noob to straight razor, few questions...

D

Deleted member 12673

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hello there, so i've used shavettes, cut throat razors or whatever you call them where they take se blade,
but ive never owned a straight razor, i love the look of what i think you call the damascus steel straight razors, i mean the pattern just looks amazing

im a head shaver, ive used cartridge razors, de razors, shavettes for a fair few years but i do have a few questions in regards to straight razors :)

for a start might sound like a silly question but i dont care how stupid i sound if i want to understand something ill ask the questions ,
but bare in mind im a head shaver and not a face shaver at all

first one is regards to hygiene how do you stay on top of sanitizing them? how often do you have to clean them?
like for example with a shavette it uses se blades so just chuck them away and the rest is really easy to clean

is it better to get a new one already sharpened? or is it better to get something you can restore yourself?
i mean from what ive seen on places like ebay even the vintage straight razors seem to hold their value too

how does the sharpness on a straight razor compare to a se blade? or is it essentially the same?

how often do you have to sharpen them? (think the right term is hone, but i could be wrong)

what equipment do you need to sharpen them?

do you have to sharpen them by hand or can you use machinery to do it (can you tell im lazy lol )?

many thanks saj
 
saj1985 said:
hello there, so i've used shavettes, cut throat razors or whatever you call them where they take se blade,
but ive never owned a straight razor, i love the look of what i think you call the damascus steel straight razors, i mean the pattern just looks amazing

im a head shaver, ive used cartridge razors, de razors, shavettes for a fair few years but i do have a few questions in regards to straight razors :)

for a start might sound like a silly question but i dont care how stupid i sound if i want to understand something ill ask the questions ,
but bare in mind im a head shaver and not a face shaver at all

first one is regards to hygiene how do you stay on top of sanitizing them? how often do you have to clean them?
like for example with a shavette it uses se blades so just chuck them away and the rest is really easy to clean

is it better to get a new one already sharpened? or is it better to get something you can restore yourself?
i mean from what ive seen on places like ebay even the vintage straight razors seem to hold their value too

how does the sharpness on a straight razor compare to a se blade? or is it essentially the same?

how often do you have to sharpen them? (think the right term is hone, but i could be wrong)

what equipment do you need to sharpen them?

do you have to sharpen them by hand or can you use machinery to do it (can you tell im lazy lol )?

many thanks saj
Click to expand...

Be very careful of the cheap Damascus stuff you can find on eBay or Etsy. Damascus is made by forging different types of steels of differing hardness together, the method of forging determines the pattern. Then they're ground to the desired geometry and acid etched to bring the pattern out. It's labour intensive and requires a good deal of skill to do it properly. which doesn't lend itself to being able to bang them out for £40. The quick and cheap way is to buy a billet of pre made Damascus and grind that, but how do you know what steels have been used in producing that billet? And which steel is where in relation to what eventually become the cutting edge?

They might look fantastic, but if they've got the wrong kind of steel on the edge, they will never hold a sharp cutting edge. It might actually be impossible to hone them to the level required for shaving.

As to the rest of your questions, you'll get better information than I can provide from the likes of @Fergiebilly and @RussellR5555 and others who will no doubt be along to give you the right advice.
 

Most of the Answers to Your Questions are in this Video Link..The Best Advice I Cam Offer is to Buy a Shave Ready Razor & Learn to Strop & Shave with it & then Learn to Refresh Em on Pastes..You Can Maintain an SR for Months with Stropping & Pastes as Shown Above..A 12 K Naniwa Super Stone is the Only Stone Ya Will Need to Buy to Refresh a Blade on the Hones..:cool:

No Need to Sanitize Any Razor for Personal Use...I Get as Close a Shave with an SR than Any Safety Razor..Shavettes are a Different Animal...Far Easier to Use & Less Efficient in My Experience..If Ya Want a Clean Vintage Shave Ready Straight Razor at a Decent Price PM Me.. (y)

Billy
 
Rob998 said:
Be very careful of the cheap Damascus stuff you can find on eBay or Etsy. Damascus is made by forging different types of steels of differing hardness together, the method of forging determines the pattern. Then they're ground to the desired geometry and acid etched to bring the pattern out. It's labour intensive and requires a good deal of skill to do it properly. which doesn't lend itself to being able to bang them out for £40. The quick and cheap way is to buy a billet of pre made Damascus and grind that, but how do you know what steels have been used in producing that billet? And which steel is where in relation to what eventually become the cutting edge?

They might look fantastic, but if they've got the wrong kind of steel on the edge, they will never hold a sharp cutting edge. It might actually be impossible to hone them to the level required for shaving.

As to the rest of your questions, you'll get better information than I can provide from the likes of @Fergiebilly and @RussellR5555 and others who will no doubt be along to give you the right advice.
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ohhh okay thanks for the heads up, i actually bidded for a damascus steel SR last night but got oubid, maybe that worked out for the best lol
 
Fergiebilly said:

Most of the Answers to Your Questions are in this Video Link..The Best Advice I Cam Offer is to Buy a Shave Ready Razor & Learn to Strop & Shave with it & then Learn to Refresh Em on Pastes..You Can Maintain an SR for Months with Stropping & Pastes as Shown Above..A 12 K Naniwa Super Stone is the Only Stone Ya Will Need to Buy to Refresh a Blade on the Hones..:cool:

No Need to Sanitize Any Razor for Personal Use...I Get as Close a Shave with an SR than Any Safety Razor..Shavettes are a Different Animal...Far Easier to Use & Less Efficient in My Experience..If Ya Want a Clean Vintage Shave Ready Straight Razor at a Decent Price PM Me.. (y)

Billy
Click to expand...
thanks for posting the vid, i'll watch when i get a chance...

apart from stone sis there any machinery that people use for personal use to sharpen SR's?

i actually already have a strop, which i got ages ago not sure if its any good but i'll post a pic when i can yea sure i'll PM you...
 
saj1985 said:
thanks for posting the vid, i'll watch when i get a chance...

apart from stone sis there any machinery that people use for personal use to sharpen SR's?

i actually already have a strop, which i got ages ago not sure if its any good but i'll post a pic when i can yea sure i'll PM you...
Click to expand...
Stones/Hones are Used to Sharpen Razors NOT Machines... :cool:

Billy
 
although i like learning new things after creating this thread on a few shaving forums i think the SR is not for me,
the whole honing side of seems to put me off, thats not knocking SR's its just more because of my inexperience

on a side note do these honing sharpening rules also apply to kamasoris?
 
Fergiebilly said:
I Would Stay Away from those Damacas Steel Razors on EBay..They are NOT Fit to Take a Shaving Edge..Ebay Junk.:cool:.

Billy
Click to expand...

Worse than junk, unfit for purpose, maybe make a nice paperweight or a weight for fishing....shocking selling those things as razors, look up Damascus knives and see how much real Damascus steel costs, yet they can knock em out for £15, cheap metal etched to look like Damascus,
But not even close.
 
As Billy suggested your first SR should be a shave ready one from a trusted source. You can find some on the BST. You need a strop to use before a shave. Once you are comfortable with that than you can delve into restoring, honing. Some keepers can be found on eBay, but be careful. You have to make sure there is no celluloid rot or deep pitting close to the cuing edge. If the razor is restored improperly (using sanders and the metal allowed to reach very high heat) the razor could have lost it's temper and it won't hold a shaving edge.
As to hones, you can just get a finisher in the beginning and that would suffice to keep you going for a long time if you don't roll the edge on a strop or ding it. They can be had from as little as 30-40£ up to thousands. It all depends on what you want...
If you do decide to get one and restore it yourself. You might need pinning equipment, pins, scales etc. All depending on the condition of the razor. Then you can send it to someone for honing.
 
Tony'schin said:
Simple answer is, No, these are for kitchen knives etc.
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Yea I saw it, did think for the price it was too good to be true, just thought I'd ask the question

Is sharpening a SR done in the same a kamisori is done too?
 
SammieM said:
As Billy suggested your first SR should be a shave ready one from a trusted source. You can find some on the BST. You need a strop to use before a shave. Once you are comfortable with that than you can delve into restoring, honing. Some keepers can be found on eBay, but be careful. You have to make sure there is no celluloid rot or deep pitting close to the cuing edge. If the razor is restored improperly (using sanders and the metal allowed to reach very high heat) the razor could have lost it's temper and it won't hold a shaving edge.
As to hones, you can just get a finisher in the beginning and that would suffice to keep you going for a long time if you don't roll the edge on a strop or ding it. They can be had from as little as 30-40£ up to thousands. It all depends on what you want...
If you do decide to get one and restore it yourself. You might need pinning equipment, pins, scales etc. All depending on the condition of the razor. Then you can send it to someone for honing.
Click to expand...

Okay thanks

Is there any reputable eBay sellers that are recommended on the forum, do you know?

Also wanted to ask, why are the blades on straight razors so wide? I personally think its a good thing gbh
 
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