View Full Version : Straight Razor
Today I inadvertently coerced.....yes, coerced is the word I'm looking for,:D Household 6 into divulging one of my Christmas gifts. Apparently I need a better shaving tool so she acquired a Dovo straight razor from a company called Vintage Blades LLC. http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/ Any thoughts on straight razor shaving? Aside from don't nick the jugular?
Pictures to follow
cat in the hat
12-22-2011, 14:35
first of all, shame on you! what are you? an 8 year old dancing around in anticipation of Santa?
try finding a barber shop that can give you a a straight razor shave. they are popular in some areas. the experience is comparable to a pedicure for women. by that i mean that it is kind of self indulgent.
hot towels, oils and prep then the shave itself is interesting. you are putting complete trust in that barber not to slice you up.
as far as doing it yourself, it takes practice and is more time consuming than a few quick swipes while in the shower or using the electric while reading the morning paper.
You better be awake when you shave now!
The closer the blade comes to perpendicular the more likely it is to cut you. Do not move the blade along the direction of the blade or it will slice you deeply. Dueling scars are long out of fashion (and are indicative of an inability to defend yourself)
Sharpening is key and stropping really does work well to refine a razor's edge.
Don't be surprised if your skin feels a little raw out in the cold air. You are getting a much closer shave now.
I had to give up my straight razor while on active duty because some fool thought it was a weapon - which was why I kept it in my shaving kit for those early morning brawls!
Dozer523
12-22-2011, 17:57
This is a big mistake.
I was a shoe-shine boy in a barbershop when I was 12. The barbers regularly practiced shaving the cream off balloons. Good luck!
Pat
Thanks guys.....I have 911 on speed dial. Ill let you know if I die.:D
Cat in the Hat: Been there done that...a few times and loved it. My wife was trying to be thoughtful so I can't give any funny comments. Battle scars are sure to follow.
And yes, I still have the cheaper razor for speed and a nice electric that she got me last year....maybe she is trying to tell me something....oh well, once more into the breach I suppose.
mojaveman
12-22-2011, 18:46
Do you know how to suture?
No thanks, I'll pass. I sometimes wonder if that isn't a lost art.
I like the scene in the old western where the cowboy cocks his .45 and puts it against the barbers stomach while he's getting a shave. :D
When I "discovered" what I was getting, I kept thinking of that Johnny Depp movie Sweeney Todd. No she doesnt know how to suture, she's an intel analyst with a degree in criminal justice.......so she knows the legal system.....oh hell....
with a degree in criminal justice.......
so she knows the legal system.....
oh hell....
ruh roh....:eek::eek:
You need to find a mentor,, an old style barber, that can show you the ins-n-outs of straight razors.
Good Luck.. :munchin
I found an old barber here in Augusta that makes a pretty penny doing straight razor shaves to learn from. Should be interesting to say the least.
Dozer523
12-22-2011, 22:33
My wife was trying to be thoughtful so I can't give any funny comments. Battle scars are sure to follow.
And yes, I still have the cheaper razor for speed and a nice electric that she got me last year....maybe she is trying to tell me something..... Maybe she's trying to kill you, you just didn't electocute yourself last year. Maybe?
Something to think about, especially, if she says, "Here, let me try."
That would explain waking up to her holding my Ka-Bar.......:confused:
Dozer523
12-23-2011, 08:11
That would explain waking up to her holding my Ka-Bar.......:confused:SEE?!!!??
hard to make it look like an accident with a K-Bar.:D
longrange1947
12-23-2011, 09:59
I wet shave with an old style double edged razor. I would go there and forget the straight edge. As an old medic and having preped patients for surgery with the old medical straight razors, I can say with some authority that it is very easy to slip with one. As stated, and it is true with the double edged, do not let the razor slip along the edge line or the slice will be formidable. The3 most common place is the chin line where skin tension changes and allows the skin to slip under the blade causing anywhere from a nick to a very neat slice. :D
Have fun and pay attention when shaving. Your shaving time will at least double if not more using the straight edge. Get Shave Secret or similar prep oil before you put on your shave cream and get a shave stick so you can rub the cream on and then lather it up with a brush. This will scrub your face and make your skin slicker for the blade to move over. Alternatively look at the creams in tubes that you can use with a brush to bring up a lather, or even the cup soap at WalMart next to the Shave Secret. The cup soap can also be rub on the face and lathered or lather in a cup for the soap.
At the web site you can find all sorts of info on these items and more on the web for wet shaving and good luck. :D
ZonieDiver
12-23-2011, 10:04
Accept the gift with many thanks, and then simply carry it "in your shoe" like
"Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" of Jim Croce fame. Tell her you'll use it for self-defense purposes and don't want to dull it by actually shaving with it.:D
Dozer523
12-23-2011, 11:07
You've been warned:eek: .
You've been advised:cool:.
So no sniveling later:D
I have quikclot on stand by.
Here is a link to an intro to straight razor shaving.
http://www.classicshaving.com/articles/article/590351/157220.htm
Classic shaving is where i get all my shave stuff from. The store brand soap is better than most name brands. Invest in a good brush (badger) and soap. The folks there are also available on the phone for any help.
I switched to a safety razor 3 years ago and havent looked back since. I have not made the step to a straight yet because time is a factor in the morning.
Here it is gentlemen. Sharp as hell.
Here it is gentlemen. Sharp as hell.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB_TM5AvJP0
Merry Christmas Ralphie,, but be careful or you will shoot your eye out.. :D:D
BMT (RIP)
12-25-2011, 13:16
I can remember when the straight razor was a weapon of choice by a certain group of ladies here in the South.
They could slice a dude's ass 7 ways from Sunday before the first drop of blood hit the ground!!
BMT
twistedsquid
12-25-2011, 14:34
rinse the blade in ice cold water...google the scene from " miller's crossing" by the coen brothers...my barber gal shaves the back of my neck with a straight razor and does the same...she's never drawn blood
TOMAHAWK9521
12-25-2011, 17:06
I have a nice German straight razor, with the strop and everything. I will echo the previous esteemed gentlemen when I say "Be careful!" with a few things I learned from shaving with a straight razor:
1. Make darn sure that blade is nice and sharp when you use it. If not, you will experience a rather exhilarating sensation of hairs being pulled rather than cut. Also, you may actually increase the risk of getting cut (My own foolish misfortune. The flip side of which is that straight razor cuts can heal without the slightest blemish or scar). And you will also have a lot of hairs still standing after the blade passes over the skin.
2. You will become very aware of those blood vessels under the skin in your neck.
3. NEVER take your eyes/concentration off the blade as you shave. Take the blade away from your face/neck until whatever the distraction was is no longer present.
Other than that, enjoy! :)
Gonna try it tomorrow when I haven't consumed any alcohol. Might be a bad thing if I did it right now.
Gonna try it tomorrow when I haven't consumed any alcohol. Might be a bad thing if I did it right now.
I will often check the sharpness of my edc on my arm. It is not unlike shaving and you don't need a mirror..
longrange1947
12-25-2011, 19:08
Best of luck youngen!!!! :D
Update......shaving complete....2 lessons learned. 1: DO NOT just go at 5 days of growth if you have the option to trim it down to reasonable levels. 2: DO NOT GET DISTRACTED WHILE HOLDING STUPID SHARP UTENSIL!......2 small nicks, no quikclot needed. Not bad for a beginner I suppose. Now I just need to get some aftershave that is worth a damn.:lifter
Dozer523
12-26-2011, 21:32
Update......shaving complete....2 lessons learned. 2: DO NOT GET DISTRACTED WHILE HOLDING STUPID SHARP UTENSIL!......2 small nicks, no quikclot needed. Not bad for a beginner I suppose. Now I just need to get some aftershave that is worth a damn.:lifter Did she watch?;)
From the shadows.....:eek:
TOMAHAWK9521
12-27-2011, 20:20
From the shadows.....:eek:
My wife couldn't stand the scraping sound. :eek:
She couldn't either. She asked if she could use it to shave her legs......until she heard the noise.
I got this in an e-mail from a friend, and sort of felt "moved" to share it on this thread..
Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4oHzFNclzQ
(I'm sure this isn't a surprise to Mr. Harsey)
mark46th
01-11-2012, 11:27
I'd be careful if your wife asks if she can give you a bikini shave...
Fortunately she said she never wants to see me in a bikini. I offered a banana hammock and that ended poorly.:p
Bill Harsey
01-12-2012, 10:33
This is a big mistake.
My thinking too.
Bill Harsey
01-12-2012, 10:35
Best of luck youngen!!!! :D
Yep :D
I prefer paying a pro $15-20 to do it.
Yep :D
My luck has been pretty good. Minus the first attempt when I was distracted by a pet running behind me......
Now the question is, how hard would it be to convince a world renown knife maker to make a custom one of a kind straight razor?:D
Just saying, I would be willing to pay good money for a custom shaving utensil of the sort.
Dozer523
01-12-2012, 20:06
My luck has been pretty good. 39 posts . . aren't you dead yet?
39 posts . . aren't you dead yet?
I'm very resilient and I recover quickly.
A shaving thread, amazing, but just what I was looking for. Recently, after years of ripping my face apart with all the disposables razors brands out there, I came across this company and gave them a shot for the free test drive of shipping cost @ $3.95.
They sent one razor and a gel shaving cream. I shower shave, have medium heavy beard, and usually wear out a brand razor in two shaves.
The one I rec'd in the mail has lasted me three weeks. The shave is baby face smooth. I signed up, first shipment $15. 3 months supply
Check it out:
www.harrys.com
A shaving thread, amazing, but just what I was looking for. Recently, after years of ripping my face apart with all the disposables razors brands out there, I came across this company and gave them a shot for the free test drive of shipping cost @ $3.95.
They sent one razor and a gel shaving cream. I shower shave, have medium heavy beard, and usually wear out a brand razor in two shaves.
The one I rec'd in the mail has lasted me three weeks. The shave is baby face smooth. I signed up, first shipment $15. 3 months supply
Check it out:
www.harrys.com
Been using Harry's for a while. They are great. Went back to the old shaving brush and use Taylor of Old Bond Street shaving cream. Leaves you with a smooth shave.
A shaving thread, amazing, but just what I was looking for. Recently, after years of ripping my face apart with all the disposables razors brands out there, I came across this company and gave them a shot for the free test drive of shipping cost @ $3.95.
They sent one razor and a gel shaving cream. I shower shave, have medium heavy beard, and usually wear out a brand razor in two shaves.
The one I rec'd in the mail has lasted me three weeks. The shave is baby face smooth. I signed up, first shipment $15. 3 months supply
Check it out:
www.harrys.com
Thanks for the info - I'm giving them a shot. I'm sick of paying through the nose for blades.
bblhead672
09-13-2016, 09:04
A shaving thread, amazing, but just what I was looking for. Recently, after years of ripping my face apart with all the disposables razors brands out there, I came across this company and gave them a shot for the free test drive of shipping cost @ $3.95.
They sent one razor and a gel shaving cream. I shower shave, have medium heavy beard, and usually wear out a brand razor in two shaves.
The one I rec'd in the mail has lasted me three weeks. The shave is baby face smooth. I signed up, first shipment $15. 3 months supply
Check it out:
www.harrys.com
+1 for Harry's. Been using them for a couple of years. Amazing how long the blades last.
+1 for Harry's. Been using them for a couple of years. Amazing how long the blades last.
Many times, I through the current blade away because I get bored with it more than its getting dull. The blades last for a good while, but my son and I get new blades monthly so we change them out whether they need it or not. They are well worth the price.