WetShaving
This is a community of enthusiasts, hobbyists and artisans who enjoy a traditional wet shave: brush, soap, and safety or straight razor. We are a part of the WetShaving community found on Reddit, Discord, and IRC.
New subscribers welcome!
Please visit our wiki, which is always and forever a work in progress.
Check out these alternative front-ends for this server:
https://gem.wetshaving.social - a nice modern interface
https://old.wetshaving.social - designed to look like old.reddit.com
Our sister Mastodon instance is https://wetshaving.social.
Community Rules
Rule 1 - Behaviour and Etiquette
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Be Respectful. Do not bully, flame, or harass others.
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Malicious comments are not allowed but heated discussion and salty banter is okay.
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Low effort replies and complaints about content will be removed.
Rule 2 - Content Guidelines
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Mail Calls, Simple Questions, and SOTD posts belong in the recurring weekly threads.
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Posts must have sufficient content to generate a meaningful discussion.
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Images, links, or videos must include additional text that summarizes the topic.
Rule 3 - Reviews and Disclosure
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Use [First Impressions] in the title if your experience with the product is limited.
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Use the [Review] in the title if you can provide comprehensive details with enough familiarity to answer follow-up questions.
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Disclose how the product being reviewed was acquired (e.g., PIF, loan, or purchase). If the product was provided to you directly by the maker or vendor free of charge or at a discount, you must disclose this fact even if the item will later be returned to the maker or vendor.
Rule 4 - Advertising
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Vendors are to keep marketing within the biweekly Deals/New Products threads.
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Non-vendors may post topics about products if it will foster a compelling discussion.
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Do not solicit donations or share fundraisers without mod approval.
Rule 5 - Inappropriate Content
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All NSFW/L content must request mod approval and be flaired appropriately.
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Non-shaving related NSFW/L content is not allowed.
Rule 10 - Moderator Discretion
- The rules may not apply perfectly to every situation. The mods have final discretion.
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I got myself a beautiful Thiers Issard straight razor from eBay. It's in great shape, but I don't know anything about the prior owner. What are the best options for sterilizing this thing? Will simply rubbing it down with alcohol do the job, or does it need a prolonged bath in alcohol?
Also, what would your approach be to using it? Try the minimal intervention (stropping ), and then try it? Or would you take it to the stones before doing anything?
My post here talks through what's needed.
https://www.reddit.com/r/wicked_edge/comments/14qrvf6/comment/jqp4jmd/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Presuming you picked something up that needs sharpening (unless you got a lot of luck and chose a particular rare ebay seller, it will need sharpening), that's your first step, mail to a pro to sharpen it. Stropping will not make a straight razor sharper, it simply aligns the microscopic metal frill at the apex. Sharpening requires steel removal, not just alignment.
Post some pictures and more details!
Thanks for your reply and the link!
The blade was in really good shape, but after giving it a soak in alcohol, I tried it on my arm, but no joy there. I thought I would give it a try to sharpen it myself on a Shapton 12k. It turned out alright, and I shaved with it yesterday evening - good enough for me!