[yawdeuce]

Hi Everyone,

I have been shaving with a straight for 10 months now and decided to spring for an Iwasaki. It came in the mail 2 days ago. I gave it a couple laps on the .5 micron pasted strop, stropped it as normal and went in for the first shave. Wow, that son of a bitch is SHARP! That being said, I wanted some advice on shaving technique. What would be really awsome would be for someone to post a video of using one online. Seeing as that will probably not happen I would like some written guidence.

Do you hold it in your right hand the whole time?
How do you hold it to go with the grain on the far side of your right face/neck?
Are there any special needs for cleaning/storing these razors?
Is there any reccomended stones to use to sharpen these? I read that natural stones extend the lifetime of blades.

Thank you very much.

[OLD_SCHOOL]

Originally Posted by yawdeuce

Do you hold it in your right hand the whole time?
How do you hold it to go with the grain on the far side of your right face/neck?
Are there any special needs for cleaning/storing these razors?
Is there any reccomended stones to use to sharpen these? I read that natural stones extend the lifetime of blades.

Thank you very much.

It is understood that the Japanese razors were traditionally designed for right handed use. This is evident by the indentation found on the tang just near the blade, where the right index finger rests. However today, some folk claim to use both sides, and with good results. Some, such as myself, do not understand how this is achievable without screwing up the symmetry of the blade, since one side is honed more than the other. This has been the topic of several debates, and no real outcome has been achieved yet.

Cleaning and storage is pretty much the same as western. Wipe them dry with a damp cloth, making sure you don't touch the edge with the cloth at the same time. I currently use chouji on mine, but once that is gone, I will most likely just use 100% pure camellia oil. I currently store mine in their original packaging, and haven't had any issues with that, but am in the middle of making a razor box to store mine.

Personally, I finish my Japanese razors on a Nakayama Asagi hone. That is my preference, however any of the high quality Nakayama hones will provide you with an excellent shaving edge.

All said and done though, YMMV.

[thebigspendur]

yes it is sharp. When you have an asymmetrical edge you are able to achieve a higher level of keaness. The only thing I would add is that a 12K hone is the recommended hone for japanese razors in general however you can really use anything you want. I have an iwasaki also and find a diamond pasted strop works very well but I have also used my Japanese vintage natural finishing stone on it also. As far as shaving technique goes you really have to experiment with this one especially if you decide to do it the one sided way which is the proper way.