Thread: Going straight

OK, this morning I took the plunge. I ordered a copy of the Straight Razor DVD from Lynn, and then hopped over to whippeddog to order my beginner's setup.

I got the "sight unseen" kit plus an extra razor, requesting a contrasting width and style (full hollow vs. wedge) so I could start to learn what I prefer. Also picked up two brushes and some soap, and still came in substantially less than a single new Dovo razor kit.

Now, I will almost certainly want to upgrade to a nicer strop and razor later on if I stick with it, but I figure this lets me get going for a lower price and have some hand-me-down equipment that I can use to hook one of my friends or relatives later on and when I am ready to pick out a higher end razor I'll have a better idea what I like.

I'm going to be out of town over the weekend, so I'm hoping to be able to start watching the video and try my first shave when I get back on Monday.

The only qualification my wife put on getting a used razor was that she be allowed to sterilize it before I used it. Is it safe to boil the whole razor, or should you only immerse the blade part? I'm sure the steel can take it, less certain about the scales.

Boiling the scales will probably destroy them. Instead buy some alcohol at the drug store, dip the blade in the alcohol, and then set the razor out to dry. The drying of the alcohol will sanitize the razor. If your wife is REALLY WORRIED, repeat the alcohol dip a couple of times.

Don't dip the scales in the alcohol. Clean the scales inside and out with soap and water; then with toothpaste. I take a very small piece of cloth, soak it with soap and then thread it between the scales. It makes it easy to clean. When you are finished, make sure to dry the razor and the inside of the scales. Moisture is the enemy.

With an old razor, as long as it is not rusty, most of the germs will not have survived the passage of time. If a razor is rusty, I always remove all the rust with Maas just to be safe. Then I follow the normal cleaning process.

The only way to truly sterilize the razor is to autoclave it. It doesn't need to be sterilized but rather sanitized. You could buy some Barbisol but the alcohol should do the trick.

80% of my razors were bought used, including one straight razor used by a WWII soldier. I used the alcohol treatment and haven't had a single problem. At any given time, I am sure there are more germs on my hands than on my razors.

Happy Shaving!

+1. Alcohol rub a couple of time, air dry, and you're golden.

Let us know how the shave goes, good or bad....and we'll listen and help all we can.

Thanks for the suggestions. I've talked her out of the boiling water and just alcohol seems like plenty of precaution. Anything organic on the blade edge probably gets scraped off every time you sharpen or strop it anyway.

I'll post up how things go. I get back Sunday night, watch the DVD Monday after work, and I'll probably be giving it a shot Monday night or Tuesday morning.

The razor was sterilized with a sodium hypochlorite solution, followed by a second rinse in 70% isopropyl alcohol. That covers a very wide pathogen range.

Originally Posted by LarryAndro

The razor was sterilized with a sodium hypochlorite solution, followed by a second rinse in 70% isopropyl alcohol. That covers a very wide pathogen range.

I was going to suggest asking you, but you beat me to it. I thought you sterilize them before sending them out.