Wet Shaving, ala straight razors

[DwarvenChef]

Just currious how many here have taken the plung into shaving with a straight razor?

So many aspects of my love of kitchen knives and straight razors over lap that I have a hard time thinking about one and not the other lol.

I'm hooked on vintage razors and only have one new razor. My row of "users" (about 12) are all from the late 1700's to mid 1800's. Not to say that new razors are bad, they are quite good in most ways, just not what I like in a razor

And of course... they where all carbon steel back than

Not to mention the box of worms that is the ritual (ART) of honing, I never tire of trying new (to me) honing methods and supplies for straights. Only now my limits are set due to finances

On honing I have converted my razor honing to Japanese Naturals (J-Nats) rather than my synthetics, which I use on my kitchen knives as I see a VERY distinct difference in for their use and feel, for me personally.

Ok before I get carried away again I'll save the rest for later on in the thread

[tk59]

Hey! Nice to see you around again! I've been playing with straight razor shaving on and off for a while with mixed results until a breakthrough I had a couple of weeks ago. It didn't help that I have a tough beard and sensitive skin. Anyway, I micro-convexed my edge on a leather strop and voila, best shave on a straight yet. I think my Fujiwara Terayasu 210 suji is still better but it's close. lol.

[DwarvenChef]

From that discription it sounds like you need a hair more time on the sharpening side, the bevel is almost there but not quite. Razor honing is a whole nother ball of wax from kitchen knives and convexing is less desirable in my oppinion, but if it works

I think of the edges I can do now vs the ones I first did and I am supprised I stayed with it lol, 5 years of honing hundreds of razors and I still find SOOO much I just don't know. And stainless blades still don't like me...

Not sure if the link works yet or not http://www.youtube.com/user/Dwarvenchef?feature=mhee but there is a vid of me and my Takeda Ajikiri at the bottom of the list. Been a while sence I went through these videos to see what has been done and what ones I haven't. I'm also trying to get some better ones thought out, I tend to just grab and go with little thought as to what I'm filming lol, ya they look it as well

[Eamon Burke]

I noticed one day that my Benchmade was shaving my arm like crazy, so I shaved my face with it. That was my first wet shave.

Then I borrowed some straights from my father to clean up and mail back so he can use them after 30 years--he's got 2 heljestrands(MK 6 & 31), 2 Robert Klaas kissing cranes, a doubl duck dwarf, a Dovo Fritz Bracht and a Puma High Class. I'm pretty happy about the shaving tests :P.

I have fine hair, so shaving isn't supernaturally demanding task for my edges! Lucky me!

[tk59]

From that discription it sounds like you need a hair more time on the sharpening side, the bevel is almost there but not quite. Razor honing is a whole nother ball of wax from kitchen knives and convexing is less desirable in my oppinion, but if it works

I think of the edges I can do now vs the ones I first did and I am supprised I stayed with it lol, 5 years of honing hundreds of razors and I still find SOOO much I just don't know. And stainless blades still don't like me...

Not sure if the link works yet or not http://www.youtube.com/user/Dwarvenchef?feature=mhee but there is a vid of me and my Takeda Ajikiri at the bottom of the list. Been a while sence I went through these videos to see what has been done and what ones I haven't. I'm also trying to get some better ones thought out, I tend to just grab and go with little thought as to what I'm filming lol, ya they look it as well

Well, I'm not sure exactly what the problem was. I use magnification on my knife edges but I never did on my razor, go figure. I would fly through about a third of the way through the shave and it would start pulling. I spent a lot of time on stones. This was not a passing fancy. I'm an obsessive sharpener. I finally decided to strop at a slightly higher angle and the edge lasted the whole shave without much pulling even at the end. I'm sure I can get better but I'd say I'm at a useable point.

As for tha Takeda shave, I was around at KF when you first posted it. I think it was in response to a CKTG challege, right? Anyway, I wish I knew a straight razor person nearby that can show me the light.

[DwarvenChef]

Nice assortment of blades he has there, I bet it was fun to test those babies

My first blades where DD Dwarf's (go figure), I didn't notice anything at that time, till I got my hands on some full sized and larger razors, just how small those DD Dwarf's really are lol. Tried shaving with one not to long ago and it was like using a petty right after swinging a 3lb cleaver for an hour... put it down and got a wedge

[mainaman]

Well DC you know me, shave, hone, restore etc.

[DwarvenChef]

Well, I'm not sure exactly what the problem was. I use magnification on my knife edges but I never did on my razor, go figure. I would fly through about a third of the way through the shave and it would start pulling. I spent a lot of time on stones. This was not a passing fancy. I'm an obsessive sharpener. I finally decided to strop at a slightly higher angle and the edge lasted the whole shave without much pulling even at the end. I'm sure I can get better but I'd say I'm at a useable point.

As for tha Takeda shave, I was around at KF when you first posted it. I think it was in response to a CKTG challege, right? Anyway, I wish I knew a straight razor person nearby that can show me the light.

Having a friend near by make a HUGE difference as you can bounce ideas back and forth while doing it, hope you bump into someone just for the fun of it I think your right, I'd forgotten the details of why I made the video lol. Once you find the technique that works for you (yup it's an art) you will be amazed that you didn't see it before as well as the step up in the shave goes.

[heirkb]

I got into knives after getting into razors. It was thanks to DC that a lot of my less informed questions didn't end up on any forums. They went straight to his inbox. Good to see you here, DC.

By the way, any reason that we don't go convex on razors? I've always honed them without convexing and it's worked so well (when I get it right), that I've seen no reason to change. That doesn't mean I actually know the theory behind why we don't want to convex our edges. Is it just not possible to get as sharp/smooth an edge that way?

[DwarvenChef]

Well DC you know me, shave, hone, restore etc.

lol Ya you have been putting out some nice blades, haven't seen anyones worrk in the past few months but looking forward to seeing some great stuff

I haven't bought much and only restored a few of my own pieces. I have finished the scales I made from the wood at the ranch. Haven't mounted them yet, think they will be on my great grandfathers Shumate