Straight Razors

hitemfrank

That Barnescone is really nice - thumbnotch, shoulderless and a french point. Very nice indeed.

hitemfrank

So, MadsL - how did those 3 razors turn out?

I'm really interested to see the Barnescone.

Genghiz Cohen

Thinking of going straight (el-oh-el).
Should I get a shavette of just dive in and get a straight?
I'm leaning towards shavette as the blade sharpness and quality will never change and I can feel my technique get better.

hitemfrank

I think this is kind of a personal decision. Some people will say go straight for a straight razor and others will say go for the shavette.

I personally went for a straight razor from www.whippeddog.com along with everything else needed to get started (strop kit and barbers hone). I went with this option as it's a cheap way to find out if straight razors are for you. I think in total I paid about $70 for everything including shipping from America.

MadsL

hitemfrank wrote: »

So, MadsL - how did those 3 razors turn out?

I'm really interested to see the Barnescone.

Travel getting in the way of restoration (it's a hard life) trying to source scale material at the mo - got a lead on some purpleheart for it.

hitemfrank

I've seen a few scales made from purpleheart and it's a very nice wood. Don't really think I need to tell you this but post some pictures when you do get them in scales

I'm currently waiting for 2 straights which I believe are still stuck in Canada. Stupid Canadian post office strike/lockout :mad:

Genghiz Cohen

Looking at a fairly cheap shavette, just for starters.

Looks like this.


Takes Derby Professionals, but I'm not a huge fan of the DE Derbys.
Any idea about other blades it takes (Gillette 7 O'clock's would be fantastic )

hitemfrank

Those blades are just DE blades cut in half. If you can manage to snap a DE blade in half along it's length (CAREFULLY) you should be able to use any blade.

Genghiz Cohen

Oh super!

hitemfrank

Anyone here willing to do some honing for me?

Twice now I've been saving up for some hones but bought razors instead and I'm not liking the edge on one of them.

MadsL

Happily, I'll teach you if you like. Where are you based? PM a number for a natter...

hitemfrank

The thing is I don't have any hones. I have a barbers hone which I'm happy to maintain the edges of my straights on and have been doing so nicely since January. It's just that this one straight isn't the sharpest at the minute. So I was thinking of getting it honed so I can maintain it but I suppose now would be as good a time as any to pick up a hone to look after my own straights.

Any advice on hones? I was thinking maybe a coticule.

MadsL

I've just finished a honing session and I love love love my coticule and get a good smooth edge of it. However, a Celebrated German Water hone just arrived from ebay and I'm loving that even more. Naturals are my thing I think...I have a slate on the way too.

The coticules are pricy but well worth it...but consider a bout
http://uk.ardennes-coticule.com/index.asp?id=395&idf=113

A box custom made is also very nice - great service from these when I bought mine...
http://www.theinvisibleedge.co.uk/razorhones.html#coticule

All the coti goodness at less money. You get used to them, and they have character; character counts for a lot.

If you buy only one hone and already have a barber's hone, make it a coti.

I'll post some pic tomorrow. Time we had a hones thread.

hitemfrank

Ah yes, I forgot about a bout as a possibility.

I was also thinking of ordering from here; http://thesuperiorshave.com/Coticules.html#boutsraw

You get to see the exact stone you're buying (a quite simply massive amount of time must have gone into that site - photos of everything).

I assume the only real difference between the coticules (La Petite Blanche, La Veinette tec.) is he cutting speed.


Just took a look at the link for theinvisibleedge. They look nice. I might pick one up when they are back in stock.

Dramatik

hitemfrank wrote: »

The thing is I don't have any hones. I have a barbers hone which I'm happy to maintain the edges of my straights on and have been doing so nicely since January. It's just that this one straight isn't the sharpest at the minute. So I was thinking of getting it honed so I can maintain it but I suppose now would be as good a time as any to pick up a hone to look after my own straights.

Any advice on hones? I was thinking maybe a coticule.

I'd say deffo go for a Coti and learn the "Unicot" method, you'l be honing razors in no time. Don't forget to get a nice slurry stone to go with it as well.

hitemfrank

I'm gonna have a read up on both unicot and dilucot methods.

MadsL

http://www.coticule.be/the-cafeteria/topic/235.html

All you need to know about learning honing with a coti. being Belgian it involves beer - if you do buy a coti, this method is a great way to learn the principles and muscle memory without getting stressed (and enjoy beer at the same time)

hitemfrank

I ordered a 40x150mm "La Verte" Coticule and slurry stone from thesuperiorshave. I was thinking of getting them from http://uk.ardennes-coticule.com/index.asp?id=395&idf=31 (thanks for the link Madsl) but it worked out cheaper to get the coticule, get it lapped and get a slurry stone from the US than to just the get coticule from uk.ardennes-coticule.com

gaza123

Just had a shave with the fusion after a couple of weeks on the DE for the sake of comparison. It's pretty crap. Pretty safe to say I'm not going back.

emmet the rover

is anyone intrested in honeing a razor for me? its a whipped dog that i have been using for a fair few months but is now in need of a dam good honing. i also use shavetts so cant really justify spending money i dont have on hone stones.

MadsL

*cough*

Send it on; I'll run it over the coticule - do you know if it was honed with or without tape?

I'll pm the address

hitemfrank

I would have offered to do it but I have yet to hone any of my own.

Madsl the Krauss should be with you tomorrow. If it's a Torrey that arrives assume I made a massive cock up.

I do however have that Chosera 1k on the way

MadsL

Madsl the Krauss should be with you tomorrow.

Awesome - it will be lonely in there though, I have a Gotta in it's final spin cycle, and the Kropp started cleaning up nice - then I went and broke the razor in two trying to de-pin an absolute b1tch of a pin. The razor snapped in two at the pinhole. :mad: My own fault, I gave the pin too much of a love tap - after two days of struggle, one snapped jewellers saw blade, one recently bought Dremel not making an impression and one seriously bent pin; the Kropp is no more.

I might still clean it up and make a Kamisori - it was almost perfectly new under all the crap. Some pitting but nothing dramatic.

hitemfrank

So the razor failed before the pin. Thats a really well made pin.

I say turn it into a Kamisori style razor. They look pretty cool. Plus it'll be way cheaper than buying an actual Kamisori.

MadsL

I might. I like Kropps.

I have too many other 'projects on the go' though

hitemfrank

Well considering you now have a dremmel you could try out some interesting things with the blade.

Such as the razor in this listing that was on Badger & Blade; http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/243310-Don-t-do-it...?highlight=

On a side note Seraphim (the seller) does some pretty crazy stuff with Gold Dollar straight razors.

Quick question lads, does anyone know where I can get my straight razor honed/sharpened in Cork City? Tried to do it myself and fecked it up
Thanks.

MadsL

Send it up to me. No charge. I'll Pm the address.

nialler24 wrote: »

Quick question lads, does anyone know where I can get my straight razor honed/sharpened in Cork City? Tried to do it myself and fecked it up
Thanks.

Genghiz Cohen

Tried a Shavette last night using an Astra.
Finding how to hold the razor to go against the grain was awkward.
My cheeks are BBS but my neck looks like a scene from Silent Hill...

MORE PRACTICE!

hitemfrank

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

Tried a Shavette last night using an Astra.
Finding how to hold the razor to go against the grain was awkward.
My cheeks are BBS but my neck looks like a scene from Silent Hill...

MORE PRACTICE!

Due to the way the hair grows on my neck I can't go ATG. It's just way too awkward in most places and I would end up with similar results as you got if I tried to go ATG. Although from what I've heard shavette's are indiscriminate at cutting you up compared to proper straight razors.

I just go for 2 XTG passes on my neck (WTG is really awkward too ) and the results are pretty good. Could be closer but it's just not worth it to get it closer.