A couple of Saito straights

UKRob

UKRob

Joined
Thursday March 1, 2012
Location
Lichfield
I've been working on a couple of these Saito razors recently - the number 2 in black horn and number 1 in Corian. I wasted a few days work making some scales in Thuya burl - only for them to split as I was fitting them.

Anyway, I got the idea for using Corian (think kitchen worksurface) from Macrob. It's a material I would use again - much better than some of these ivory replacements that are touted.



 
Hi,

These look lovely.

Novice question of the day..... how the heck do you shave with one of those?!?!? I guesss it is an entirely different technique to the normal...straight... ones?

Matt
 
MPH said:
Hi,

These look lovely.

Novice question of the day..... how the heck do you shave with one of those?!?!? I guesss it is an entirely different technique to the normal...straight... ones?

Matt
Click to expand...

Well to be honest MPH I'm a novice myself with these aas I've used the black one just once and the white needs honing.

You are right about a different approach though - they work best - and were presumably designed for a scything stroke. That type of stroke is quite often used with ordinary straight razors as well. It's a thing that needs a bit of experience to do properly but it achieves something akin to using a slant - although that is more accurately a guillotine action. Anyway, the idea is that beard growth is sliced through rather than just chopped off if you get my meaning.
 
Very nice Rob, the second picture somewhat resembles a pair of heels. Do you actually use the whole blade or just the apex of the curve?
 
Nishy said:
Very nice Rob, the second picture somewhat resembles a pair of heels. Do you actually use the whole blade or just the apex of the curve?
Click to expand...

If you imagine the scything stroke starting at the heel of the razor and, keeping the heel as a pivot, the rest of the blade then comes into play as you complete the stroke. It works particularly well under the jaw line, so, instead of drawing the razor down, you perform short rotational strokes.

As for the picture looking like a pair of heels - to me it conjurs up John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.
 
UKRob said:
Nishy said:
Very nice Rob, the second picture somewhat resembles a pair of heels. Do you actually use the whole blade or just the apex of the curve?
Click to expand...

If you imagine the scything stroke starting at the heel of the razor and, keeping the heel as a pivot, the rest of the blade then comes into play as you complete the stroke. It works particularly well under the jaw line, so, instead of drawing the razor down, you perform short rotational strokes.

As for the picture looking like a pair of heels - to me it conjurs up John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.
Click to expand...
Understood, another possible stupid question but would this be the the same action with any smiler blade? Or just with the Japanese being more pronounced?

Saturday night fever never seen it the women in my life keep pushing me to do so, I will once they start watching MOTD ;)
 
Nishy said:
Understood, another possible stupid question but would this be the the same action with any smiler blade? Or just with the Japanese being more pronounced?
Click to expand...

Yes, use that scything stroke with any razor but in particular, those with a smile.
 
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