Straight Razors

[Duscati]

This is precisely why I have a beard.

[four]

I could see it if it is in oil. I mean think about it, we oil stuff to preserve it. Then again maybe it is the slow drying of the blade that causes it to degrade. So if you dry it quickly or just keep it wet it will last longer. All I know is that since I was told what I was told mine have lasted longer.

it's leaving water on the blade. if you store it dry but blow off all the water it helps. if you store it wet in oil, it displaces the water. doesn't really matter which, as long as you get the water off it.

I personally have used a straight razor for almost 10 years and wouldn't go back to disposables if you paid me. Two things happen when you shave with a straight razor. 1) you pay attention to what you're doing so you don't open a vein. and 2) you s-l-o-w the hell down. the combination of those two things means you actually start to enjoy shaving.

[High Desert]

You might look at this in the short term.

http://www.lehmans.com/store/Persona...___36731?Args=

Best regards,
HD

[Dunderway]

This may be common knowledge, but I was taught to do this by a salty old Master Chief when we would get extended and run our of razors underway:

Soak the old, dull, gunked up razors in hot water. Cut a piece of thin cardboard (like a notebook backing) to the width of the razor, and run the razor WITH the grain against it about 30 times. It will give new life to a razor that was headed for the trash.

I suppose this is like using a leather strap on a straight razor, but it really works in a pinch. I still keep a piece of cardboard in my medicine cabinet in case I run out of razors and am in a hurry.

[BadgerMan]

^ That is called stropping, and as you figured it is the same thing as using a leather strop. It works best on very thing blades and if done properly and often the time between sharpening of a blade can be extended significantly. All that is happening is the micro-serrations on the blade are getting bent through use, stropping the blade will straighten them back out though eventually they will break and it will have to be sharpened. This is also what is happening when you use a honing steel on a larger knife, the strop doesn't really cut it on thicker blades like that.. You can also use polishing compounds (ie Jeweler's Rouge) to make this process more aggressive and give the blade a nice mirror finish.

[Dunderway]

It's hard to believe that leather or cardboard for that matter would sharpen a steel blade so quickly, but it sure does.

[the Bamster]

I remember the black fellas in the army getting the bumpies, looked as if the face exploded after a shave..... i always felt bad for em.

[Heavy Metal]

Just like a BCG …

Pat the razor dry and hit it with some lube. An inch of glycerine in a small dish or cup works wonders.

Hah, you know, maybe someone should try some SLiP 2k … seriously …

I have found a new use for Ballistol!

[xfyrfiter]

I own two straight razors, one was my dad's, the other was grand dads .Never have had the cojones to shave with either one, LOL probably cut my throat if I shaved in the AM, just takes too long to wake up, you know. Both are some very fine damascus steel though, Quality today is probably not as good.