Straight razors are a popular collectors item. Understanding what they are made of, and how to best care for them are crucial to their preservation for daily users and collectors alike.

Materials:

In general, the blades of straight razors are made of steel; the more recent razors have blades made from stainless steel. Often found engraved or etched on the blades are markings identifying the manufacturer and/or the model of the razor.

Handles are made from a wide variety of materials, including celluloid (an early plastic), wood, rubber, horn, ivory, bakelite, vegetable ivory, and metal. Inlays and additions can be of mother of pearl, silver, copper, ivory, wood, tortoise shell -- the list is almost endless, some materials are shown on the image below.

A trio of straight razors with differing materials used in the scales.

While some materials, such as metal, are easy to identify, others (such as ivory and celluloid) are virtually indistinguishable without resorting to chemical tests. Thus, instead of addressing a series of different materials, the following care and handling suggestions for straight razors are meant to be generally applicable.

Caring for your straight razor

In general, the best environment in which to store straight razors is well-ventilated, dark, room temperature (72F or 20C), and neither too dry, nor too damp. Your underwear drawer likely meets these requirements; it is best to keep the razors near the front of the drawer, however, so that the air around them is circulated (air circulation is particularly important if the handle of your straight razor is celluloid, as unventilated celluloid can quickly deteriorate).

Razors should not be stored in an area that gets very hot, such as an attic, as celluloid is very flammable, and has been known to spontaneously combust at temperatures as low as 50C (125F).

It is advisable to keep straight razors out of water and away from liquids as much as possible -- both because water will encourage the iron-based blades to rust, and also because water can cause serious damage to many handle materials. Cleaning razors with bleach, ammonia or detergents is discouraged, as these substances can also cause damage.

The Blade:

Metal polishes, such as Brasso, Silvo, or Autosol should never be used on the blade of a straight razor. As well as damaging the surface, they can leave polish residues which are both unattractive, and can be harmful to the blade and handle.

If the blade is exceptionally dull or nicked, the use of a sharpening stone is recommended. A leather razor strop can be used to maintain a keen edge. You know you're getting close when you can slice a piece of paper with your razor.

It is not uncommon to find rust on the blades of straight razors, particularly the earlier blades, made before the invention ofstainless steel. The rust can be removed using either a soft 3M scrub pad (the white ones), or 0000 (extremely fine) steel wool. Be careful not to scratch the handle!

Next, clean the entire surface of the blade with a Q-tip dampened with either ethyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol. This will help degrease the blade. Then, apply a thin coat of light mineral oil to the blade; let it sit for a short while (10 minutes, or so), and then wipe the excess oil off using a clean, dry cloth. This oil coating will help prevent any further rusting.

If you use your straight razor, use rubbing alcohol to remove the oil before use, and again after use to clean the blade. Use mineral oil to re-oil the blade after use, as well as after sharpening. Be careful not to get any alcohol or oil on the handle.

The Handle (scales):

Coatings such as lacquers, waxes, oils, and polishes should be avoided, as they can do more harm than good (trapping dirt, or trapping chemicals that greatly increase rates of deterioration).

Likewise, soaps and detergents should also be avoided when cleaning handles. For general cleaning, use distilled water. Do not immerse or soak the handle in the water; rather, wipe the handle with adamp cloth, and dry immediately using another clean, absorbent cloth.

To cut any grease present, use a mixture of distilled water and household ammonia (1 or 2 drops of ammonia in 2 cups of water); rinse quickly with a damp cloth, and dry.

To clean wooden handles, carefully "erase" the dirt using a soft,white vinyl eraser. The eraser bits can be brushed away using a soft bristle brush. Wood handles should not be washed with water.

If you have a broken razor, it is best not to fix it yourself -- certain adhesives may cause damage to the materials. As well, certain repairs may cause a loss in value greater than the damage alone. Consult a conservator familiar with the materials involved.

Keep an eye on your razor collection, and watch for any signs of deterioration -- colour change, odours, cracking, flaking, warping, bubbling, etc. Deteriorating razors should be isolated and stored away from the rest of your collection, to prevent further damage(for example, deteriorating celluloid will cause other, "healthy" celluloid (as well as other materials such as leather), to also begin deteriorating).

In general, the basic straight razor maintenance outlined above will go a long way to keeping your razor in good shape for many years. For more in-depth concerns (i.e. a cloudy tortoise shell handle, adhesive residues, broken handles), consult with a conservator who is familiar with the material in question.

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The traditional barbers straight razor shave shown above.

The first thing you need to know is that a straight razor is basically a very simple shaving device.

Unlike its safety and modern multi-bladed counterparts, a straight razor has a single cutting edge that can hold an incredible sharpness when honed properly.

The handle portion of a straight razor, referred to as the "scales", usually comprises of two separate pieces of celluloid, horn, bone, wood, mother of pearl or stainless steel. Exotic woods and materials are sometimes used when a straight razors existing scales become damaged, or the owner wishes to replace them.

The scales are usually held together with brass pins and washers, one of which is located on the shoulder/tang of the blade which allows the razor to pivot into the open and closed positions. Most straight razors come with 2 pins, though some can be found with 3. Generally speaking, 3 pins are used to provide greater strength to larger and heavier razors.

Straight razors do not have a locking function built into them, and are free to open and close with gentle pressure using the thumb. Great care must be taken when you first take hold of your razor and open and close it for the first time, regardless of how sharp the blade is. It is advised that you do this while seated, using a desk or table covered with a towel to control it's action so that you can observe the correct usage of the razor without dropping it or cutting yourself.

There are two types of metal used in the construction of the razor, carbon steel and stainless steel. Carbon steel is the most commonly used type of steel used due to it having softer properties than stainless and as such requires less time to produce a keen edge on it during the honing process.

While this may seem off-putting at first having softer steel in your razor, the advantages far outweigh the use of stainless steel. The reason for this is that stainless steel is a much harder material and requires far greater effort to hone it.

Stainless steel is also much easier to keep clean and is resistant to rust, something that it's carbon brother is susceptible to.

Regardless of which type of razor you end up buying, honing and maintenance will be a constant part of the ownership of a straight razor that is used on a daily basis and it is always useful to apply a thin coat of mineral oil after every shave to protect the blade and inhibit rust.

The "hollow ground" is one of the most common grinds, but is not the only type of grind you will come across when looking to buy a new straight razor. Razors are also available in quarter ground, half ground and full wedge.

Hollow ground blades are the thinnest grind available and the full wedge is the thickest. The obvious difference is that the full wedge has the most metal in its construction and as such is preferred to cut thicker beards.

The downside to full wedge ground razors is that they offer less feedback to the shaver and can be harder to learn with. It is suggested that your first straight razor should be a full hollow ground razor as they are easier to maintain and learn with.

In addition to the grind of the blade, there is the "height" of the blade, referred to as the straight razors size. The largest manufactured size of a straight razor is 8/8 of an inch and decrements down to 3/8 at its smallest size.

Larger sizes, like grinds, are preferred for cutting thicker beards, where 3/8 sizes are suitable for trimming moustaches. The size of the razor naturally relates to how much it will weigh, and this can affect the balance of it in your hand. To start with, a 5/8 or 6/8 blade for many people is an ideal size.

Regardless of whether you have chosen to purchase your first straight razor second hand, or brand new from an on-line store, you will almost certainly have to hone the blade prior to use. This can seem particularly daunting as you will also have the task of learning how to shave too.

It is highly recommended that when buying your first straight razor that you consider how you will get the razor adequately sharp for shaving with. One option is to purchase either a pasted strop or a suitable hone to sharpen your razor with, and learn how to do this yourself at the risk of damaging your rather through a lack of experience.

Honing, like straight razor shaving and other parts of the straight shaving process, are techniques that take time to learn. Bear in mind that hones and pasted strops can be quite expensive, so many first time straight users end up looking for someone to hone their razor for them prior to its first use.

Choose a strop that offers good value for money. Tony Miller's strops are among some of the best.

Now that you know the basics of how to go about getting your razor sharp enough there is another step that you need to take prior to each and every shave that you have with your razor, it is called stropping.

A strop is simply a leather "strap" that comes in a variety of shapes, sizes and qualities of leather. The best type of strop to purchase initially is a double-sided hanging strop with a leather facing on one side and canvas on the other. Some strops have different grades of leather on both sides though this would mean that you would need to buy a separate canvas strop. The choice is yours.

Prior to shaving you need to strop your straight razor on the canvas face first for a number of "laps".

A single lap consists of two strokes, one away, and one back. How much you will need to strop your razor prior to use varies, though commonly most people will perform 20 to 30 laps on the canvas side, followed by another 20 to 30 laps on the leather side. Stropping your straight razor on the leather side the final step before shaving with it.

The canvas side of the strop is fairly coarse and is designed to remove any residue that has been left behind after the last shave, and also "polish" the edge of the razor. The leather side of the face is almost sheer by comparison to the canvas side, and prepares the blade properly before shaving.

A straight razor shown ready for stropping

Stropping the razor is absolutely vital and cannot be omitted from the preparation. Do not be tempted to use an old leather belt or home-made strop for this purpose as you will invariably end up damaging the edge of your straight razor and in the worst case you will have to throw your razor away. Something that you want to avoid.

A strop is best hung from a metal hook that you will need to install somewhere in your home, preferably in the bathroom and not too close to water splashes as you will want to avoid getting your strop wet.

For this purpose, a marine-quality stainless hook is ideal, though not essential, and you may even attach your strop to a door handle or a attach a coat-hanger to a water pipe for the same purpose, though this is not recommended as you want to keep your strop taut and without horizontal movement.

Like straight razor shaving, stropping is learned through experience and takes time to perfect. Do not rush your stropping technique or be too heavily influenced by videos of straight razor users performing 30 laps in a few seconds. Find the speed you are comfortable with, stick to it, and avoid rushing the process.

Eventually, despite stropping your straight razor on a regular basis, it will need re-honing by yourself or an expert. The cost of re-honing varies and it is not particularly expensive. You will know when your razor is not sharp enough as it will start to snag on your beard more often and cause more irritation to your skin. When this starts to happen, and your strop is no longer capable of keeping the razor sharp enough to shave with, it is time to think about re-honing.

You should only need to think about re-honing a straight razor once or twice a year and searching for assistance on specialized straight razor shaving sites will put you in the right direction.

Remember that when your straight razor starts to snag on your beard, the likelihood of getting a nick or cut is greatly increased, so be aware of how sharp your blade is each and every time you shave with it. You will gain this observational skill automatically as you learn to shave over time and is all part of the enjoyable art of straight shaving.

Buying your first straight razor need not be an expensive exercise. Hundreds of usable straight razors are available via eBay or through shaving forum classifieds for as little as $10, and can be as much as several hundred. The cost does not reflect how well it will shave, so don't be tempted to spend a small fortune on your first straight razor. Also be aware that auction bought razors are usually sold "as-is", and are often not sharp enough to shave with.

This is largely dependent on the seller, so make your enquiries first.

You may be tempted by the scale design, blade detailing, or the aesthetics of a particular straight razor, and this is all part of buying one, though it should be emphasized that first and foremost it is important that your chosen straight razor is capable of giving you an excellent shave, and if maintained properly, will give you a lifetime's worth of service.

Owning a straight razor will lead you on to learning about advanced techniques that include the sharpening of straight razors (honing), and possibly the restoration and acquisition of interesting barber-shop parephenalia. For most of us though, finding the first useable straight razor is the best place to start, along with a selection of aftershaves, balms, pre and post shave creams and a brush that will serve for the daily shave.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this introduction to the acquisition and understanding of straight razors, and pass this information along to anyone who is considering learning the art of straight razor shaving.

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T of straight razor shaving, acquisition and restoration of straight razors.

Welcome!

As you may know after finding your way here, The Straight Razor Collector store has been running successfully for almost two years and we thought it was high time to bring our blog online to share our views, reviews and resources to those of you have kindly given us your patronage over that time.

We are also looking forward to helping those who are new to the art of straight razor shaving, and also guiding users and collectors along the way.

Over the next two weeks or so, we will be updating our blog with daily updates that will include; straight razor reviews, wet shaving resources, guides and how-to's on many of the myriad of aspects of straight razor shaving.

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