On 2008-07-26, wrote:
On Jul 25, 6:04*pm, "DoN. Nichols" wrote:
On 2008-07-25, wrote:

* * * * [ ... ]

Speaking of old razors, my Dad used to have a 'Rolls Razor', back
around the late 40's - early 50's:-

http://www.rubylane.com/shops/dailyt...H-0032?gbase=1

I wasn't quite old enough to shave then but found it to be an
interesting gadget.

* * * * I've got one, and used it until I decided that there wasn't
enough time in the day to bother shaving. *:-)

[ ... ]

I've got my Grandfathers and it never seemed to get sharp enough to
use. Could you explain the sharpening procedure. I still shave my
neck.

O.K.

1) Only very occasionally do you run it on the hone (the stone).
Note that the blade moves edge-leading along the stone, and edge
trailing along the strop.

2) Before every use (or after) run the blade a number of cycles on
the strop (the red coated leather insert). Every so often
(months I think), the strop should be re-dressed with jeweler's
rouge (which is where the red color comes from). The coating
should be thin and even. You may be able to find the strop
dressing compound through a barber, as they still use the
straight razor and strop it regularly.

You will probably have to run a lot more cycles on the strop
after a honing cycle.

3) Mount the blade in the handle, flip the guard to the side the
handle points to, lather and shave (carefully, this is not as
protected as a safety razor, though it is safer than a straight
razor.

4) Rise and wipe off the blade when your are done before
reinstalling it in the mechanism.

Note that even if you take both the hone and the strop out at
the same time, they are keyed so each will only go in the proper side,
so you don't push the blade edge-first into the leather.

Don't drop the hone on tile -- you will likely break that thin
stone.

Hmm ... why not take it to a barber who still uses the straight
razor and get his point of view on it. It has been something like
thirty years or more since I last shaved -- and I never had the
instruction sheet for mine, so it is mostly what I worked out on my own.
Maybe you should run water over the hone as you hone it, but I don't
know for sure.

Enjoy,
DoN.

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