Thread: Reaching back to go into the future

Originally Posted by foldedandhoned

BobH,
see my reply to Laurens.

Yea, saw that, still wondering. Good luck with the stropping.

Bob

Hi Bob,
I think that a few things are in play. I used a pre-shave that I now feel was a waste of money because I should have known better about how flesh and oils work. But the most important thing other than learning my angles and allowing the razor to do its thing is that I bought a razor from Glen and he knows his stuff. When I need to take my kitchen knives to be be "brought up" as it were, I have a very trusted smith. Glen, from the outset, gave me really great advise and sent me links and such...but the razor (an old WW2 era Schlieper) I bought from him was ready and fine, he takes this straight razor thing seriously and I'm down with that! Only I could make my shave a bad experience.
I think, and as I will do in the future, stick to those who have knowledge and passion. There is no substitute for knowledge.
And as I have said before I thank all of you who have responded to my posts or pm'd me.
Life is a learning experience. Preparing the flesh of once living beings to sustain the life of those still living will give you a particular outlook on what is important.
All the best,
Folded
The pre-shave thing is a matter of preference and climate. I believe that all you need is a little olive oil.

Well, that clears it up a little bit. I am going to guess that the edge Glen put on that razor had more to with an improved shave than any pre shave product.

Personally, I think using pre shave products and elaborate pre shave routines may help you initially achieve a better shave more quickly but will mask deficiencies in your basic shaving/lathering techniques as well as a poor edge. When I started I had built up a very elaborate shave routine from pre to post and was never really sure which parts of the shave routine were really contributing to achieving a really good shave. I have now eliminated everything and got it down to wet face, lather up and shave, all using cold water. Long winded way of saying a lot of things may seem to help at the start but in the long run may be a hindrance to getting the basics right. In the end though it is what ever works for you because everyone is different or more simply YMMV.

You have gotten good advice about stropping and strops. I won't say a word on that as I still manage to put small nicks in my strops every now and then still. OTH I am not degrading my edges by stropping. Stropping a another one of those "deceptively" easy looking skills to learn.

Bob

That's what I want to get to Bob, just a good clean shave from shower to out the door. But I think a trip down preparation way is not a bad thing. After all, all of the arts I have been involved with require prep and knowledge and experience.
I'm ready to do my next SR shave (now that the wounds have healed) and I'm looking at in a very different way than I did when I first blasted on to this sight with a little bit of a snarky attitude. I'm actually thinking of developing a device that may help newbies with the proper angle and such until they get it down.
Thanks to you and Glen, edhewitt and Laurens for sticking with me!
Best,
folded

I see a lot of different razor styles out there...rounded, spike, curved, dimpled, etc. What are the differences and how proficient must one be to use them all and is it important?
folded

The main practical differences between a round point and a square point are:
- Round point is gentler and comes in handy in slightly hollow faces/necks, a square point will easily give you a cut
- Square point is more precise, if you want to shave around a goatee or something, round point makes that harder

Other than that, it is mostly a matter of taste. Arguably, a French point allows the user a little more view of the skin than other points. A barber's notch is speculated to be handy for single-handed opening by catching it on a breast pocket.

If you buy a square/French/Spanish point, remember that the point is much much sharper than you think it is. In the beginning, try using the center of the blade rather than the toe to prevent cutting your face. You can also ask the seller to mute or dull the point, at the disadvantage that it can also not be used for precise trimming.