Picked up a straight razor at a flea market for a couple bucks. It seems by the markings it is of reputable manufacture.

It has some minor rust, isn't sharp, and needs new handles. I posted a while back and someone gave me the links for a new handle.

Now how do I clean up the blade? I'd like to start shaving with it. Just looking for tips to get it into condition without ruining it. Sharpen with a stone? Leather strop? Mail it off to someone? Take it somewhere?

Post a pic of it. Depending on the severity of the rust it may not be worth it. I always used a dremel with a felt wheel and Maas polish.

You are going to need a stone in the 6000-8000 grit range and a suitable strop to get it shaving sharp. It's not as easy as one would think.

There are plenty of youtube videos dedicated to this. Just like anything else you might want to do.

That's how I broke my first straight razor.


Honing is usually a progression of 1k, 4k, 8k, and a finisher. It's a lot easier, and cheaper to send it to someone who knows what their doing for your first time.

I would head over to straightrazorplace dot com forum and do some reading.