Shaving with a Straight Razor

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Postby khalampre » Fri Feb 09, 2007 3:53 pm

One of the few English channels I get (when I do watch TV) is NGC. They have a thing of shaving on Sunday. It is 7pm Moscow/Tbilisi time. Not that you would care.
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Re: Shaving with a Straight Razor

Postby SRR » Tue Jul 20, 2010 9:28 pm

Finally took the plunge and got a pre-sharpened Dovo with a wooden strop. First shave was all right, but not close enough. Practice makes perfect. It's actually not too difficult.
"May these times be the stone that sharpens our steel." - السيد الحصاد
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Re:

Postby Chimborazo » Wed Jul 21, 2010 3:45 pm

vagabond wrote:Supposedly it makes everything look larger.


So do really petite women.
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Re: Shaving with a Straight Razor

Postby Chimborazo » Wed Jul 21, 2010 3:50 pm

SRR wrote:Finally took the plunge and got a pre-sharpened Dovo with a wooden strop. First shave was all right, but not close enough. Practice makes perfect. It's actually not too difficult.


The other day I decided to get my wig smacked at the last minute before leaving town so I went to a barber shop I hadn't been to in about ten years. There are only two barbers - Mr. Adams, who has owned the shop for about 50 years, and Bill, who is about six days older than God. I couldn't believe old Bill was still there. Anyway, that was the most stressful haircut I've ever had because Bill shakes like a motherfucker. He was holding the clippers with both hands and going really slowly but somehow managed not to scalp me. I was thinking that there was no way in hell Bill would be able to use a straight razor anymore, but sure enough, instead of the decapitation I was expecting, he used it with the precision of a surgeon. Go Bill.
"The terrain is just too wiley coyote for me to risk it. Slam into arch, rope breaks, in the distance as I plummet 'meep meep'" -Caliban
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Re: Shaving with a Straight Razor

Postby coldharvest » Wed Jul 21, 2010 6:42 pm

SRR wrote:Finally took the plunge and got a pre-sharpened Dovo with a wooden strop. First shave was all right, but not close enough. Practice makes perfect. It's actually not too difficult.

What kind of Dovo did you get? and what soap are you using?
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Re: Shaving with a Straight Razor

Postby SRR » Thu Jul 22, 2010 5:02 pm

coldharvest wrote:What kind of Dovo did you get? and what soap are you using?


Just an old school 6/8 Dovo with the plastic handle. Something simple to get going.

Image

Am playing with different soaps. Have gone high-end with Kiehl's but in fact don't mind this solid soap block they still sell in the stores here for €1.25 and smells exactly like my great grandpa, when he was sober.
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Re: Shaving with a Straight Razor

Postby Caliban » Thu Jul 22, 2010 8:18 pm

I haven't used an electric shaver since the mid seventies. Tried a straight razor for a few months once but could never get it right so have used various safety razors since. As long as they have a good blade it doesn't much matter what make they are. Pretty much what Aryan was saying.

The important thing isin opening the pores with only just barably hot water or hot towel first to make the stubble stand and then a good shaving soap lathered on to soften. Nothing better to feel woken up in the morning. Another thing, don't wash the cuttings out of the blade as you go with hot water as it dulls the blade ever so slightly reducing effect, only clean the blade with cold water as you shave (you don't burn your face with the hot metal that way either). That all goes much the same for a straight blade shave.

Finish off with something like West Indian Lemon or lime balm for a fantastic zing ! very zesty !!
Truefoot and Hill are worth a look at for that kind of thing.
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Re: Shaving with a Straight Razor

Postby mitchsnider » Fri Jul 23, 2010 7:35 pm

Image

Here is my stainless Robert Williams with buffalo horn. I have about 8 straight razors and rotate to a different one everyday. I only need to hone them about once every couple of years that way and just daily on the leather strop otherwise. I almost always only do a 2 pass shave in the morning. The first one down and easy with the grain and then a second time across from chin to ear. That is almost always baby smooth without any irritation (the closests shave would be a third pass up against the grain). I have been using straights for about 3 years now and just wish I had found my way to them sooner. It adds 15 minutes of prep to the time to get going in the morning but it is worth it to get up 15 minutes earlier for the relaxing 'ritual' that goes with the stropping and making hot lather in a mug, not to mention the 'studly' aspect of being able to handle a big chunk of hot steel with skill. The first month, lots of nicks but but keep at it as it is worth it and you learn quick. Now almost never a spot or nick. I find it relaxing, fun, and just plain 'manly''.

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Re: Shaving with a Straight Razor

Postby thewalrus » Sun Jul 25, 2010 3:54 pm

a snail, crawling along the edge of a straight razor? It's my dream, it's my nightmare.

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Re: Shaving with a Straight Razor

Postby cowboycraig » Sun Aug 22, 2010 6:56 pm

I cannot deal with having one around the house. They just freak me out. They are just too tempting for someone to mess with. Like a little kid getting a hold of that? They are like sublime sharp when you keep them sharpened correctly.

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