight razor. I don't think the angle is too tricky for most sharpening as your typically just laying the razor flat against the stone.

Plunging into straight razors sounds like a bad idea. Try thumbtacks first to see if your pain threshold is as high as you think it is.

+1. Cartridge will take out divots, a straight blade usually only gives you a faint cut, which you often don't feel and closes with the simple application of cold water.

In addition to the resources stated, there's Lynn Abrams' own online forum: straightrazorplace. There's a yahoo group, and they've migrated to a separate forum, but I don't know how successful the migration was. Register and read through their archives.

I'd say the single most important thing to learn is proper stropping technique. Learn to do it slowly and methodically. Also, learning to shave each side with either hand will really help you get close.

There is no reason not to try straight razors.

However, if you went straight from those packaged things to a straight, there might be some blood involved. Now, if you came from using a safety, then you might have some experience.

When I made the switch, I cut myself every single day for 30 straight days. After that it was smooth shaving, although it was another month before I got to switching hands, and after that the chin started looking presentable.

The worst cuts I've had from a straight have been on my hands, when I'm not paying attention. On the face, most cuts don't hurt much, they heal up in a few moments and disappear in a day or so. Cold water / direct pressure usually does the trick.

The technique does not come automatically. You've got to stretch the skin in order to get a close shave, so there are all sorts of contortions involved. You'll be experimenting quite a bit, checking videos and looking for advice. The websites listed previously are excellent references.

Your razor will not be shave-ready when it arrives, unless you've specifically asked (and paid) for that service. Sharpening/honing/stropping is a delicate matter, best done by hand IMHO. I use a 6000-grit japanese waterstone for setting the bevel, then move to abrasive pastes for polishing. You shouldn't have to remove much metal unless you're grinding a whole new edge, and even then - because they're so thin - it seldom takes more than a few strokes on an aggressive stone (1000 grit). As for maintaining the edge, the strop is all you'll need for a while. A second strop (scrap leather works too) with abrasive paste will freshen your edge as needed.