r/straightrazors

Been doing it like this for a long time and thought it could be interesting to share. Disclaimer: it's very time-inefficient and also not for people that easily get annoyed handling small, fiddly things.

1. File the rod at ~45° and dome it over. Keep the middle flat and punch-mark the center.
2. Drill. Ideally, deep enough for one collar.
3. Cut off at the bottom of the domed part. Being precise saves a lot of corrections later on.
4. Flatten both sides on sandpaper.
5. If you didn't manage before, drill through. Also extend the hole a bit by wobbling. You always want a bit of play for peening later.
6. Corrections and polishing: If the intial filing and sawing was precise this is a lot easier. I use this piece of aluminium to hold and sandpaper/scotch brite to take out the scratches. Then polish with some leather and metal polish.
7. Can also quickly brush over with a Dremel.
8. 4mm/3mm diameter rods // 1.5mm hole. The larger rod is better for 6/8s+ razors and wood scales where the collars tend to dig in. Also easier to work and shape since they're bigger.

There is obviously a little unevenness and variance, but when put on a razor you won't notice at all. I like to make a bunch (it's also more efficient to do each step for multiple collars) and then later sort them by size. Although I'm relatively consistent by now.

I know it's rather primitive, but I don't restore professionally and don't mind investing the extra time into my own collection.

I'm definitely open for suggestions! I've tried some other things, but this is the process that stuck.

A recent restoration, the C.V Heljestrand Swedish straight razor. To me quite a beautiful tool and is very similar to the MK.31, it's almost like a non thumb notch version but as always they can change from razor to razor a tad..

Some top notch stamps!

SOTD: Aug 19, 2026
Razor: Boker The Celebrated Wenge, 1st shave since honing
Brush: MarshallMade Dirty Stubby
Soap: A&E Agarwood
Aftershave: A&E Agarwood
Balm: Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Face Gel Hydrator
Additional Care: Humphrey's Witch Hazel Astringent

-From the Shave Carousel

Hello ol’ chaps. I recently acquired a grandpa razor from Solingen for around €80. I’m looking for advice on everything I need to get to sharpen it, or learn sharpening with cheaper razors. Seems one requires a whetstone, leather strop and a flattening stone. Can I skip the strop and just use my jeans? 😄

If you were me and had to buy everything from scratch as a beginner, what items would you get? (brand, model). Would help if it’s sold in EU.

Thanks

Thought it could use a touch up and I got a new stone so…
It’s a pretty hard stone and I spent some time on it finishing with a little soapy water.
Very smooth shave, no irritation against the grain but not as sharp a I like. I like that hard Arkansas edge that’s so sharp there’s no need to go against the grain. If you like a smooth three pass shave this is a good finisher and pretty too.

Another of my favourite razors, I fixed up the rubber tang guard on this one. Came to me with no rubber at all and after some research I came across a forum post about using a product called sugru, so I gave that a whirl. It works a charm and is showing no signs of wear or tear yet so it holds up well to use.

Hard to beat the No.14 razors they really are pretty much one of the best mass produced types of razor..

Here's a link for my Sugru repair video ⬇️

https://youtu.be/eEovuvj69TA?si=nIgJxFAl-WtDzS8l

There's various other shave videos featuring this razor also.

So I got to thinking about oiling blades after use or for storage. Saw the advice of mineral oil and TP/PT to wipe the blade. Could be slightly messy, dealing with oil, etc.

My first thought was this. A small silicon container that I bought in a multi-pack. I used for traveling with aftershave lotions.

An old tee shirt sleeve, wound in a coil, soaked in mineral spirits (food grade). I just squeeze the container, the cloth pops up, swipe the blade (rub on tang or dip the tail). Easy, though I do have a needle dropper for the pivot.

Thoughts? Improvements?

Took the plunge and should have the new razor 🪒 by the 20th .

Ive been wondering lately if anyone knows, or think they might know where the "new" coticules are coming from. Most coticules I've bought are from ebay or Amazon as new stones. All but one from Jarrod actually, which he said is either a La Veinette or a Dressante, and i believe hes right. I'm assuming that means recently mined and unused. They do say they are "Ardennes Coticule" though. Does anyone know the names of the mines they're still getting stones from? I know there's many mine names that I'm aware of(the common ones), and suspect there's many that I'm not aware of. I know it really doesn't matter, and they are what they are but I cant help but wonder about all this and thought this would be the place to ask. All the stones I have are really good stones, and really solid finishers. Any info or ideas welcome, thanks.

They sure loved using those words.
John Coe's warrented imperial razor Sheffield

Something a little different came in, in a job lot of razors. A advertising sign of sorts, what's interesting is it seems to come from a country that uses the dollar.. It's now made its way to England.

Wooden blade is locked in place via a nail.. Thought I'd share as it's not something I see a lot of..

SOTD: Aug 14, 2026
Razor: Thiers-Issard Stainless Steel
Brush: Alpha Bulldog Ti
Soap: BBS Susanoo
Aftershave: BBS Susanoo
Balm: Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Face Gel Hydrator
Additional Care: Humphrey's Witch Hazel Astringent

-From the Shave Carousel

Been lazy lately but pulled out one of my favourite blades to lop off a few weeks worth of a beard.

Love the dr Harris soaps but I don’t love this scent. lol at this point I’m just trying to get through my soaps before the year 3000

I believe I did well Guys! Got this in today. I've bought several lately, think I gave $35-40?. Quick search claims probably 1875/85. Barber notch, no etchings (looked under a x10 loupe), near wedge and stamps.

Suggested this might be a 1940/60s 'barbershop repair'. But there's absolutely no way of knowing that.

Blade is free swinging on the pivot. No big deal.

Give me a week or so and I'll follow up with a cleaning, honing and shave update. I'm excited to see what this blade design does.

Eta: the blade is 3/4"

This is my current go to razor - it gives a great shave and hones and strips really well, holding its sharpness for ages.

But, it appears to have no makers mark, either on the tang or the blade itself.

I have no idea of age or maker - any ideas.

It has a great serrated edge on the underside to help hold it, otherwise nothing really of note.

UK based, Cheers…

So I just finished honing my first straight razor but I don't think it is sharp enough I've not gotten the chance to try it on my face just yet but it just doesn't shave that well when trying it on my leg

For sharpening I started at 1000 then 3000 until the 1000 scratches were mostly gone then I went to a Belgian coticule where I started with a slurry that I slowly diluted until finally finishing under running water

Did i make any mistakes that would cause it to not shave as well as it could?

Got this beauty today. A bit expensive. A bit big for me. But first shave was. Nice. Any questions?