Thread: new guy

hey guys! my names jack, 18 from boston MA. shaving was always a chore for me, then about a month and a half ago i decided to invest a bit of cash into a basic straight razor kit and man was i not disappointed. Ive been taking it slow and steady, so far ive avoided any major catastrophes albeit a few minor nicks that i cleaned up with a styptic pencil.
at the moment, my routine is to plop my brush into a mug of hot water, climb in the shower, towel off, then strop. from there i lather up (still learning the perfect amount of water vs soap) and do one pass with the grain, one against, and then i switch to my gillete fusion for one last against the grain pass (im still not good enough for a baby's ass finish, hopefully ill be there soon though and can eliminate the cartridge razor). i was wondering if anyone has some general tips for this beginner and also more specifically, some recomendations on honing methods. thanks and have a good one!

-jack granger

Welcome to SRP. Seems like you are on the right track but I'd take it easy and just start reading and following the many threads on this forum to get a good, good grounding in procedure and method. Unless you were a shop rat in high school and are a fanatic in sharpening sharp objects it would be good to find a SRP mentor in your area (they're everywhere) and see if you can meet face to face and absorb everything he can tell you to get off on the right foot, especially on honing. Even a modest investment in a good razor can go down the drain with the soapsuds if you get off on the wrong method(s).

Welcome again and read, read, read.

Seems like you're starting out in a good direction. Spend time watching technique videos. I find the biggest challenge is discovering a grip that combines equal parts security, control and sight lines. Once you find that you'll be able to add ATG.

Welcome Jack!

There is an absolute ton of info on hones and honing on the site here as well as on YouTube. In addition to the excellent advice above ("read, read, read...") I would add watch, watch, watch... Look in particular for videos by Lynn Abrams and Gssixgun. This is a *great* one to start with because Glen takes a beginner through the process:



***please note however, one does *not* need a whole table full of different hones to get started

And perhaps most importantly, when you have questions, just ask.

Good luck!

No further advice is needed, if you need more, re-read what was posted above.

Killer of a video. I didn't want it to stop. GSSIXGUN should make a series of videos for sale so everybody that wants instant reference can have it.

Welcome to SRP, Jack.

As mentioned, it helps to do some research up front. Read a lot and watch several videos on stropping, honing, shaving, etc. to get the techniques.

When you get into honing down the road, feel free to ask questions or ask for a meet. I started honing last year, but I've gotten good at it.

Enjoy the shaves!